I Need Sleep! What do I do?

[ceruleiasaurus]

My kitten, Binx, has begun climbing into my bed at night and pawing at my feet, arms, and hands, as well as leaping around in bed and clawing at the blankets.  I don't want to discourage him from being close to me, but I can't sleep at night because he keeps pawing at me and waking me up.  He's also begun to use his claws sometimes when he does this.  it doesn't seem as if he wants to hurt me, more just that he is playing and doesn't know quite how sharp his claws are.  Last night though, he took a swipe at my face and scratched my lip.  After that I was sick of the pawing and I took my blankets into my living room and slept on the couch there while Binx was in the bedroom with the door shut.  I have a couple of questions:

1) is what he is doing with his paws playful behavior?  He'll start pawing without claws and then gradually move them out, like he's testing the waters to see when I'll react.  I thought perhaps he was trying to wake me up to play, but when I do sit up he usually runs off.  Is this something I need to be wary of so that he doesn't get used to being allowed to scratch people, or will he grow out of the scratching?

2) I try to play with him to tire him out before bed, but it hasn't changed much so far.  Do you have any tips for switching over a very nocturnal cat to a more daytime based schedule?

3) Since he claws at my bed so much, does that indicate that I should have more options for him for scratching?  He has a small scratching thing (one of those s shaped ones) as well as a cat tree that's carpeted (I don't know if cats usually scratch at those), but he still comes up and scratches at my blankets a lot.  I'm not worried about him ruining them (they're fairly inexpensive) so much as the sound it makes and the fact that if I happen to be under the blankets at the time he sometimes ends up scratching me.  

Any advice y'all have -- about what aggressive kittens vs. playful kittens look like, and how to deal with scratching blankets, and maybe more importantly, how I might be able to get some sleep -- would be greatly appreciated.  

 

[govtlawyer]

How old is he?  Clip his nails.  You better start getting him used to having his nails clipped, because they will be quite sharp when he is grown.  If he doesn't let you do it when he is grown, you'll regret it.

I hate to give you the following advice.  I'm surprised you haven't heard it yet. GET HIM A PLAYMATE!  I think cats go better in twos, as they keep each other company.

More toys and a good scratching post.

Just play with him a bit, and try to ignore him when he jumps on you at night.  

 

[raina21]

The most effective thing you can do is ignore him. You were right, he is likely just trying to get you to react in some way. But if you completely ignore him and don't acknowledge him in any way, he will eventually get bored and seek out some toys to play with, or settle down and sleep.

Kittens are pretty much practicing "hunting" behavior (scratching, biting, pouncing) as long as they are awake. It is a natural thing to them. But by completely and totally ignoring him when he does those things to you, you are teaching him that he cannot get your attention/a rise out of you in those ways.

If it gets to be too much, you can also try the "time out" method. Where if he does something bad, say NO! And pick him up, take him into the bathroom (or any room that is closed off from people) and shut him in there for 10-20 minutes and let him out again. This method has been successful for many people.

 

[Kieka]

You don't mention age or how long you've had him. Both can be important when it comes to giving advice on this subject. Assuming he is under 6 months and you've had him for 4 months.... 

1) He is looking for his play buddy. Cats are naturally active mostly at sunrise and sunset but they do get moments between. 

2) What are you doing to tire him out? Does he pant? If he isn't panting you aren't tiring him out. I found the easiest way is to have a wand toy and just go crazy. My couch is away from the wall so I stand behind it and just lead my cats all around the couch until they give up.

3) It doesn't hurt to have more scratching posts, etc. BUT I have a feeling he is more trying to get your attention. 

Honestly, I think the biggest thing you need to do is teach your kitten some manners and assert your dominance. There is no reason for you to go to the couch when the kitten misbehaves. Thats when you lock the kitten out and if the litter box is in your room you move it to the bathroom for the night and lock the kitten in there with it. As to the clawing and night time antics.

