Many cat owners and breeders often face this problem when a furry pet confuses day with night and becomes more active at night. Agree, it’s not very pleasant if, after a hard day at work, someone disturbs your sleep and peace, even if it’s your favorite cat. The inability to get a good night's sleep leads to irritation, decreased performance, and nervousness. Therefore, let's look at how to stop a cat from running around at night in a house or apartment? What to do if your pet makes noise, meows and keeps you from sleeping at night?
Why are cats active at night?
Cats by nature are incredibly inquisitive, quite energetic and cheerful creatures. Throughout the day, periods of wakefulness alternate with rest and sleep. But what if your pet is active at night when everyone is sleeping? To stop a kitten from running at night, you need to find out the root cause of this behavior.
As a rule, small kittens or energetic young cats show playfulness at night. While the owners sleep, inquisitive animals explore the world and explore their home. In most cases, such behavior is noted during the period of socialization and adaptation of the animal to new conditions. During the day, when no one is in the house, cats sleep in anticipation of “night games”, so their “day” begins with the onset of darkness or in the evening.
Important! Adult, elderly cats adapt to biorhythms, the schedule of their owners and sleep at night. Even if the pet wakes up at night, it does not necessarily mean that it will make noise; most likely, the cat is hungry or wants to get around its property.
Manifestations of night activity in cats manifest themselves in different ways. Some pets run around the apartment, climb all the heights, use various objects as toys, happily rolling them along the floor, and climb curtains. Others, after running around the house, climb into their owners’ beds, begin to bite their hands, and meow loudly. At the same time, maximum night activity is observed in the period from three to five hours.
Adult male cats can scream heart-rendingly at night during the rutting season. Typically, this behavior occurs several times a year, and especially in early spring.
Reasons for night wakefulness and activity in representatives of the cat family:
- the pet is hungry or there is no water in the bowl;
- the cat is worried or in pain;
- lack of physical activity during the day;
- the cat experienced severe stress, nervous shock;
- the pet attracts the attention of the owners.
If a cat is shy and there are other pets (cats, dogs) in the house, it tries to sleep during the day, hiding in secluded places to avoid unnecessary contact, and stays awake at night.
Also, do not forget that cats are excellent and very cautious hunters, so they prefer to go hunting at night. The hunting instinct makes cats very sensitive to sleep and dozing. Animals hear and distinguish sounds that are elusive to the human ear. If the cat has shown activity, it is possible that someone has disturbed her sensitive sleep (a bird, a night moth).
Symptoms of a kitten's restless sleep
A large amount of sleep in cats, and especially kittens, should not be a cause for concern unless there are suspicious symptoms.
Usually the sleep of kittens and adult cats is calm and even, but you should pay attention if the sleep can be called restless.
1. Breathes frequently when sleeping. Very little babies should take about 50 breaths per minute. If this indicator is higher in a dream, then it is worth observing to understand the source of the problem. Most likely there is nothing to worry about, and the kitten is emotionally disturbed by what is happening in his dream.
2. Shakes when sleeping. There can be several reasons: from harmless ones (previously experienced stress or an uncomfortable position) to those that are worth paying attention to (the kitten gets sick and needs the help of a specialist).
3. Sleeps with eyes open. In babies under 1 year of age, the “facial” muscles may be underdeveloped. This often results in eyelids opening slightly during sleep. However, by the age of one year the “deviation” goes away on its own.
Kittens often twitch when they sleep. The kitten seems to be having trouble sleeping. But in reality, this is not always a reason to worry. Most likely, the baby is in the rapid phase of sleep, which means he sees dreams in which he happily runs and jumps.
Kittens often dream, so sleeping babies can move their paws, meow and show other activity.
If you are in doubt, it is better to contact a veterinarian for a more thorough examination of your pet.
Correcting cat behavior
If the pet is absolutely healthy and is awake at night, the heart-rending meowing is not associated with any diseases or pathologies, using our recommendations and advice you can wean the cat from making noise at night.
If your cat runs around your apartment or house at night, organize a variety of active leisure activities for your cat. Buy toys that imitate the movements of animals and birds. They will help realize the hunting instinct, and the pet will be interested. Games with balls and wind-up mice will provide great entertainment for cats who love to chase prey. You need to play with your pet until you are sure that the animal is tired. Organize a play complex, climbing shelves, vertical supports with a platform, buy interactive toys.
Play with your pet an hour or two before bedtime, then feed him. It is best to give your cat chicken, beef, or any other meat food before a night's rest. After physical activity and a satisfying meal, cats usually go to bed.
Important! A well-fed, tired cat actually falls asleep quickly, but this does not mean that after a while the animal will not wake up and be active. So think about what you can do to interest your pet during the day. The more cats are awake during daylight hours, the less desire they will make to make noise and play at night.
If a cat is nervous, behaves restlessly, reacts inadequately to external stimuli, walks around the house at night, meows pitifully not only at night, but also during the day, it is possible that the cat is experiencing discomfort and pain due to an illness or worsened chronic pathology. Carefully observe the condition and behavior of your pet. If you notice symptoms of malaise or a deterioration in general condition, take the cat to the clinic for examination and diagnostic testing.
