So here is the deal: I live in an attic apartment. We only have curtains dividing the rooms (thats right, no doors except for the closets and entry way). My kitten is 6 months old and has decided that 3am is the time to wake up me and my husband. He comes into the bed purring REALLY loud, rubbing up against our heads, sitting on our chests, jumping on the bed, you name it. He is a very loving little boy but seems to be very needy especially at night. Our other cat is 2 1/2 and sleeps through the night. I dont remember what she was like at 6 months. Is my kitten in the equivilent of the terrible 2's? What can I do to help him through this time? He is even playful during the majority of the day! I swear that this cat rarely sleeps.
Serious replys only please. We are so tired that its not funny.
2006-11-04 01:37:40 · 8 answers · asked by Lucky Me 6 in Pets ➔ Cats
I am so glad that you can understand the young cat is much like a human child. Of course he will outgrow this behavior and let you sleep and I think you can only bear with it till he does.
That's why the term "cat nap" was coined. Cats just don't sleep for seven or eight hours at a stretch as humans do. When they get older like your other cat they developed more respect for human sleep patterns.
2006-11-04 01:46:03 · answer #1 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Honestly, you're just gonna have to deal with it until she grows out of it. Caging your kitten is mean! So you're a good owner not to do that. Your kitten is just being a kitten. I'm sorry it's nerving you this much.
You can try to treat it like a baby (ie: I'm a mom and know how to get kids to sleep!)
Play with the kitten a lot during the day hours and feed her a good big meal just before bed. Kitten will be pretty exhausted. Also, I found that those ZEN table fountains are really good watering dishes, keeps oxygen in the water so it encourages good water intake!
2006-11-04 09:55:36 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I went through the same thing with my two cats 2 yrs ago when they were kittens. What worked for me was to routinely play with them for a good 2-3hrs. before I was going to go to bed so that they were exhausted. I found the best thing to use is an infa-red pen light. I would move the light throughout the room as they tried to catch it with no success, yet I wasn't getting myself exhausted because there was no physical activity on my part. Eventually after about a week or so they settled down at night and slept. Good Luck!!
2006-11-04 11:50:54 · answer #3 · answered by "N"saysable 1iric 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi,
My 7yo cat does the same thing (basically jumps on our dresser and knocks everything off in the middle of the night), but less so now than he used to. We neutered him (and spayed his sister) at 7mo, and that seemed to calm him somewhat. We joke that he went through his gawky adolescent stage at that point (all big paws and ears, huge tolerance for running wild through the house at breakneck speed, even playing fetch for a while).
Probably the best thing is to give him as much love as you can during the day. Maybe you can hang something dangly (and durable) in a doorway for him to play with. Catnip might help entice him, too :)
2006-11-04 14:41:57 · answer #4 · answered by Used_to_know 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cat's are naturally noctural. Our 8 month old is a terror at night and she has her own room now, and is locked away at night. She doesn't seem to suffer from it and is always purring when we let her out in the mornings but it is the only thing we could do to get some sleep.
2006-11-04 09:44:01 · answer #5 · answered by sarah071267 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My kitten is 5 months old now and when she would wake me I would get up and she would get more playful but now when she does wake me, I do not open my eyes or respond. After a while she realized that I wasn't going to get up and now she will play on the floor if she's not sleepy or lay in bed with me but she no longer pounces on my head or playfully swats my face when I'm sleeping.
2006-11-04 13:42:55 · answer #6 · answered by Jonela 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our first cat was grown and slept the night mostly or at least stay quiet. Since the boy got here this is a race track at night and they fuss most of the time when near each other.
2006-11-04 09:58:18 · answer #7 · answered by ronnny 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is he neutered? I think that calms them down. Also, get him declawed (in the front) so he doesn't climb those curtains. That should help, but I do think that behavior is normal at six months. He will grow out of it. Sounds like a happy kitty!
2006-11-04 09:55:07 · answer #8 · answered by Patti S 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