Purrs are amazing creatures. They fill our lives with positivity, bright colors, allow us to get rid of the feeling of loneliness and experience love.
It is believed that they can save us from depressive moods and help us communicate with the other world. What has really been proven is that purrs are excellent orderlies. They catch rats and mice, which are carriers of various infectious diseases.
Despite all the advantages these animals have, there are also some disadvantages that bring discomfort to everyday life. Sometimes the cat doesn't let you sleep in the morning. Then you feel tired and irritable all day due to lack of sleep. Is it possible to improve the situation? Let's try to figure it out.
How can a cat learn to wake you up in the morning?
The script of this drama is as follows. In the morning the cat gets bored and decides to play. For example, he throws something off the table with a crash. You immediately get up and decide to feed him so that he will let you soak in the bed. The cat understands: if you wake up a person, he will give you something to eat. Next time, the mustachioed one will take note of this and will, with special zeal, throw off everything that comes under his paw.
There is another scenario. Let's say the cat didn't want to play, but just wanted to have a snack early in the morning. He climbs into your bed or starts meowing loudly. You get up and give him food. It worked! So, next time you have breakfast, you need to do the same!
Both of these examples clearly demonstrate how we ourselves reinforce the habit of waking us up in the morning in our pets. So the surest way is to change your behavior and break the cause-and-effect relationship between attempts to wake you up and the reward for this in the form of food.
Top How to stop your cat from waking you up in the morning?
The first thing you need to do is make sure that the cat gets his breakfast regardless of whether you wake up or not. This means that food should not be given by you, but by an automatic feeder .
An automatic feeder is a great way to stop your pet from bothering you in the morning.
Program it so that it opens just when your pet starts to bother you. If this time falls in the middle of the night or early morning, it can be adjusted. Simply set your meal service time a few minutes later each week. If at some point the trick did not work, install it again earlier and switch to a later version a little later.
This technique will help your pet understand that it is not necessary to wake you up to get a portion of food. After all, she will appear on her own. Scheduled!
Top What other ways are there?
If the option above does not work, it makes sense to try other methods.
Entertain your pet during the day
Cats need somewhere to burn off their energy. If the cat slept all day without finding any entertainment, then when the owner returns from work he will be full of strength and desire to jump and play. Therefore, it is important to provide your pet with the opportunity to play during the day.
- Leave your pet toys. You can buy them at a pet store or make them yourself. Light items that are fun to move across the floor are suitable. They can be rustling or with ribbons. Cats also like toys filled with catnip. Don’t forget to periodically change the set of toys so that your cat doesn’t get tired of them;
- a new level of entertainment for cats - interactive toys. They can move independently and will keep your pet occupied for a long time. Before leaving your cat alone with such a toy, read the instructions and make sure it is safe;
- If there is a tree near your window, you can hang a feeder on it. The cat will watch the arriving birds. But do not place the feeder very close to the window so that flying birds do not hit the glass;
- If possible, you can leave video recordings running on the TV screen for the cat. The TV must be installed so that the cat can see it. Her attention will be attracted, for example, by recordings of flying birds, which she will try to catch.
Before going to bed, also play with your cat so that he gets tired. Cats get tired quickly: 10-20 minutes of active play are enough for them, after which the animal will lose interest in toys and want to rest.
Hanging blackout curtains
How to stop a cat from getting up early? Create an artificial night! The first rays of the sun are a signal about the coming of a new day, which the pet perceives in the same way as we do. He may wake up with them and want to have breakfast or play.
To prevent this from happening, you can hang special blackout curtains and close them at night. And then, with the onset of early morning, the pet will think that it is still night and it is not time to get up yet.
Blackout curtains will help create an artificial night so that the cat doesn’t bother you Up We organize evening games
To prevent the cat from disturbing you in the morning, you can keep him busy with active games the night before. The more effort you put in, the better the effect will be.
hunting are best suited . After all, it is after this that cats usually go to sleep.
Up We provide entertainment for the mustachioed
How to wean your cat from waking up early in the morning? Provide toys, and then instead of waking you up, she will have more interesting things to do. Just keep in mind: toys should not create loud sounds, otherwise the effect will be the same.
A good option is interactive games with food . They will solve two problems at once: they will be excellent entertainment, and at the same time they will help you get food on your own in the morning, and then the need to wake you up will disappear by itself.
Toys with food are great entertainment for cats Up
The cat wakes me up by purring
The reason why your cat purrs to wake you up in the morning is simpler. As we said, your cat is more active during sunrise, so she will crave some attention and cuddles during this time and will go back to sleep to complete her 16-hour nap.
Why do cats purr? It is their way of expressing affection or pleasure, and they usually purr only to members of their own family. It also helps relieve stress. If your cat purrs, this is a very good sign; she probably loves you and feels safe around you.
Moreover, your cat can actually predict when you will wake up. As you may know, humans have up to five stages of sleep, during which several body functions change. By your breathing and heart rate, your cat will know when you are about to wake up and will be there to greet you with purrs and affection.
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Don't forget to feed your kitty in the evening
It happens that the owners forget about dinner, and then the pet feels very hungry in the morning, which he lets know by loud meowing. The solution is to monitor the feeding regime . To avoid forgetting anything, you can set an alarm on your smartphone or buy an automatic feeder.
Top Ignore attempts to wake you up
Remember that when you stand up in response to meows and give your kitty food, you are rewarding this behavior . Therefore, the surest tactic is to ignore. Don't get out of bed. Do not add water. Do not pour in food. Continue to lie down, and to ensure you fall asleep, get earplugs and a sleep mask.
