The cat doesn't let you sleep at night: what to do and how to deal with it

A feature of the body of an adult cat is the ability to sleep up to 20 hours a day. This is more than twice the normal amount of sleep for a person. Therefore, keeping your pet awake should not pose a problem. However, many owners face significant discomfort. At night or early in the morning, the cat becomes more active and does not give people the opportunity to get enough sleep. Often this period of his wakefulness occurs precisely at the hours when the deep sleep phase begins for a person. There is a need to find a way to teach your pet to sleep at night and in the morning.

Reasons for cat activity at night and in the morning

The owners sleep peacefully at night, early in the morning, and the cat decided to play. He jumps on the curtains, climbing up to the cornice, turning over flower pots, fiercely sharpening his claws on the door of a polished cabinet, enthusiastically tearing a plastic bag, chasing a found ball throughout the apartment. From time to time he jumps on the bed and begins hunting for the hands and feet of his owners. It is quite difficult to withstand such tests when you really want to sleep. The situation becomes unbearable if there is a small child in the house, who will take a long time to put to bed after such a wake-up call.

Before looking for ways to deal with the problem, you need to understand the reasons for this cat’s behavior. There are two of them:

• natural instincts;
• schedule.

By nature, cats are nocturnal predators. In the wild, they hunt in the dark, when their main enemies are fast asleep. It is not surprising that many cats are more active at night than during the day - this is their physiological feature.

Most pets are completely alone during the day. The owners go to work and school in the morning, and the apartment is empty. The cat gets bored and goes to rest. Until the evening she manages to sleep well, so at night she does not have such a desire. To maintain health, the animal needs physical activity. Therefore, during a short period of wakefulness, increased activity is observed. We must not forget that the cat needs communication. If he is alone at home all day, the desire to compensate for the lack of attention at night is understandable. It's not your pet's fault that you feel sleepy at this time.

Hyperactive or too active?

Not every active animal can be classified as hyperactive. All healthy kittens are energetic and playful, and even if they bite and scratch while playing, there is no need to worry. Low physical activity and lack of interest in play are atypical for this group of cats. By playing and moving a lot, the baby develops, and by exploring the surrounding objects, he learns the world in which he will have to live without his mother.

Typically, cats become calmer as they get older. However, some of them remain playful and curious until the end of their lives. If an energetic animal rushes around the house all day, explores secluded corners, pesters the inhabitants of the home, inviting them to play with it, and at night, tired of an eventful day, sleeps soundly, then an overactive cat is excited regardless of the time of day.

His actions are not driven by the desire to play and expend accumulated energy. In the process of observing the constant movement of the four-legged whirlwind, one gets the impression that his movements do not have a specific purpose, he just needs to jump and run, which sometimes leads to unpredictable consequences.

Options for night and morning activity of cats

It is not only the need for physical activity that encourages cats to get their owners up at night and in the morning. There are other reasons that make a pet behave this way. Often in these ways animals declare:

• inability to control the territory;
• desire to communicate;
• any problems.

For a cat, a house or apartment is its personal territory, which must always be under control. She should have free access to the entire space. The cat periodically walks around the home to make sure that there are no foreign odors and no danger. If the door in one of the rooms is closed, this causes anxiety in the pet; he is not sure of the safety of the territory. There is no need to be surprised that in the middle of the night shouts are heard demanding that the obstacle be removed for inspection.

Cats are smart animals, they understand that a person is a strange, inexplicable creature with whom they need to play a game according to certain rules. At night or early in the morning, the cat wakes up the owner and leads him to the door or refrigerator. The owner, in turn, tries to release or feed the pet, to fulfill its desire, but it refuses. It seems that the animal is behaving stupidly and does not know what it wants. In fact, the cat is just bored, she wants communication, but understands that attention can only be attracted in such ways, and she gets her way.

Your pet's anxiety may be related to illness. If he suddenly wakes you up by meowing, perhaps the cat is in pain and is trying to tell you about his problem. If any signs of illness appear, the animal should be taken to the veterinarian. You should know that cats do not sleep well in a new place; after moving, it will take some time to develop the territory. Owners also experience restless nights when their pet begins to go into heat.

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.

1. 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.
2. On the contrary, you can turn your pet out the door if your home allows it.
3. 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.
4. 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.

Ways to combat cat activity at night

The main reasons for increased activity at night and in the morning are lack of movement and communication during the daytime. Therefore, you need to try to eliminate these factors so that the cat, like the owners, rests peacefully at this time and does not create problems.

Most owners do not have the opportunity to give their pet much attention during the day; most hours are spent at work. This means that in the evening you need to compensate for the lack of communication. It is necessary to allocate time for:

• caresses,
• games,
• care procedures.

It is not necessary to sit next to the cat for hours, hold it on your lap and stroke it. You can just be next to your pet, do your usual things, but at the same time talk to him, sometimes stroke him. The cat will be happy to watch your actions and feel like a participant in the events.

Even at an advanced age, these animals love to play; for teenagers this is their favorite pastime. You need to not only buy toys for your kitten, but also take part in such entertainment. There are many different devices that make a cat become interested and start a fun game: a bow on a string, a moving toy. Tablet owners use their devices for cat entertainment. Many pets quickly master simple games in which they need to “catch” a spider, a mouse, etc.

In order for a cat that spends the whole day alone to be active and not spend all its time sleeping, you need to create conditions for entertainment. Many pets love to play with hanging toys; you can build a structure for your cat in the form of a tree, on which you can equip several beds at different levels. Animals are interested in toys with small objects placed inside, with a hole into which you can stick a paw, products with dry food, to obtain which you need to toss and roll them.

