Cats sleep between 15 and 20 hours a day and need a comfortable, safe place to sleep during this time. If your kitten sleeps everywhere, but not in his own bed, then it is impossible to force him. After all, cats have their own ideas about comfort, often different from ours.
Are you wondering how to train a kitten to sleep? Every cat is unique, so there are no universal rules. However, there are several practical recommendations that can help solve the problem.
Teaching a kitten to a place to sleep
Having got a kitten, the owner wants it to follow certain rules in the house.
This is much easier with puppies, as they easily remember commands and can follow them. The cat is freedom-loving and, unconditionally trusting its owner, like a dog, will not willingly obey him. Many people want to train a kitten to sleep in its own place, as this makes it easier for it to go to the toilet at night. If the tray is located far away, then the baby may not rush to it, but will settle down somewhere near the place of sleep. The kitten tries to stay close to its owner and clings to him in his sleep. There is nothing wrong with this, but only if the owner himself is not against it. When it is necessary for your pet to sleep alone, you will need to be persistent and prepare a house for the animal.
What should a sun lounger be like?
In order for the kitten to want to sleep in its place, you need to provide it with a comfortable bed. You can't just lay a rug in the corner and think that's enough . The cat, like the owner, should have a comfortable, cozy sleeping place where he will feel safe.
To teach a kitten to sleep in a new place, they make a house for it from a box, a basket, or buy a ready-made one at a pet store. Some pets like their sleeping place to rock. A special hammock is suitable for them, which can even be attached to a battery. The lounger should always be kept clean and dry. To prevent the baby from freezing at night and waking up from it, he needs to put on a heating pad. It is placed on one edge of the bedding, but not on the entire bottom, so that the pet can cool down if desired. You can also lean the lounger against the radiator.
It is good if the bedding is located in the place that the cat chose itself. A kitten, once in a new home, goes to sleep where it is comfortable and calm, and its wishes must be taken into account whenever possible. It is unacceptable to arrange it on the aisle in a noisy and drafty place. A room in which the light is on for a long time is also not suitable, as it will wake up the baby.
If the kitten continues to make noise at night
It happens that a pet does not immediately accept a regimen that is inconvenient for him.
And he continues to walk persistently, loudly demanding entertainment. Or he finds entertainment for himself, playing with wires and throwing things around. In such situations at home we use several harsher methods. I'm sure one of them will work with your naughty boy too.
- If you are ready to sleep in the same bed with a cat, you can grab it tightly with your hands, hold it close to you and hold it until it relaxes and falls asleep.
- On the contrary, you can turn your pet out the door if your home allows it.
- A tougher option, but not at all cruel, as some people think, is to put him in a carrier and take him to a quiet, dark room (a toilet or bathroom will do). As a rule, cats in such a situation, if you do not approach them, simply go to sleep. And they begin to be loudly indignant only when they hear footsteps or voices.
- Finally, you can try to run your wet hands over the toy's fur several times. Not a single representative of the cat family will tolerate a wet fur coat with a foreign smell - it will immediately begin to lick itself fervently. By the time he licks it, he will calm down and go to bed.
All of the above educational techniques should be used if the cat interferes with sleep at night.
The main thing is that the animal establishes a strong connection: if you disturb the sleeping owner, you will get into trouble. When raising a kitten, you must, of course, make allowances for age. It’s rare that a 3-4 month old baby can sleep through the night. But with age and as you train, your pet will be less and less likely to wake you up at an inopportune hour. The main thing is not to give in and do not entertain the kitten at night, even if you yourself have already woken up.
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Features of training
The kitten does not want to sleep in its place - this is a complaint with which many owners turn to experienced breeders or veterinarians. The problem can occur for 3 reasons :
- wrong location for the house;
- kitten attention deficit;
- incorrect accustoming to the place.
If the first 2 reasons are easy to eliminate, then problems arise with the last one. Few owners know all the intricacies of training a pet to a place. As a result, once in a new home, the baby simply cannot understand what they want from him .
As soon as the kitten is brought home, he needs to be shown where the bed is. In order for the pet to be interested in it, it needs to be laid on it and stroked. It would be a good idea to treat the bed with a special compound that attracts cats, which is sold in pet stores. It can be replaced with catnip (catnip) or valerian. The herbs need to be infused in boiling water and a little sprinkled on the bottom of the bed with the resulting mixture. You can wipe the bottom with an alcoholic tincture of valerian.
This treatment allows you to attract the baby and not worry about the kitten looking for its new place to sleep all night. The food and tray should be close to the sleeping area so that it is convenient for the pet to reach them.