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Genetic memory
Another option for why a cat can wake up its owner is genetic memory. Previously, cats were wild, they got their own food when they hunted. They usually did this during twilight/night time. They retained a similar fact in their DNA memory. Early morning is similar to twilight, so at this time the purrs go on a “hunt” for prey, which the owner will put in their bowl.
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Train your pet to rest in another room
To prevent your cat from disturbing you in the morning, organize a place for him to relax in another room. Move the bed, toys and scratching post there. And then there will be less chance of waking up from a plaintive meow.
Up Try to establish a regime
It happens that a cat synchronizes with the owner’s sleep and wakefulness patterns. If it is violated, then the kitty will live according to the appropriate schedule. The reason for the nightly adventures may lie precisely in this. The surest way to correct the situation is to establish a regime yourself .
Top What to do if nothing works?
Sometimes cats' attempts to wake you up early are related to health . Perhaps your pet is feeling unwell or experiencing discomfort. Take your pet to the vet to be sure of its health.
If a visit to a specialist does not reveal any abnormalities, seek advice from a zoopsychologist. He will tell you how best to correct your kitty's behavior and ensure you have a healthy and restful sleep.
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Why are they doing that?
No, not in order to piss off a person and laugh evilly in your dark cat soul.
Cats are nocturnal predators who sleep during the day, saving energy. At night they are alert and ready for adventure. Naturally, during eight hours of wakefulness, the cat will get hungry and will go to the food source - a person. There is a small nuance. If a cat is accustomed to receiving food at will (it will be given as it asks), then it will not care what a person does when it feels hungry. An animal accustomed to receiving food on a schedule will most likely wait until the owner wakes up.
If your cat has never woken you up in the morning before and suddenly insists on attention at four in the morning, listen to your pet. Perhaps something happened in the house or the animal is unwell.
Why cats love to play at night
Nocturnal small predators have their own biological clock. And they are set up in such a way that during daylight hours the animal rests, accumulates energy, and at night begins to release it. Active pastime is manifested by an increased interest in the owner’s legs, attempts to wake up the owner and play with the animal, as well as chasing and “rustling” with various objects.
Great news for all household members - this animal behavior can and should be corrected. In this case, you should start from a very early age, so that over time the cat does not have the desire to hunt for the owner’s slippers at night.
In addition to the fact that nocturnal activity in a cat is a manifestation of instincts, the reasons that cats like to play at night are:
- Lack of attention and excess energy in the body. This is especially common for owners of kittens. Kids require attention, you need to play with them more and spend leisure time together. While waiting for their owner, kittens sleep all day, occasionally keeping themselves busy on their own. As soon as the owner returns home, the animal tries to attract attention, and if this does not happen, nightly active games are guaranteed.
- Sexual hunting. The period of the onset of sexual heat, in both females and males, leads to a change in behavior. Uncastrated females and males, under the influence of sex hormones, begin to actively search for their partner. For animals, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is, and even vice versa, activity increases at night. Experts say that sexual activity against the background of hormonal surges and night activity are closely related and are one of the leading reasons for such animal behavior. In addition to nocturnal activity, the pet may begin to damage furniture by scratching it, attack guests and even household members, showing with all its appearance a determined determination to find a sexual partner. Owners should remember that the sexual instinct is one of the strongest, so it is unlikely to be possible to distract the animal with games. It is not recommended to use hormonal drugs to suppress sexual activity, especially in the long term. They can provoke a number of serious changes in the body, including the development of malignant neoplasms. The only solution in this case is castration.
- Health problems. Unfortunately, pets have no way of telling where they are hurting or what is bothering them. You can understand that an animal is unwell only by behavior and a number of signs. So, nighttime activities may be associated with health problems. In the daytime, as in humans, the painful sensations are dull, but with the onset of night, the pain becomes stronger. Meowing loudly and trying in every possible way to attract the owner’s attention, the animal shows that it is scared, experiencing discomfort or pain. If you are concerned about your pet's condition, it is recommended to seek help from a veterinarian. It is very important to monitor the pet’s condition, noting any unusual changes in its behavior.
- Shy character. Like people, all animals are individual and have their own specific character. Veterinarians identify a whole category of shy and fearful cats. Such animals experience discomfort during socialization, hide from other people, and have difficulty making contact. A timid kitten or adult cat is by no means uncommon. As a rule, homeless animals that end up in a family become shy. They are not accustomed to an affectionate attitude and attention to their person. The feeling of fear in fearful cats worsens as night falls. Such pets actively scratch at the door or meow invitingly in order to be closer to the owner. During the daytime, shy cats do not tolerate closed doors, demanding that they have free access to all rooms. Frightened by everything in the daytime, cats hide in dark corners, and at night they come out to familiarize themselves and check the territory. Sometimes this is accompanied by nighttime “running”, turning over dishes or flower pots.
- Manifestation of your own requirements. Standard requirements for a pet are food and a clean litter tray. It is very important that your cat eats food shortly before going to bed. Being a born predator, the cat, having had a good snack, will go to bed. It is best if the cat eats after active games, gets tired and goes to bed. It is also important that the animal has a clean and dry tray. If the animal doesn’t like the condition of the cat’s litter box, it will certainly let you know about it, at night at the most inopportune moment.
Knowing what is the reason for your pet's behavior of being naughty at night, you can begin to eradicate this habit.
You need to understand that it is unlikely that you will achieve positive results the first time. But there is no need to despair. Persistence and an affectionate attitude towards the pet will certainly reward the owner with good nights in silence.
