I can sleep! PLEASE HELP me!!!

OUr cat isnt allowed to sleep with us in the bedroom. Justfor our own reasons. We just like to sleep alone and i cant have anything touching me besides the blankets. Lately she has been waking up several times in the middle of the night meowing and throwing herself against the door and scratching it alot. She keeps us awake at night. has anyone else had this problem? How can i get her to stop??

I would have this problem when I had an only cat. Is she the only one? Because they are nocturnal this is when they want to play the most (is she young? young cats haven't learned to turn their schedule around like ours yet). With our 3 cats we never have this problem and 2 are kittens! They can play with each other. Kittens particularly don't like being alone so a buddy always works well. If thats not possible then I'm not sure . Eventually she'll learn but its hard to tell how long it will take. The most important thing is to ignore her hwen she does it or she'll keep at it.

She is an only baby. I want another but can't get one. it was hard enough to talk my boyfriend into one! She has plenty of toys and other things to play iwth. we have had her for a month or so now. she didnt do this before we went out of town. my mom fed her really early in the morning so could that have changed her clock??

When i just had Rosie i would play with her an hour before going to bed to tire her out, then give her some wet food so her tummy was full, because we all fancy a nap after something to eat?!

And i used to do the same when Sophie came along, but they chase after each other now to tire themselves out

I think you meant you can't sleep? It is perfectly normal for your cat to want to play and prey in the middle of the night

http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_B..._Crazies!.html

Originally Posted by rosiemac

When i just had Rosie i would play with her an hour before going to bed to tire her out, then give her some wet food so her tummy was full, because we all fancy a nap after something to eat?!

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That's what works for my cats too - we have a nice play session, then some canned food, and then they go to bed & are quiet through the night (most of the time).

Make sure she has a nice comfy bed of her own to use, and that it's in a place where she'll use it - my cats never used to use their beds when I put them on the floor, but immediately started using them after I moved them up high onto the furniture. A nice cat tree with a comfy bed in it is ideal.

Phenom has her own little bed. i used an old wicker laundry basket and but old towels in it. she loves it. i put it up stairs next to the spare bedroom across the hall from ours. i play with her a little while before bed while we are watching tv. she goes to bed when we do but about 4 hrs later she is up!

Cats also don't sleep the same as us. They take cat naps constantly and are usually not down for long. The fact that she uses "her bed" for 4 hours is amazing! If I made a bed for my cats I'm sure they wouldn't use it. Also kittens are bundles of energy, think of it like having a baby, they wake up through the night because they want something constantly. It is something that will pass in time as her energy goes down. New kitten owners never get sleep. Also she isn't used to your schedule and its going to take a while to adapt.

When I first got her Sibohan wanted to play all night and I had to sleep so I locked her out. Sibohan learned how to knock by standing on her hind legs and batting the doorknob. It has kept me up a few nights. I have since relented and let her sleep with me. May I suggest some sort of other stimulation for your cat, a tape of music, tv, somthing to give it a bit of company at night

I have a similar problem.

My two 18 month old siamese-mix males were sleeping through the night without a problem for the past 6 months. (I had hoped that we conquered there unruly nocturnal kitten behaviour for good.) Lately, they have been conducting early morning wrestling matches. I think this is play - since there's no hissing or yowling or blood - though we find many tufts of fur scattered across the carpet in the morning. Does anyone know what gives? Is this some sort of territorial thing that they'll grow out of? Besides diligent play therapy, what else is possible? Thanks for your thoughts!

Originally Posted by Phenomsmom

Phenom has her own little bed. i used an old wicker laundry basket and but old towels in it. she loves it. i put it up stairs next to the spare bedroom across the hall from ours. i play with her a little while before bed while we are watching tv. she goes to bed when we do but about 4 hrs later she is up!

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This is normal behaviour and I don't think you are going to be able to have it all your way here...If you can't get her a playmate and you don't want her to sleep with you, she is simply going to continue her attempts.
In other words, I think some concession has to be made here.
You could set her up in her own room away from your bedroom, but frankly, I don't think that would solve her loneliness/boredom issue. She won't just play by herself and keep herself content. I would tell your BF that two cats play each other out much better than one on its own.
Good luck on this one.

I am a dead sleeper and play my cats out at night but cats will be cats and mine still like to wake me up sometimes. I either ignore their attempts or wake up and attend to them and go back to sleep.

It's true, a second cat will solve a lot of problems, and make your kitty a lot happier, too. And really, once your boyfriend has accepted a litterbox in the house, kittyprints on the coffee table, and cat hair on the sofa, what's the difference between one cat and two?

This argument worked with my father, and I highly recommend it. :-)

Hehe, I have had the same problem, and I just resorted to opening the door and/or wearing earplugs on nights when I MUST get a good night's sleep!

Then, 3 weeks ago, I got the lonely kitty who wanted to play at night a new kitty friend! She gets plenty of play-time now, but we're currently working on a probably new-kitten-anxiety induced litterbox problem. Go figure.

Originally Posted by bigkittylove

I have a similar problem.

My two 18 month old siamese-mix males were sleeping through the night without a problem for the past 6 months. (I had hoped that we conquered there unruly nocturnal kitten behaviour for good.) Lately, they have been conducting early morning wrestling matches. I think this is play - since there's no hissing or yowling or blood - though we find many tufts of fur scattered across the carpet in the morning. Does anyone know what gives? Is this some sort of territorial thing that they'll grow out of? Besides diligent play therapy, what else is possible? Thanks for your thoughts!

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That sounds pretty normal to me. Are they neutered? If not then they are most likely being more agressive then they normally would because they are wanting to be dominant over the other.

Phenom did really well last nigh! she didnt want to start playing until 2 this morning. and those attempts didnt last long! We will kep working with her!!

I just talked to Lee. I told him that you all keep telling me that Phenom needs a friend. First he got smart and said she does have a playmate...me! LOL! Well I went on to tell him she needs a kitty friend. Then he said I dont have the adoption make right now. I told him that i knw people who would give them to me free, gladly. He said we might be able to work out a deal again. That means he is 95% sure to give in. So we might get a new kitty!!!!

Congrats on almost getting yourself a new cat. That's how I managed to get my second. Every morning at about 6 a.m. or earlier ! Zakk used to meohowl (that's how it sounded) for food. Wake up time is 7 a.m.! Anyway once he got a friend, things were fine.
I will tell you that the cat may act better if you do let her in the room. Mine each have there own bed on the night stands, and they spend a lot of time in them instead of the beds! Of course, every cat is different, and we do have one who prefers to sleep in the bed, but we don't mind.

I hope Lee goes the final 5% and agrees to get a playmate for your kitty! Make sure you visit the other threads on this site about selecting a proper mate and acclimating your cat to him - so they're more likely to bond. My 2 siamese boys - on good nights - curl up together on the foot of our bed. It's very cute! Since you're not so gung ho about having them in your room at night, the other suggestions about giving them their own beds sounds like a great idea. This way they can curl up together and let you get some peace at night! Best of luck.

Originally Posted by Jen

That sounds pretty normal to me. Are they neutered? If not then they are most likely being more agressive then they normally would because they are wanting to be dominant over the other.

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These guys have been neutered since they were kittens. The wrestling thing seems to go in phases - they were good last night which might've been from a marathon session we had with the laser...or else because they've resolved the territorial issue for now. Who knows! I'm glad to know it's at least normal. Now, if only they could just go at it during prime time instead of the middle of the night - it's superb entertainment if it wasn't keeping us up at all hours!