Chatty and active in the night... need some help

[GardeningGal]

I have a cat...beautiful cat.. that unfortunately in the night.. (oh ..I also have a husband other part of this puzzle)..anyway, the cat likes to jump on the headboard, the chair, whatever, in our bedroom while we are trying to sleep...you say...close the door...can't...she will just scratch at it and/or meow...and make that sound that is like she is talking..
we haven't had a solid night sleep in quite a while...
does anyone have any advice on what I could possibly do to get her to stop all that? I don't want to get rid of her...she is the cutest funniest cat...barks at the birds...and I like it when she "talks" to me during the day..just not at 11, 12, 2, 4...while we are trying to sleep..

 

[Nickel]

My cat is the same way. He spends most nights curled up in his own bed in the laundry room (with the door closed). Otherwise he keeps the whole house up with his running around like a maniac.

 

[GardeningGal]

My cat is the same way. He spends most nights curled up in his own bed in the laundry room (with the door closed). Otherwise he keeps the whole house up with his running around like a maniac.

He doesn't meow when he is down there? I would need to get a door on my laundry room downstairs... I have to do something...it's either that..or get rid of her or my husband...don't want to do either of those...

 

[Nickel]

He doesn't meow when he is down there? I would need to get a door on my laundry room downstairs... I have to do something...it's either that..or get rid of her or my husband...don't want to do either of those...

Nope, just sleeps. He'll meow in the morning when he knows I'm up if I don't let him out ASAP.

 

[frequentflier]

He doesn't meow when he is down there? I would need to get a door on my laundry room downstairs... I have to do something...it's either that..or get rid of her or my husband...don't want to do either of those...

If he is demanding attention at night, is it possible to play with him and wear him out? If you work all day and he is home alone, it is possible he is bored!
Consider getting him a playmate.

 

[GardeningGal]

It is very possible... I have a dog...the cat does sleep alot during the day... she does when I'm home anyway... I will try to tire her out...and need to see about getting a door on my laundry room...

Thanks for the info..

 

[DEEKAYPEE8569]

It is very possible... I have a dog...the cat does sleep alot during the day... she does when I'm home anyway... I will try to tire her out...and need to see about getting a door on my laundry room...

Thanks for the info..

Not trying to be sarcastic here, but you DO know that cats are nocturnal animals. That's why they like to get into things in the middle of the night.

I don't know if 'tiring her out' will work.

 

[jwwb2000]

All these cats not sleeping threads make me feel really grateful for the two cats I have. Both of them will curl up and sleep at night, one right next to me and the other at my feet.

 

[luckystar]

Not trying to be sarcastic here, but you DO know that cats are nocturnal animals. That's why they like to get into things in the middle of the night.

I don't know if 'tiring her out' will work.

Cats are crepuscular, actually. Tiring her out and adjusting her sleep schedule could work. People can usually do it, it's worth a shot. But then again, I was never able to adjust to working overnight. Everybody (and every cat) is different. :shrug:

 

[jetmonkey]

I have a cat...beautiful cat.. that unfortunately in the night.. (oh ..I also have a husband other part of this puzzle)..anyway, the cat likes to jump on the headboard, the chair, whatever, in our bedroom while we are trying to sleep...you say...close the door...can't...she will just scratch at it and/or meow...and make that sound that is like she is talking..
we haven't had a solid night sleep in quite a while...
does anyone have any advice on what I could possibly do to get her to stop all that? I don't want to get rid of her...she is the cutest funniest cat...barks at the birds...and I like it when she "talks" to me during the day..just not at 11, 12, 2, 4...while we are trying to sleep..

You clearly need another cat.

 

[Geek]

It is very possible... I have a dog...the cat does sleep alot during the day... she does when I'm home anyway... I will try to tire her out...and need to see about getting a door on my laundry room...

Thanks for the info..

How about crating her at night? That way your door won't get ripped up. A nice squirt in the ass with cold water does wonders if you want to keep it near you bed.

 

[GardeningGal]

thanks for the info. everyone. I have had other cats and didn't have this problem. This cat is 1 yr. 9 mo. old ...and this just started up about 3 or 4 mo. ago.
I am going to try and look into changing up her schedule. Trying to give her more attention when I'm home...and not just in the night when she demands it or I try to stop her from doing other things..

 

[Aninha]

thanks for the info. everyone. I have had other cats and didn't have this problem. This cat is 1 yr. 9 mo. old ...and this just started up about 3 or 4 mo. ago.
I am going to try and look into changing up her schedule. Trying to give her more attention when I'm home...and not just in the night when she demands it or I try to stop her from doing other things..

