Anyone know how to stop this behavior? My boy is five but was adopted from a shelter four months ago. He wakes me at almost precisely 2 am each day (although it can be earlier!), by crouching by my face, purring loudly, and then, if I don't wake up, patting my face with his paws. I've tried:
1. Ignoring him. He keeps it up constantly.
2. Pusing him away. He returns and continues.
3. Feeding him. At first this worked, but now he comes back to wake me after he's finished eating! Ironically, if I get up with him, by the time I've had my coffee, he's back to sleep, but, of course, I'm wide awake.
Food isn't the issue because although he prefers wet, he likes Fromm dry, and it's always available to him. He just wants me up!
4. Putting him out of the bedroom. First, I padded my door and woodwork to defend against his assault, but it didn't help. He cries outside the door so piteously and tries to get in that I can't sleep anyway.
5. Delaying him. I've tried ignoring him for an hour or so, thinking that perhas if I were to feed him at 3, then I could gradually re-set his internal clock. That didn't work.
I'd hate to put him out of the bedroom completely because I'd have to confine him to another room (to avoid assaults on my bedroom door), and I think it's good for our relationship to have him sleep with me. But I'm getting desperate from loss of sleep. By the way, if I nap during the day, he'll wake me then, too, unless he himself is sound asleep.
Ideas?
1. Ignoring him. He keeps it up constantly.
2. Pusing him away. He returns and continues.
3. Feeding him. At first this worked, but now he comes back to wake me after he's finished eating! Ironically, if I get up with him, by the time I've had my coffee, he's back to sleep, but, of course, I'm wide awake.
Food isn't the issue because although he prefers wet, he likes Fromm dry, and it's always available to him. He just wants me up!
4. Putting him out of the bedroom. First, I padded my door and woodwork to defend against his assault, but it didn't help. He cries outside the door so piteously and tries to get in that I can't sleep anyway.
5. Delaying him. I've tried ignoring him for an hour or so, thinking that perhas if I were to feed him at 3, then I could gradually re-set his internal clock. That didn't work.
I'd hate to put him out of the bedroom completely because I'd have to confine him to another room (to avoid assaults on my bedroom door), and I think it's good for our relationship to have him sleep with me. But I'm getting desperate from loss of sleep. By the way, if I nap during the day, he'll wake me then, too, unless he himself is sound asleep.
Ideas?