Clawing, you have to teach your kitten that claws hurt. Cats don't think the same way we do. They don't connect action A (clawing) to B (hurt human) without you helping them along. Most kittens learn with their siblings to keep claws in with play but if yours was taken away young he might not have learned or might not realize humans fit the same category. What has worked with me with all my cats is a little theatrics. When they scratched me I immediately reacted and loudly. Yelling ouch and stopping petting, playing, stood up if they were climbing to my lap, put them down and walked away if they tried to climb my leg standing, or whatever we were doing together.  Then you count to 10 and return (kittens don't have a long attention span so if you don't return right away they don't link the claws with lack of affection/attention). You repeat the process, making a hurt sound, withdrawing affection, returning affection as needed when your kitten uses claws and bites. Eventually kittens learn that claws equal the opposite that they want and they stop. NEVER hit, smack or physically punish the kitten though; they won't see it as punishment and instead will see you as a bully asserting dominance and start to avoid you altogether. 

Night time antics, I am sorry to say this one you have a long road ahead. You've already somewhat taught your kitten that antics equal attention from human. You need to reverse this. The best way to do so is ignore the kitten. When it starts pull the blanket over your head, say "Quiet" (in your scolding parent voice) and then don't move or speak again at all until the kitten stops. The first week or so is hard. Any movement the kitten takes as play so you have to resist. If the kitten settles you can reach out and pet. After a few days when the kitten comes up start with petting, if the kitten gets active again you say "Quiet" (same tone of voice here is important, like a scolding parent, because really its tone more than words they understand) and cover yourself, come back out when the kitten settles. What you are trying to do is make the bed petting and sleeping territory only. Eventually your kitten will get the idea and someday it might be like my Rocket who yells at me to get in bed if I am late. She immediately demands petting and then flops onto me before passing out for the night. 

 

[ceruleiasaurus]

He's 15 weeks, and I can't clip his nails yet because I can't get my hands on him (he was/is feral, and has only been with me for three weeks), but as soon as I can get him to the vet (which has been pushed back several times due to issues getting him into his carrier) I will ask if they can clip his nails and teach me how to do it.

I have been told over and over again to get him a playmate.  I made the decision to adopt him very spur of the moment, because he was going to be released back onto the streets after being trapped and neutered, and I'm a college student living in a very small apartment.  I can afford to take care of another cat, but it seems kind of irresponsible for me to do that at the moment.  I'm keeping my eyes and ear open for any other cats who I come across in need of a home, and I'll definitely consider adopting a cat who needs a home, but I don't really think it's a good idea for me to go out looking for a cat to adopt right this second.  (I also don't think my apartment allows multiple pets)

I do play with him, and I have tried my utmost to ignore him but the claws make it a bit difficult...

After he goes to the vet tomorrow (fingers crossed) I'll probably move him out of my bedroom and into the living room for at least a little while, unless I come up with a better idea.

 

[ctbabies]

I have the same issue with one of my cats. She usually waits until I'm asleep to do it. I've been keeping a spray bottle next to my bed so if she does it I just spray her once and I usually don't have any more issues throughout the night. As for getting the cat in the carrier, my other cat has issues with that, we just grab him by the nape of his neck like their mom would do when they were younger (we also hold the bottom part of his body because he's too big to just get him in by the nape of his neck, even though holding him like that tends to keep him calmer) and we put him in backwards so his butt goes in first. We haven't had any issues with getting him in since then... he just throws a fit once he's in there (whining and meowing).

 

[raina21]

I have been lucky to not have any problems with my current 3 kitties and the carrier. They are all pretty calm in it. If we leave it set up they will even go in there to sleep sometimes.

 

[gemmamiso]

Do you free feed him? I read somewhere that in order to make a nocturnal cat less nocturnal, it's a good idea to have them on a set feeding schedule. This way he'll know that you aren't going to be up all night for him to pester, he has already been fed and has everything he needs. Other than that, I would just ignore him. Good luck! Keep us posted  

Also, watch this! 

 

[govtlawyer]

Since he is feral, it is nice to know he doesn't fear you and seeks you out.  I would make every effort to approach him when he is calm or sleeping and to gently stroke him.  The moments when he can just relax near you and enjoy your touch and even purr, will enable you to do things later - like clipping his nails.  Right now he appears to be in an almost constant state of excitement.  

Try getting him when he is sleeping and stroke him.  If he identifies your touch with warmth and pleasure it will only build in the future.