My cat used to be the same way.
It got a lot better after he was fixed...
So now we still have a little bit of a problem, but I think I got a solution:
I keep an arsenal of rolled up socks! That's right! That won't hurt him, just startle him enough to stop what he's doing and get the message. Usually he goes into our room and starts scratching the carpet, as if sharpening his claws ... It makes a loud noise and wakes us up. He then looks at me really happy and says: "I'm so glad you're up! Are you gonna play with me now?"
Now, after the sock thing ... he will first spring out of the bedroom until he figures out what hit him. Then he will come back and ask me to pet him, and roll back up by my feet on the bed and sleep there until it's time for us to get up. We let our cat go outside, so in the morning, that's the first thing I do.
So, that's my suggestion: Roll all your socks up in to little balls, keep them on your night stand, where you can reach them easily. It works really well if you can interrupt whatever she's doing (meowing, scratching ...) with it. She'll get the message.
Make sure you play with her when you do get up.

 

[luckystar]

I've been reading this book by Warren Eckstein (apparently some person from the 70s that was an advocate for hearing dogs when there was really only the seeing eye dog). One of the things that stands out most to me is his adamance about learning cat behaviors in order to modify them, so that you can teach as opposed to correct (which is usually punishment). You can't teach a cat not to scratch, because it's natural. You need to teach them WHAT to scratch. If you do manage to teach a cat not to scratch, you'll end up with a neurotic cat.

For example, in the wild cats defacate and urinate to mark areas either as a bread crumb type trail, or to help lost loved ones (offspring) find their way home. Turns out a little more attention to them (and more often their litter box) gets them right back into the habit of using it. Along with putting sections of their meals on paper plates near the sites they've chosen to use as a restroom, because they hate eating where they eliminate.

I'm trying to remember if I've read anything about night terrorizing... I'll skim back through, but I don't think the book has mentioned it yet. Just thought I'd share something that might spark an idea or a brainstorm.

 

[CrashTest]

I heard a cat behaviorist say one time "the problem with your housecat is your house".

Throw her outside in the evening. That'll wear her ass out.

 

[luckystar]

I heard a cat behaviorist say one time "the problem with your housecat is your house".

Throw her outside in the evening. That'll wear her ass out.

That's a good point, anyone spending too much time inside will go a little crazy. But I wouldn't just throw them outside (others will disagree with me on this one), I'd rather leash train my cats before they go outside. I'm a very protective cat mommy.

 

[GardeningGal]

That's a good point, anyone spending too much time inside will go a little crazy. But I wouldn't just throw them outside (others will disagree with me on this one), I'd rather leash train my cats before they go outside. I'm a very protective cat mommy.

Thanks again all.
She is fixed...
she has been better the last few nights...or we are just exhausted and don't notice.. she only woke me up twice..

I really like the rolled up sock idea...however, I'm a little worried she may think I'm trying to throw her a snack..(she likes to chase after her snacks.. ...you can't just give her one...and she has to chase it for a good run...if you don't throw it far enough...she won't go after it...). who is crazy right? ...anyway... I will do some brainstorming.. I appreciate the person who said they will check in their book...thanks for taking the time.

 

[luckystar]

Thanks again all.
She is fixed...
she has been better the last few nights...or we are just exhausted and don't notice.. she only woke me up twice..

I really like the rolled up sock idea...however, I'm a little worried she may think I'm trying to throw her a snack..(she likes to chase after her snacks.. ...you can't just give her one...and she has to chase it for a good run...if you don't throw it far enough...she won't go after it...). who is crazy right? ...anyway... I will do some brainstorming.. I appreciate the person who said they will check in their book...thanks for taking the time.

Looked back in the book, nothing. I've gotten pretty close to the end, and we're on travel. Not so sure if it's going to hit on cats that like to terrorize their owners at night.

My cats are the same way though, with treats. They'll eat them off the ground or from your hand, but they like to chase after them down the hall and slide on the wood floor, it's too cute! They'd probably chase the sock down and think it was a game just like the treats

 

[tiltedangel]

Looked back in the book, nothing. I've gotten pretty close to the end, and we're on travel. Not so sure if it's going to hit on cats that like to terrorize their owners at night.

My cats are the same way though, with treats. They'll eat them off the ground or from your hand, but they like to chase after them down the hall and slide on the wood floor, it's too cute! They'd probably chase the sock down and think it was a game just like the treats

I have a kitten who is now 7 months old and i have him in a crate at night..it is set up like a condo lol! the floor of the crate has a litter box at the back and the water and food bowl in the front and then i put a shelf in there for the bed..so she climbs up there and goes to sleep..i have a blanket over the crate and it seems to work perfect...

during the day he is as good as gold...but at night whoa! and beats up on the other cat...