Teaching a kitten to sleep in a sleeping place is quite difficult. Unlike dogs, cats are freedom-loving and consider the entire apartment to be theirs, but with enough patience you can achieve good results. You cannot beat or punish a kitten for sleeping in the wrong place. It is also unacceptable to lock a four-legged friend in a house where he should sleep. This will only scare your pet and make him nervous. In such a situation, the opportunity to accustom him to a place will be completely lost.
Expert advice: how to stop a cat from shitting in the wrong place
Cats are the most common domestic pet. Fluffy, funny, soft, cute, purring creatures that leave no one indifferent. But the attitude towards them changes dramatically if a cat or male cat begins to shit in the wrong place.
Reasons why a cat goes to the toilet anywhere
Before scolding a cat, you should definitely understand the reasons for his action. It’s not just that the pet started shitting in the wrong place. The representatives of the cat family themselves are very clean and defecate only in strictly designated places.
Any of the diseases of the genitourinary and digestive system. Due to painful sensations during bowel movements, a cat may associate the tray with pain, so she tries to avoid it by any means.
Worms. This reason is similar to the previous one. The cat may relieve itself with great effort or pain, which is also associated with the litter box.
Wrong diet. If your pet doesn't eat right, constipation and diarrhea often occur. This occurs due to a lack of vitamins or nutrients the cat needs. To avoid this problem, you need to seek help from a veterinarian, who will adjust your pet’s diet.
Inappropriate tray. Many owners of cats and kittens do not even suspect that their pet may simply not like their toilet. In many long-haired cats, hairs cling to decorations and cracks in trays, thereby tearing out the hair and causing pain and inconvenience.
The smell from the tray. The strong smell from the cat litter causes disgust in the pet due to cleanliness. Therefore, it is not recommended to leave the tray dirty or, on the contrary, to wash it with scented products. The optimal solution is to clean the cat's litter box with regular brown soap.
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Why does a cat need its place in the house?
Cats are freedom-loving and unpredictable animals. Sometimes they like to lie in the arms of their owner or look around the room, climbing to the highest point in the room. Sometimes it’s not easy to find them: they crawl into a closet, a new box and sleep quietly. To ensure that the animal does not look for a place where it can retire, its own house or soft bed is designed. Here the pet can relax and sleep sweetly. If he is unwell, the owner will easily notice this, because the animal will not hide in the corners, but will come to his “closet”.
What is better - a house or a bed?
A house and a bed are an alternative to an armchair or a family bed, on which mustachioed pets really like to rest. What is better for a cat? To answer this question, it is worth getting acquainted with the design features:
- Bed. A soft, round or oval-shaped pillow made of hypoallergenic and tactile-pleasant materials. The internal filler is padding polyester or its modern analogues. It is much more comfortable for your pet to rest on a bed at night than on a hard windowsill or floor.
- House. Unlike an open-type bed, the house has a dome made of the same materials as the pillow. The lower and upper parts are connected by a side, forming a mink. A hole is provided so that the animal can get to itself. In the house the cat feels like in a box. She is warm, comfortable and safe.
When choosing a recreation area for a pet, the owner should focus on the character of the animal and the free space in the interior. If the cat is sociable, curious and loves to be the center of attention, the best choice is an open bed. A personal corner will allow the mustachioed friend to relax and communicate freely with the owner.
What can you do to make your cat sleep longer and not wake up its owners at night?
Despite their self-sufficiency and independence, cats can easily adapt to the lifestyle of a human family.
- During the day, and especially in the evening, provide your pet with the opportunity to move actively. especially if we are talking about a kitten or a young animal. Both “sophisticated” store-bought toys and ordinary twine with a candy wrapper tied at the end will come in handy. Play until the kitten gets tired. Give it a few minutes to rest and get them back into the game.
For independent play during the day, provide small balls and toys with springs. You can simply tie a candy wrapper with an elastic band to the door handle. Only the door can be damaged by sharp claws.
- Before going to bed, remove all toys from free access - in a table drawer, in a closet, so that the kitten does not see them. In addition, it is advisable not to leave small objects on the floor or tables that can be thrown off and have fun being chased around the room.
- Make sure your pet has access to water and a litter tray. If you use dry food, it is also advisable to leave it freely available overnight.
- The last, most important rule: do not give in to “provocations” at night. Do not get up, do not play lying down, that is, do not entertain your pet in any way.
After some time, the kitten will definitely understand that night is not the time for games.
Where to place the cat corner?
