Its because she wants feeding I imagine - but I already give her her daily allowance - every 12 hours - so (theoretically) she shouldn't be hungry. I feed her at 7 in the morning and then 7 at night but when she hassles me (and bites sometimes) I sometimes give in and give her a snack at 5ish. I started shutting her out if its too early - but she just scratches and bangs the door.
2007-09-13 23:02:53 · 13 answers · asked by edeeveedee 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
Give her dry food and fresh water to allow free feeding and lock her into a room far enough away that you won't be disturbed.
Eventually she will *get the hint*
2007-09-13 23:21:45 · answer #1 · answered by chicki 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I am guessing younger cats (kittens) they are naturally nocturnal creatures... especially if there is nothing for them to do all day while you are at work (cat sitting DVDs are great) Punishing a natural behavior isn't going to help.... working on changing the behavior by getting to the root of the problem will make a difference why not leave out some dry food that they can snack on when they get hungry at 4am? if this is really only about food.... then providing them a self-feeding dry-food source should alleviate the problem About an hour of interactive play-time before you go to bed will also help also, try to realize, that even spraying them with a spray bottle still means they successfully got you up... in this case, you don't mean to reward them going all-out to wake you up... but the fact that you did anything other than ignore them, means they got at least part of what they wanted... and that is only going to enforce the behavior
2016-05-19 02:21:14 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Three things to remember with cats -
1) we call them domesticated but they aren't. A cat is it's own master and will do whatever it wants whenever it wants and you can't train a cat otherwise, unlike a dog.
2) You have to have food and fresh water available at all times. Cats, like their larger feline relatives (lions, tigers etc.) will only eat when they are hungry and they prefer their food to be fresh. They know exactly what their body requires which is why sometimes they will catch a bird or a mouse. A cat also likes it's freedom to come and go whenever it wants, therefore a cat flap is required.
3) If a cat wants attention, it will let you know. It does not take kindly to unwanted attention. Always leave your cat alone and when he / she wants comforting / petting or even playing he / she will make it obvious. Trying to pet or play with a cat when he / she is not in the mood only ends up in scratched arms.
So, you now know what is required. Install a cat flap and put some fresh cat biscuits and fresh water down, every night. Let your cat come and go as she wishes and she will not disturb you. However, you have to remember that it has to be fresh "water" and not milk. Milk should be given as a treat otherwise it will only be wasted on a regular basis. As for the biscuits, put plenty of them down as cats don't have daily allowances, they'll eat what they need and no more. It's only when cats are given too many treats and not allowed outside that weight becomes a problem. Cats need to be outside for long hours, sometimes two or three days at a time.
Em W - Don't get annoyed with your cat. It only wants to eat with you. It most likely wants to share it's food (just like when they bring you a mouse or a bird) as it wants to reward you for looking after it. The best thing to do is pet your cat and praise it as you put it to the food and it will soon stop bothering you. As soon as your cat knows that you are pleased with the offer, it will cease to make it for quite some time.
2007-09-13 23:32:14 · answer #3 · answered by kendavi 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
good luck my cats wake me up in the morning 5-6 when my boyfreind leaves for work they meow meow the other one nibles on me which means he is hungry even though I have food out they do this and scratch at my door till I get up my boyfreind trained him not to wake him up up before 5 buy ignorring him after a few weeks the cats did learn not to wake him up that early you trained your to do do that as I did you need to retrain the cat they arnt starving by waiting a couple more hours or you could buy a feeder and just put a little in before you go to bed
2007-09-14 00:59:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all, never give in by giving her food when she wakes you. Even if you only do it once, a cat's memory for "how to get food" is a long-lasting one. It will take a long time for her to forget that it worked, even if it was only one time.
Give her a small amount of fresh dry food before you go to bed (enough to last her for 24 hours) and fresh water. If you give her wet food, too, then schedule it for as late as possible after you wake up. Otherwise, she can associate you getting up with getting food (even if it's much later).
Never give her attention of any kind (even saying "stop it" or "go away"), since that just shows her that she managed to wake you up. Try to not react at all and then quickly pretend you are asleep (keep eyes closed and do sort of deep breaths as if you are asleep). Often that will discourage a cat enough to change her behavior.
I'm actually just telling you what I know to do, not what I currently do myself. My cat has become so spoiled by me giving her attention day and night that she comes in and wants me to hold her while I sleep. I'm such a sucker for how sweet and cute that is that I often give in (though I know I'm a fool that she has trained well).
Oh, another thing to keep her from bugging you in the morning is to put up a comfy shelf by the sunniest window in your house. In the summer when the sun is up earlier, she might be so enamored of the sun that she forgets to bug you.
2007-09-14 00:39:06 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Good grief! WHY can't she eat more then twice/day? Is she Obese? I think you should leave food out so she can eat it whenever she wants it! Whats the big deal? Does she have a medical/health problem you did not mention? And hate to tell you but i have one now and they still wake you up even when they have food And water within reach-sometimes they just want company,,,,,,,,,,or they want to come in and sleep w/ you ect.
2007-09-14 14:45:44 · answer #6 · answered by LuvzPinK 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
dont give in and dont let her in your room....feeding her at this time will only encourage her...it's like feeding a pet at the dinner table. You only need to give in once and they learn very very fast what they need to do to get your attention. Ignoring it will probably improve the situation but the meowing may not disapear alltogether. Our old cat started meowing early in the morning and ignoring her did help a little but she still occasionally decides she wants to be an alarm clock.
2007-09-13 23:10:54 · answer #7 · answered by ♪ Rachel ♫ 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
introduce her to my cat and they can hang out together and leave us alone. One of mine does the same thing. But he wants me to show him where his food is. I started keeping a food bowl in the room at night to stop this...the FOOL still wakes me and bothers me until I shove him over to his bowl...
It's annoying so if you get a got solution let me know!
2007-09-13 23:29:10 · answer #8 · answered by Em W. 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Feed her right before you go to bed. Keep the door closed and ignore her. You have to train her, not the other way around.
2007-09-13 23:24:34 · answer #9 · answered by Leigh 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Feed it THREE small meals a day, and if she wants to wake you up, just pet her until she shuts up!!! : )
2007-09-14 01:00:32 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