 

[wasabii]

Can you just close your door at night while you sleep so he can't get in? I would never get an ounce of sleep if i left the door open at night. I did it when I had one cat and I still do it with two, lol. I actually would be able to let the bigger one in now since he's calmed down after 1 year of age, but there's no way to let him in without also letting in my crazy kitten so for now they both stay out at night. :\

 

[tabbytom]

It's a phase that your kitten is going through. All kittens go through different phases.
The scratching of the blankets is because you are under it and when you are under the blanket, there's movements and kitties find that amusing. You can get a toys like a kickaroo and place it near you when you sleep. Anytime your kitten comes swiping your face and lips, distract him with the toy.
My boy used to bite our eyes and hair while we sleep :lol3: We distract him with toys and saying firm 'No's) and ignoring him. After awhile he grew out of it. So like I said, kittens go through different phases. After this it could be something else. Just be prepared for it and hanndle the situation well. No need to scold or beat them, they are just growing kittens.
Play hard and tire him out before sleep. Or fix him a late wet food supper. Cats are crepuscular creatures, meaning they are most active at dusk and dawn. You need to fix a sleeping routine with him.
My boy goes to bed around 10-11:30pm each night. He was trained to do that when he was very young and he sleeps on the bed next to me. But he wakes up very early like 3-4am to ask to be let out of the room and comes back at 5am to wake me up to feed him. Not all cats sleep through the night. You have to experiment it with your kitten and see how it goes. It takes some time and don't expect immediate results. Either sleep in with closed doors or with door ajar. Or sleep with cat or don't sleep with cat. But it'll be a little hard to sleep without cat cause he might meow at the door.
As for claw clipping, here's an article on it :-

[article="29669"][/article]


(I copied my post from another thread)

I used to clip my boy's nails when he is asleep. Now he has gotten use to the clipper and I don't have to wait till he's asleep. He'll watch me hold his paw and clip his nails now.
I gotten him to get use to the clipper by letting him smell it without cutting any nails and after that I'll just keep the clipper. Then I let him get use to me by holding his paw and pressing gently to get the claws out. I do that a few times and then say good boy and walked away. I repeated this two actions for several days.
Then the next time was with the clipper, let him smell, touch paw and gently press and clip one nail. Repeated this several times till he got use to it and now whenever I need to clip his nails, I just go straight to it.
Don't rush into it and finish the four paws in a few days till your kitty is ok with nail clipping and you can do it at one go. Just make sure you get a good pair of clippers and watch for the 'quick' in the claws.

Kittens are playful. Sometimes it's just play aggression. You have to limit how far and how rough you want him to play with you. If he gets any rougher, just say firmly 'No' and walk away. Keep doing that till he gets the message. But please don't stop playing with him.
So just bear with him, he's just a growing kitten that needs lots of love, care and attention. Give it all to him.

 

[orientals]

Great that you rescued a kitten but now you have to care for him and not punish him or shut him out of your bedroom for displaying normal behaviour. You will end up with a board, lonely, possibly depressed cat this way.

And yes, this is THE time to get another kitten. Once this one is all grown up it will be harder for him to bond with another cat. Rather a small apartment with 2 happy cats than a small apartment with 1 lonely cat. Just do the right thing.

Don't force this one to stop his natural behaviour, adapt yourself and get him a buddy for that all important fur to fur contact. Best of luck!

 

[basschick]

why do you feel it's irresponsible to get your kitten a playmate?  there are many kitties out there who will be euthanized if they're not adopted, so giving one a home would be a very good thing.

 

[gemmamiso]

My cat is almost 1 1/2 and adopted a kitten recently. My older cat seems happier to have a playmate, and she isn't even very young. I think getting a second kitten would be really good for you and your kitten

 

[mishventurer]

Hey! I posted a similar plea for help just a few days ago because I'm having the same issue with my kitten. She never leaves me alone at night and a lot of people keep telling me to get a second kitten, which I don't think I have the time and energy for - and you seem to feel the same way. So I get you.

