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Tuesdays Question of the day!
- Thread starter -_aj_-
- Start Date
I am definitely an earlybird - even before Tony started his morning yelling routine. I've always been at my best in the morning. Usually up by 6 a.m.. If I have things to do around the house I have to do them early or they don't get done at all. Usually don't stay up past 10 p.m., unless there is something really good on TV.
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If I could just mention this here and then I'll shut up about it.
We did take Bootser to the vet on Thursday night. Other than a bit of arthritis, she's fine. She's old, she'll be 20 in July, and that's fairly old for a cat. And I get that. But other than the arthritis in her hips, there's nothing really wrong. Blood work does not show anything at all, not even bad kidney problems. Vet doesn't know why she's screaming so early....some cats do that. And she's been doing this forever. I got the impression that this vet thought it was rather funny. One look at my face and she realized that I was not amused.
On Thursday morning and again on Friday morning, Rick and I awakened just a little before 5:00, which is our normal wake-up time. If she screamed, we never heard it. This morning (Saturday), Muffin awakened us by purring and stretching between us in bed. We lay there and stroked both Muffin and Mollipop and it was such a nice way to awaken. Now, this was at 4:00 as Rick is working OT and had to be to work by 5:00. But at this point, even 4:00 is almost a vacation for us.
And what made it really nice is that after he left for work, I actually managed to go back to sleep for another two hours. Bootser did start screaming around 6:30. I went out to the living room, threatened her with everything under the sun if she so much as even peeped (I think she laughed at me, to be honest), opened the living room drapes and went back to bed. Until 7:00. At which time, all the cats, including Miss Bootser, had their second breakfast.
I'm sure it won't continue and Bootser will be back to yelling again soon. But for these three mornings, it sure has been nice to awaken this way. We have to get up quite early Sunday morning, too, (at 4:00) so maybe we'll be able to beat Bootser at her game.
And now? I will be quiet. Thank you for reading. I do appreciate it. And again, my apologies to AJ for
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We did take Bootser to the vet on Thursday night. Other than a bit of arthritis, she's fine. She's old, she'll be 20 in July, and that's fairly old for a cat. And I get that. But other than the arthritis in her hips, there's nothing really wrong. Blood work does not show anything at all, not even bad kidney problems. Vet doesn't know why she's screaming so early....some cats do that. And she's been doing this forever. I got the impression that this vet thought it was rather funny. One look at my face and she realized that I was not amused.
On Thursday morning and again on Friday morning, Rick and I awakened just a little before 5:00, which is our normal wake-up time. If she screamed, we never heard it. This morning (Saturday), Muffin awakened us by purring and stretching between us in bed. We lay there and stroked both Muffin and Mollipop and it was such a nice way to awaken. Now, this was at 4:00 as Rick is working OT and had to be to work by 5:00. But at this point, even 4:00 is almost a vacation for us.
And what made it really nice is that after he left for work, I actually managed to go back to sleep for another two hours. Bootser did start screaming around 6:30. I went out to the living room, threatened her with everything under the sun if she so much as even peeped (I think she laughed at me, to be honest), opened the living room drapes and went back to bed. Until 7:00. At which time, all the cats, including Miss Bootser, had their second breakfast.
I'm sure it won't continue and Bootser will be back to yelling again soon. But for these three mornings, it sure has been nice to awaken this way. We have to get up quite early Sunday morning, too, (at 4:00) so maybe we'll be able to beat Bootser at her game.
And now? I will be quiet. Thank you for reading. I do appreciate it. And again, my apologies to AJ for
To continue OT (sorry), it sounds like she's "sundowning". Is there a small room you could make her bedroom? You could put some soundproofing on the inside of the door, a rigid mat in front of the door from the inside so she doesn't rip up the carpet, and a timed feeder in there. You should be able to get sheets of soundproofing at a home improvements store (or online).
I really feel for you. We went through that with a dog, and so did our next-door neighbors.
I really feel for you. We went through that with a dog, and so did our next-door neighbors.
I had that problem with my cats and we decided to be proactive and change the routine for all the cats. So every evening we made sure to eat and to feed the cats a bit earlier and then we engaged them in play and kept them up longer. Like your kitty, I have some "seniors" but doing the play thing and engaging them had the effect of keeping them awake if not active. We made sure to have them around us as we watched TV, calling to them etc.. Then we all went to bed at the same time.
Mind you, this didn't work with every cat but it worked with the two who were the most disruptive in the middle of the night. I find if I let them eat, play, and then they take a nap starting at 8PM, that is when we will find them running around and yowling in the middle of the night or just as we are ready to crash. Just keeping them from napping quite so much before our bedtime seems to help.
Mind you, this didn't work with every cat but it worked with the two who were the most disruptive in the middle of the night. I find if I let them eat, play, and then they take a nap starting at 8PM, that is when we will find them running around and yowling in the middle of the night or just as we are ready to crash. Just keeping them from napping quite so much before our bedtime seems to help.
Tricia, what does "sundowning" mean? Thank you. No, the house is small, only two bedrooms, one bath. There's really no place where she could have a room to herself.
Barb, we've done the playing thing....she doesn't play, but sometimes she'll watch. They get a bedtime snack around 10 or 10:30 (when I'm still awake) and then they go to bed. And still, she's ready to go around 3 or so.
Barb, we've done the playing thing....she doesn't play, but sometimes she'll watch. They get a bedtime snack around 10 or 10:30 (when I'm still awake) and then they go to bed. And still, she's ready to go around 3 or so.
Sundowning is a term used most often for human Alzheimer's patients. My father used to be awful with it while in the hospital and towards the end, also at home. There is a brief explanation here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundowning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundowning
:-( I'm sorry it doesn't work. If only there were a more attractive alternative that would grab their attention. What about a treat dispenser that engages them at X time of the morning? I'm trying to think of a robot "you" and/or something that engages them instead of you at that hour.
The first cat we adopted was age 12 and she had a habit of coming into the bedroom at 3AM and knocking things off the dresser. A behaviorist helped us find stuff to stop her but that was when she was right in the room (hair dryer under the pillow, can of coins etc.). I sympathize with you :-(, I can go without just about anything EXCEPT sleep- I get totally cranky BIG time when I am sleep deprived.