If your cat meows due to lack of affection or attention, pay him some attention before going to bed. Hygiene procedures can be useful for business. Comb the fur, clean the ears, and inspect the eyes. After a portion of affection and attention, making sure of the strength of the emotional connection, the cat will sleep sweetly until the morning.
Reasons for a kitten's long sleep
So why do kittens sleep so much? The reasons are similar to human ones: the baby is not yet strong enough, his body needs constant “recharging” with rest. So, long and frequent sleep can be considered the norm if the rest of the time the kitten is cheerful, cheerful, eats well and plays actively.
Kittens can sleep in any position.
Each animal has its own favorite position and place to sleep.
In other cases, you should pay attention to the kitten’s behavior so as not to miss alarming symptoms and promptly determine the reasons for prolonged sleep. These reasons may be:
1. Pain. The kitten cannot find a comfortable place to sleep and fall asleep soundly, and as soon as it gets comfortable, it “falls” into a long sleep.
2. Neurology. The kitten becomes overexcited and experiences irrational fear. As a result, the animal may constantly doze off, but is not able to properly gain strength.
3. Lack of food. An unbalanced or insufficient calorie diet will lead to a decrease in the kitten’s vigor. This will force him to sleep constantly.
4. Diseases. Infectious, parasitic, and oncological diseases force you to sleep more, but the disease is accompanied by additional symptoms that cannot be missed. They can be fever, tearing, diarrhea and more.
Weather conditions are also included in this list. In rain and snow, animals tend to become sleepy, but this does not have a negative effect on their health.
After active games, the kitten can often fall asleep where he played.
What not to do
If your cat meows, yells for no reason, and doesn’t let you sleep at night, never get up to see your pet. Even if the animal is hungry. Cats are great manipulators and, having achieved their goal, will constantly take advantage of the kindness of their owners. Therefore, the only right decision in such a situation is not to pay attention to the cat.
You should not lock your cat in a separate room. The animal will not understand why it was isolated from the rest of the family. The pet will become sad and lonely, and in order to attract attention, it will begin to make even more noise.
If the cat is awake at night, do not yell at him, much less hit him. This won't work and will only make the situation worse. The cat will do things out of spite.
It is impossible to force cats to sleep at night, but you need to try to do everything to ensure that the pet is active during the day. Following our advice, do not indulge in night awakenings, be patient, the kitten will eventually adapt to your schedule and sleep peacefully at night.
The cat is hungry and needs attention
Cats are nocturnal animals and cannot go long without food at this time of day.
The feeling of hunger leaves them no choice but to meow and bother their owner all night, even if he gets up early for work in the morning.
Not all cats will wake up their owners to be fed in the middle of the night. Some adapt well to people's schedules.
Train yourself to feed your pet before you go to bed, or purchase an automatic feeder.
Helpful advice for cat owners: do not feed your pet as soon as he wakes up. Then the cat will not draw an analogy between the two actions: “waking up” and “feeding”
How to suppress aggression and calm down
The better the owner prepares his animal for the show, the calmer it will be at the show itself.
You can quickly suppress aggression in an adult animal like this:
- Wear thick clothes and thick gloves, take a blanket and wrap the aggressive cat, holding him in your arms until he is completely calm.
- Spray the cat with water.
- Leave the animal indoors for a while, during which time the anger will gradually subside.
- Don't look the cat in the eye.
- Prepare in advance a place in the room where the pet can hide.
- Do not punish your pet - punishment will only provoke a repeated attack of anger.
Be sure to read:
How to wash a cat's eyes at home: pharmacy and folk remedies, when required
How to calm your pet on the road
For a long trip by train, car or flight, you need to prepare in advance . If the date of the trip is known, it is worth starting taking cumulative sedatives; if the trip was not planned, you can give your furry pupil a medicine that instantly affects the nervous system.
Be sure to read:
Proper care of kittens at home in the first 1-2 months, what to do
But the most important thing is to get a comfortable carrying bag for your trip. You need to purchase it in advance so that the cat gets used to the new thing. It is necessary to allow the cat not only to examine the bag, but also to sleep in it for several days. Several diapers for the toilet, clean water, dry food - items necessary on a long trip.
How to identify the cause of anger in a cat
Irritability in adult animals is provoked by a painful condition.
Domestic cats, unlike dogs, have retained many qualities inherent in wild animals. Instinct tells them that danger can come from any object.
Pain inadvertently inflicted on a cat by a person leads to the idea that he poses a danger.
What can cause panic and aggression in an animal:
- moving, unfamiliar surroundings;
- the appearance of new things, other animals in the house;
- strangers (especially if they try to touch or stroke him);
- household appliances that make loud sounds (vacuum cleaner, electric meat grinder, etc.);
- poor health, illness;
- excessive affection from a person;
- games with children if the latter begin to cuddle the pet.
How to give milk to a small kitten?
At the age of 1-3 days, give 2.5 ml of cat milk replacer every two hours. At the age of 4-7 days, give 5 ml of the mixture and organize 10-12 feedings per day. At the age of 6-10 days, give 5-7.5 ml of the mixture and organize 10 feedings per day. At the age of 11-14 days, give 10-12.5 mixtures and feed the kittens
every three hours.
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