While I'm sleeping Behavior

Just some history first, Trixie and Norton are 11 months old (littermates). Up until December, we never let them sleep in our bedroom because of my husband's allergies. However, they always scratched and meowed at the door in the middle of the night to be let in (not a behavior that lasted all night long, just for about 5 minutes at a time until they got bored with it). In December, we started to let them sleep in our bed with us which I love because they're fun to cuddle with. Trixie, the female, has typically been more cuddly and "needy". She loves to cuddle and knead at you when she can. It started out that once a night she would wake me up by kneading at or purring in my face. The behavior lasted for about 5 minutes and then she would stop by herself or I would have to hide under the sheet so that I can fall back asleep. She only does this to me, not my husband.

Last week I went to Europe to visit a friend. My husband said they looked sad while I was gone. Trixie did wake him up once during the night with the behavior that she usually does with me. I've been back 3 nights now and have made it a point to spend lots and lots of time cuddling with them because I don't ever want them to feel like I would leave them and not come back. However, the last two nights Trixie has been waking me up every hour on the hour. I'm exhausted. Between the jetlagg and the lack of uninterrupted sleep, I'm just so tired. I can't help but feel that she's doing it for a reason. She is very sensitive...she gets into her "moods" of detachment whenever her environment changes. She snaps back but sometimes it takes like 3 weeks. Do you think that she is trying to tell me something is wrong by waking me up so frequently, or do you think that she is still just feeling insecure because I left them for a week? Thanks in advance and sorry so long

I don't know if I can help you with this or not, but my cat sometimes has this bad habit of coming after me during the night as well. Even when I haven't gone away.

I'll be trying to sleep and he comes in super close so his whiskers make me jump. If I show him that I'm even slightly awake he gets it into his head that he wants me up and he will go after me. He tries to lick my face to wake me up!!

Sometimes I will even turn over and he will follow me to the other side and come after me again. I've even had times where I wrapped myself into a cocoon with the blankets and he won't give up until he finds some way to get in and come after me.

It is very tiring especially when it happens every couple of hours.

My cat is the same way. She is very needy and very attached to my boyfriend and I, especially me. I posted something similar to this recently. I think the post was called "keeping me awake trying to be sweet"

Anyway, my cat does that too, she will have to be in my face kneading and purring so loud. The kneading is what bothers me cause she digs or claws in my skin. And you don't want to be mean to them cause you know they are just tyring to be sweet. well someone posted to my thread and simply said to just designate a place on the bed or even her own bed on teh floor and always move her to that spot when she acts like this. Well it worked. It took a couple more nights be being awaken but it worked.

She has a kennel that we leave open thats nice and warm for her to sleep in on the side of our bed. Actually last night was the first night I put it there. The 2 nights before I would just move her off the bed in the same spot her kennel is now. So last night when I put her off the bed, she went into her kennel and slept.

She still got in the bed but it was after the alarm clock went off this morning. And when she jumped on the bed I noticed that she was cautious not to get too close to my face. As if she were letting me know "I am just here to visit and not to bug you".

It worked for my kitty, I hope it will work for yours. Just stick with it, you might go a few more nights without sleep but if she catches on, then it will be worth it.

(my cat would do it more when he were gone the night before, so I know what your goin through)

Goodluck!

Thanks so much for the suggestions...it definatley has eased a little now that I've been home for a week and a half. She now only does it like once or twice per night which I can handle and is normal for her. The hardest part is just what you said, realizing that she is just trying to be sweet and that she is not purposely trying to wake you up. It's hard when it is 3am. I'm going to try and "designated spot" technique and see how it goes. I've tried to wrap myself in the cacoon. She does go away after a few seconds but if I pop my head back out from under the covers too soon, she's back with her cold nose and long whiskers in my face and purring in my ears. But, you gotta love
'em. Thanks again!

I somehow managed to get Isabelle to kneed on my arm or side instead of my neck by laying on my side and pushing her towards my arm. I can pretty much sleep through her kneeding and sucking (yeah, she does that too!) when it's on my arm. It took a few weeks, but eventually it worked.