Changing a cats sleeping habits (Yes probably a doomed question).
azith28
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I realize this is more then likely a lost cause, but I wonder if something can be done.
I adopted two kittens back in August, and they currently are about 9 and 10 months old respectively.
They are usually very adorable and fairly lovable babies. When i come home from work (I live alone), they are waiting by the door, they follow me to the food bowl, eat then follow me around the house being lap cats or playing with each other as they want but they are never far away from me. When i go to bed, they sleep in the bed, sometimes in a fur pile, other times spread out against me.
Then the morning comes. My alarm goes off for work at 7:05am every day even if im off, and until about a month ago they were happy waiting that long to eat. But one of them has decided that 5:30am-6:15 is the time for me to get out of bed and starts crying. I get up, to feed them and the other one takes a cue from the first one, gets up and follows me. I drunkenly put a can of food down for them and go back to bed. Now This i could endure...if they let me go back to sleep. Putting the food down usually buys me about 20 minutes. Then the first one is back in my room meowing at me for attention. I get out of bed again and turn on my frolicat (A little tower that shoots a laser around the room), then try to go back to bed. Again, 20 minutes is all this buys me. Shes back in my room meowing. At this point its close enough to my alarm that there is no point to try and sleep again so i get up. Practically the entire time i am getting ready for work shes crying at me. I pet her a few times and shes back crying. She wants to play with me personally, not the frolicat stand in. Not until i go downstairs and start playing with another laser pointer or string toy does she stop crying. I usually wear here out a bit by using the laser pointer to run them up and down the staircase a few times and play a bit before i leave for work.
Now as i said, if it was just waking for food, no problem but the constant crying afterward has me a bit concerned. If i could get her to sleep another hour we would both get what we want. Oddly even on the weekends when i go to bed much later then normal and feed them a little extra before going to bed, shes still up at the same 5:30-6:15 time period crying. So is there a way to shift a cats sleeping habits?
While im asking, This same cat also has a habit of biting and tearing cardboard and paper. Is this just standard teething behavior at her age? shes the older one at almost 10 months. I've seen her destroy the flaps of a carboard box over time.
Stercus, Stercus, Stercus, Morituri Sum
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It doesn't really sound like wanting food is the problem, they are just trying to get your attention earlier than they used to and it just so happens that feeding is the first thing you do when you wake up. There probably isn't a lot you can do about that, because nothing else you give them is going to be you, but they really do have each other to play with and I don't think you need to feel bad about shutting them out so you can get that last hour of sleep.
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The current process is, they make noise, they get fed. Them making noise is the issue.
You either need to ignore their mewing in the morning until say after your shower. This way they associate you having a shower as the precursor for food.
Or keep them far enough away until you want to feed them so you don't hear them.
You won't change their sleeping habits. Cats are partly nocturnal. What you need to change what they understand is the feeding process.
Satans..... hints.....
I agree on the advice of first ignoring the attempts to wake you with ear plugs. Afterwards try ear plugs and shutting the door. Waiting until after you shower like Blake T suggested would be a good idea as well.
Cats can also recognize patterns and will know what days you leave for work, and they will try to stop you. We have 3 cats, and all 3 recognize it when I pull out my work boots. They go from sucking up, to try and distract me, to causing trouble, to eventually giving up and looking like a sad abused animals.
They can be trained but it's very tricky and they will only listen if there is benefit to themselves. My GF has taught her cats to fetch, lay down, and even wink(as well as other things), but the cat expected her to wink back in return otherwise she would get grumpy and ignore the word for a few hours.
If you have a particularly stubborn cat(s) It can be a very long process because they will resist more and will challenge boundaries far more.
Crepuscular
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And now back to our regularly scheduled topic.
I loved that crazy cat.
My cat found a piece of chicken in the trash once and now, seven years later, he still knocks over the trash daily to see if he can find more although he never has since.
It may still take some time, though. I was lucky because someone gave me this tip when my cat was just a kitten. Cats are creatures of habit, and getting them to change their habits is always a lengthy battle of wits and willpower. They may also start punishing you in various ways when they notice you're not doing what they've trained you to do anymore.
Cats can be fed any number times a day as long as you don't go over the reccomended amount. Once a day is perfectly fine to do. Leaving out dry food all the time can be a really bad thing to do depending on your cat; some are fine with it, some will eat to bursting constantly.
This. This. This.
The cats are training you.
Ignore them. This will be difficult - and they'll ramp up their attempts to get you to pay attention/feed/play with them tremendously before giving up (this is called an extinction burst), but eventually they'll stop.
Mine isn't even filled anymore and the cat (and dog) stop their annoying behavior the instant they see it. Only ever used it for one week too.