Cat toys need to be changed periodically. It is not necessary to constantly buy new options; it is enough to hide them for a while so that the pet has time to forget about them. When choosing entertainment, you need to make sure it is safe.

Show your cat that you are going to bed

Cats like to live on a stable schedule, where the same actions are repeated day after day. They remember what results certain events and actions lead to. For example, the owner finished dinner, got up from the table, and the cat understands that they will now feed him. This can also be your cat’s way of going to bed. Remember what actions you always do before falling asleep, and repeat them every evening. So, your ritual could be like this: turn off the TV, open the window, brush your teeth, turn off the lights. The cat will see how your regular actions lead to one result - sleep, and will adapt to your regime.

Feeding

A well-fed pet sleeps more soundly, so it is worth feeding it before bed. Calculate your daily food intake so that you have a slightly larger portion in the evening than in the morning. Then the cat will wake up less at night. You can also buy an automatic feeder that dispenses a portion of food at a certain time. In this case, the cat will leave the bedroom early in the morning and will stop waking up the owner in anticipation of breakfast.

A little about cat psychology

There are cases when the owner, having acquired a long-awaited cat, cannot achieve her favor. Everyone knows that cats are quite freedom-loving creatures and it makes no sense to force them to do anything. To avoid disappointment and be able to manipulate a cat, it would be nice to get acquainted with cat psychology:

• Cats don't like it when the house is too noisy. If I, as an owner, am thinking about training a cat to sleep with me, then I need to create a quiet, calm environment in the bedroom.
• It is necessary to devote free minutes from your time to petting the kitten. He loves when people talk to him, it’s not the words themselves that are important to him, he reacts to the tone. It is better to talk in a gentle, dreamy voice.
• It will be better if the conversation is accompanied by stroking and scratching.
• You can't punish cats because they never feel guilty. They only get offended by the owner, and then there can be no question of the cat going to sleep with the owner.

Boredom

Often, kittens that are left alone and inactive for several hours every day, without active games with the breeder or brothers, begin to get bored.

Sometimes bored animals resort to irritable behavior when they see their owner falling asleep. These cats live in despondency - they have no variety in their lives, and no one “communicates” with them. For this reason, pets resort to waking up their owners at night to get a portion of affection and attention.

Your pets also need a similar “entertainment program” as those felines who need to play at night. Install a vertical cat slide, buy toys, play and show affection to your cat daily, this will help keep the animal stimulated.

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 it 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.

Lodge training can be achieved through a daily ritual. You should play with the kitten near the bedding and put his favorite toys there. A child who is playing up will not miss the opportunity to visit again where he was interested and comfortable. Having noticed that the animal is resting in the house, it is worth praising it and rewarding it with a treat. At first, you can place a bed or a house next to the chair where the owner is resting. When the kitten gets used to being on its bed, you should move its bed to the pet’s permanent sleeping place.

Techniques for “persuading” an adult animal

How to accustom an adult cat to a new house after it has been settled or moved? Conservative animals often ignore the bed, preferring to live on their favorite upholstered furniture or window sill. First of all, you need to guess with the placement of the new place. Sometimes it is enough to move the bed to where the pet likes to be. For example, on the sofa. The cat will like to sleep on a softer bedding, and if there are toys in it, he will not want to leave. After the mustachioed friend gets used to the bed, it can be placed in the corner where the owner needs it.

You can get used to the house in the same way, placing it near the places where the animal likes to be. You can encourage your pet to visit with toys, treats, kind words and praise. If you can’t influence an adult cat, you can buy “Catnip” spray (or valerian infusion) at a pet store and treat the animal’s bed. The smell will attract your pet, and he will be able to appreciate the comfort of his place. You need to use the product for several days. You can do without scents by laying a bedding or blanket in the house, which the mustache loves.

Young age

Kittens and young cats are tireless slot machines. They rack up games at any time of the day or night and see fun in everything.

Whether it's the owner's moving leg under the blanket or a small noise - all this can become the object of attention of young pets eager to play.

As the "youth" gets older, the intensity of their playfulness decreases and they tend to begin to adapt to your schedule. This may take several months. But you need to sleep now! What to do?

1. Try to tire the young man out before going to bed. Using pole toys, engaging in intense activities, or chasing a ball or feather will cause your kitten to become tired.
2. After the games, feed the animal; food will allow the cat to fall asleep faster.

Hide treats throughout the house—in cat toys, on high shelves of furniture, on shelving, in drawers, under the rug, or in corners—your cat will spend time and energy focusing on finding hidden, desirable treasures.

Consider purchasing a “buddy” for your cat—a kitten of the same age and with a similar personality. The similarity in energy and relationship with relatives of the breeds should coincide. In addition to mutual fatigue, they will learn important social skills by playing and interacting with each other.

Although training practice will take some time and requires regularity, the cat's midnight pranks will stop and you can finally get some sleep.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS

Feed me!

For some pets, it is enough to eat twice a day, which is enough to suppress hunger. The unreasonable hunger of gluttonous cats forces them to turn to their owner at night to get another portion of food.

This behavior can be stopped by changing your eating habits. Change how and when you feed your animal. After making sure that the cat receives a sufficient amount of food, you need to divide this amount into several daily meals.

Automatic cat feeders, which can be synchronized at your discretion, work great in such cases. They are especially good if the pet is left alone all day.