The decision on where to set up a cat corner should be made taking into account the spatial capabilities of the apartment. Sometimes you want to buy your pet a strong, covered home. However, it requires quite a lot of space. It is ideal to place the house in the corner of the room or on the balcony. The corner should be dry, warm, not walkable. Mold and drafts should be avoided.
If there is nowhere to place a covered house, a bed will help out, for which there is always a corner in the house. The bed can be placed on a wide and wind-free windowsill, chest of drawers, desktop, on the floor or rug near the radiator. To protect your pet from excessive attention from children, you should place the bed in a hard-to-reach place (for example, on a high shelf in a closet). The hallway, passage area, middle of the room is not the best option.
When choosing a place for a house and a lounger, you should take into account the cat's habits. You need to observe where she likes to sleep at night and place the bed in exactly that place. The main thing is that the animal has an overview and the ability to control everything that happens in the house.
How to accustom your pet to its place?
Buying a house or bedding for a cat is half the battle. It can be much more difficult to accustom a kitten or an adult animal to it. First of all, care should be taken that the personal space of a mustachioed friend meets such criteria as stable construction, comfort, convenience, and free access. In this case, the animal will get used to it much easier.
It happens that a cat, having quickly examined a new house, immediately chooses it as its main place. However, this does not always happen, and to tame a pet you must resort to ingenuity. Among the basic techniques:
- accustoming to a new corner;
- the location of the house where the mustachioed friend likes to relax;
- soft coercion.
Features of training a kitten
It is important to ensure that the pet's bed is ready on the first day of its stay in the new home. It should be convenient for the animal to enter and rest comfortably. During the cold season, additional heating may be needed. The baby will explore the territory for a long time, and it is important to observe his actions. If he likes a certain corner for relaxation, you should move the bed to it.
Common mistakes: what not to do?
It is important for the owner to remember that the animal should never be taken out of the house during daytime rest and night sleep. Young children should be prohibited from doing this, since such an act can forever push the cat away from his favorite place. You need to call and wait until the animal leaves the house on its own.
If the kitten cries and wants to leave the litter and lie down with the owner, you should bring him back, stay with him and wait until he falls asleep. It is impossible to teach a baby to sleep in the master’s bed, because it is difficult to wean him from this habit in adulthood. With patience and love, you can accustom your mustachioed pet to its own corner without unnecessary stress.
Basic requirements for a cat's home
A special bed or a whole house can be purchased at a specialized store. The advantages of having your own home for a pet are the absence of co-sleeping with the owner (the kitten will not disturb its owner’s sleep). And also, if a cat is sick, they will not hide in corners or under sofas. During the illness, the animal will sleep in its house and it will not be difficult for the owner to notice changes in the behavior of his mustachioed pet.
Just buying a house and waiting for the cat to want to live there is not enough
It is important to properly accustom the animal to its place, observing persistence and patience. Only in this case will it be possible to convince the animal that it is important to follow the rules established by humans
A house that does not comply with certain rules will never be able to please a pet, even if the person goes to all sorts of tricks. When buying a home for a cat, you need to carefully select it according to certain parameters, depending on the preferences of a particular pet.
A great house must meet several requirements. The main ones are:
Convenience for the cat. The houses come in all different sizes. When choosing a home for a cat, it is necessary to take into account the size of the pet and its breed. So, Maine Coon or British cats gain quite a lot of weight in adulthood, and if the house is too small for such a cat, he will not want to be in it.
Cozy home. A house made from low-quality materials that are not pleasant for a cat will not bring the animal the desired comfort. The cat will quickly realize that such a home is not suitable for him and simply will not climb there. When choosing a cat house, it is not recommended to skimp on materials.
Sustainability. A significant aspect that allows you to be sure that the cat will not fill up its home during the game. If a cat tries to jump into its house, and at the same time it turns over or falls, then the animal, having become stressed, will not want to return there anymore.
The presence of tunnels and exits. Naturally predatory, cats feel safer if they have multiple escape routes. Having several exits in the house will allow the cat to feel protected.
Rules to help train a kitten to a place to sleep
Cats sleep between 15 and 20 hours a day and need a comfortable, safe place to sleep during this time. If your kitten sleeps everywhere, but not in his own bed, then it is impossible to force him. After all, cats have their own ideas about comfort, often different from ours.
Are you wondering how to train a kitten to sleep? Every cat is unique, so there are no universal rules. However, there are several practical recommendations that can help solve the problem.
Play with the kitten
Playing for cats is more than just fun. This is also an important element of exercise. Play with your kitten several times a day.