What I've done is I realised my kitten is immune to spray bottles and even me saying no. She's terrified of my boyfriends electric razor, the sound of it isn't loud but she hates it. So whenever she jumps up, I try my best to ignore her. Once she starts clawing and being naughty, I turn the razor on (with the protective lid on) and she runs for dear life. She stays away the rest of the night most of the time (at most she will attempt a second time) and that's how I'm keeping her at bay. Of course it doesn't work all the time especially if I'm asleep at 5am and she's all over the bed but I keep the razor by my pillow so I can easily press on and off, even half asleep.

Perhaps you can try something like this for the time being until your kitty mellows out a little.

 

[orientals]

Hi mishventurer, What an awfull way to stop your kittens natural behaviour. Especially if she is not allowed to snuggle up to at night, get her a buddy. You will end up with a frustrated cat. The good news is, the enegry you would have to spend  on two cats is actually less because they will have each other to snuggle with and play with. You now have a kitten that depends on you to be able to make herself feel loved and safe and you stop her from doing that. If you had two cats they would give to each other what they need and not be such a bother to you. Please consider this.

 

[mishventurer]

Hi mishventurer, What an awfull way to stop your kittens natural behaviour. Especially if she is not allowed to snuggle up to at night, get her a buddy. You will end up with a frustrated cat. The good news is, the enegry you would have to spend  on two cats is actually less because they will have each other to snuggle with and play with. You now have a kitten that depends on you to be able to make herself feel loved and safe and you stop her from doing that. If you had two cats they would give to each other what they need and not be such a bother to you. Please consider this.

I think it's actually better than spraying her with water since this is just noise that startles her. Of course it's a temporary solution which I think can be useful in the short term especially for the poster above who seems desperate for sleep. I can manage her energy during the day just fine (I work from home) so I don't need another kitten to wear her out. It's just the night time behaviours which disrupts my sleep which I'm more concerned about.

Also, I'm getting a large cage installed into our room the coming week. So she can be roam around during the day and kept inside all night and we will all be happy. The electric razor is definitely just a temporary solution for now - which you can consider instead of getting another kitten, which I feel is too drastic for some people.

 

[tabbytom]

I think it's actually better than spraying her with water since this is just noise that startles her. Of course it's a temporary solution which I think can be useful in the short term especially for the poster above who seems desperate for sleep. I can manage her energy during the day just fine (I work from home) so I don't need another kitten to wear her out. It's just the night time behaviours which disrupts my sleep which I'm more concerned about.

Also, I'm getting a large cage installed into our room the coming week. So she can be roam around during the day and kept inside all night and we will all be happy. The electric razor is definitely just a temporary solution for now - which you can consider instead of getting another kitten, which I feel is too drastic for some people.

It is not a good idea to cage up your kitten. Train her to sleep with you or her bed. If she is active in the night, a cage will do no difference. She'll be meowing asking to let out and biting the cage and making noises. Can you sleep well with that?
Please considerabout putting her in the cage.

 

[mishventurer]

It is not a good idea to cage up your kitten. Train her to sleep with you or her bed. If she is active in the night, a cage will do no difference. She'll be meowing asking to let out and biting the cage and making noises. Can you sleep well with that?
Please considerabout putting her in the cage.

The cage idea was suggested by one of the moderators here, so it's confusing to me that a lot of people have mixed ideas about what to do or not to do. :/ It feels like the most practical thing for now because some days I'm just too tired to spend the night losing sleep. I will train her at the same time and hopefully in a few months she won't need the cage at all.

 

[tabbytom]

The cage idea was suggested by one of the moderators here, so it's confusing to me that a lot of people have mixed ideas about what to do or not to do. :/ It feels like the most practical thing for now because some days I'm just too tired to spend the night losing sleep. I will train her at the same time and hopefully in a few months she won't need the cage at all.

I better make myself clear here. I'm not saying the cage is a bad idea. I'm saying that if your kitten is up all night meowing and meowing, then it is also going to disturb your sleep.
But maybe you can try it out and see how it goes. I understand the part if loosing sleep. And I do hope in the months to come your kitten can sleep with you and not in the cage.
Keep us posted if the progress. If you have any doubts or questions, please feel free to ask and we are most willing to help answer your questions.
In the meanwhile, give her lots of love and do post her photos for us to see