Play tires out kittens because it stimulates their hunting instincts and will also help the kitten sleep at night. Cats hunt wind-up mice or feathers on a string as if they were live prey. This requires more energy than you might imagine.
Cats begin their hunt by chasing prey. This requires using all five senses. The cat is preparing to attack. When a cat is ready to jump, it pushes off with its powerful hind legs. This requires significant physical effort.
If the cat successfully grabs the toy, the brain will be flooded with endorphins. This leaves the kitten ready to fall asleep again. He earned the right to sleep.
According to applied animal behavior science, play will be more effective if you vary the toys you use. Kittens get tired of playing with the same toy over and over again. Mixing and matching toys will keep your kitten interested. This, in turn, will deplete him even more.
Always play with your kitten about an hour before bed. The kitten will remain hungry and tired. This is the ideal time to feed your cat. Cats become sleepy while digesting food.
Remember how you play with your kitten at night. Sometimes kittens become overly excited and hyperactive while playing. If your kitten becomes overly excitable, calm play with a less exciting toy.
Likewise, don't let your kitten get bored. Kittens have a limited attention span. If a cat is tired of playing, she will look for other ways to have fun. This can bring the kitten back into a state of excitement and alertness.
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Why does the kitten stubbornly refuse to sleep in its bed?
Cats are independent animals and often change their resting spots and explore new areas where they can sleep peacefully. Before you set a goal on how to accustom a kitten to a place to sleep, find out the reason for its refusal.
If he does not want to sleep in his own bed, this does not mean that he does not like it or that the pet is capricious. However, other available surfaces may have what cats are looking for when they choose a place to sleep: warmth, comfort and security.
This is why many cats prefer to sleep on sofas, tables, on clothes or on your bed. They instinctively feel more protected when they sleep in high places where they are protected from "predators".
If your kitten only wants to sleep in your bed, this may indicate deeper reasons:
- the baby feels safe with you, so he seeks your protection before bed;
- he considers you part of his pack;
- the kitten prefers the height of your bed because it gives him an advantage over possible threats;
- Your furry pet misses you, especially if you spend a lot of time away from home, so he takes advantage of this time to be close.
Many owners prefer that their pet does not sleep on pillows, much less with them, due to allergies, inconvenience, hygienic reasons, or simply because the small predator is active at night and does not allow sleep.
Choosing a bed
When arranging a corner for your pet, you need to choose a beautiful and comfortable bed. At the moment, there are many options. These are open baskets, closed houses, hammocks. Which one your pet will like is also an important question. Of course, the house should not be too small. The hammock needs to be placed correctly so that the cat can climb into it comfortably and can get off it independently. When it comes to outdoor beds, there are many options to choose from. When choosing a bed, you need to pay attention to the material, size and filling. Let's take a closer look at the features of choosing a sleeping place.
To begin with, let's focus on ordinary, open baskets or pillows. A cat bed may vary in size and shape. They may be different, but it is very important that the pet is comfortable. Of course, a model that is larger than the size of your pet would be an excellent option. If you have a kitten, then it is better to take a bed for growth. But make sure that the sides are low. This will make it easier for the baby to climb into the cozy cat’s nest. Sometimes cats may sleep curled up or stretched out. This is also an important criterion for choosing a pet bed. If your pet loves space, then it is better to take a closer look at open beds, pillows or bedding. They can be soft or denser. Here, too, the choice is up to the owner.
So, when looking for an open pet bed, you need to pay attention to the material. It can be flock, velor, tapestry or microfiber. It is important that the coating is durable, because it will need to be cleaned periodically. Also an important selection criterion is the filler. It is softer than the coating and the material, accordingly, is selected of a different quality and composition. A cat can sleep in a bed on padding polyester, perioteca, or halofiber. The advantage of these materials is that they prevent the development of parasites inside the bed. Of course, constant hygiene control in the form of cleaning is also important.
Houses for cats can be single- or multi-story. Also, some of them come complete with a scratching post. The hammock can be placed under a chair, near a radiator, or separately on a special frame.
When choosing a bed, observe the character of the cat. Perhaps she is overly active and loves space or to climb higher? Then buy a wide soft mat that can be placed on the windowsill. If you have a lazy and calm cat, you can buy a house. Interestingly, any cat needs a lot of time to sleep. At a minimum, this is 15-17 hours a day.
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Sources:
https://koshkamurka.ru/4965-priuchenie-kotyonka-k-mestu-dlya-sna.html https://murkoshka.ru/povedenie/kak-priuchit-koshku-k-domiku.html https://www. poznavayka.org/zoologiya/train-kitten-to-place-for-sleep/