My cat is driving us crazy..?

Question

She sleeps all day and runs around all night.
Will catnip calm her down or make her act crazier.

Answer 1

Depends on the cat, at work I've seen one cat literally bounce off the wall after just sniffing a catnip stuffed toy and another that goes from wild thing to lap cat after sniffing the same toy. And my bosses cat gets catnip sprinkled on top of his food one day a week, I've never seen any change in his behavior

You might as well give catnip a try, but cats are nocturnal so I doubt you'll ever get her to sleep all night, other options you have are giving her tons of toys during the day so she tries herself out, giving her a quite toy to play with at night so she won't bother you, or asking your vet to prescribe her 'kittycalm' its a homeopathic remedy that really calms them down, if your vet has never heard about it ask him to prescribe benadryl it makes animals just as drowsy as humans

Answer 2

Cats are nocturnal animals. Their wee hours of soundest sleep are around 4:00 in the afternoon, and their time of greatest activity is around 4:00 in the morning. And catnip is just an herb that seems to make cats ecstatic or high. It is kind of a cross between a toy and a treat, and really has no relevance to your situation.

It sounds as though you may have a kitten or very young cat, and she is hunting while you are trying to sleep. And she wants to play with you. She has no idea whatsoever that you are sleeping or unavailable. She is a party girl, and she wants to party. And as you can tell, the old stereotype of the aloof, independent cat is a bunch of bunk, particularly in her case.

There are two things that would help. The first you really may not like, but it also is probably the best solution. Your cat needs another cat, and for the same reason that, if you lived in a house owned by a cat family, you would need another person. Some cats are totally bonded to their people, but other cats really need another cat, and it really does sound to me as though you have the latter.

You could see if this would help by contacting your local no-kill shelter or cat rescue group and getting a cat -- or even better, a 6-month-old kitten, in foster care. That way, you get the cat without the long-term commitment, and you can see how it goes down. I suggest a kitten, because most cats will go through a territory/dominance phase with a new cat, but they tend to be more tolerant of a kitten. The result you would be looking for is that the two of them wear each other down and leave you out of the equation.

Another thing you can do is get a toy called the Cat Dancer -- a wonderfully simple but very effective toy that drains a lot of cat energy off. It comes in two "models" (when you see how simple it is, you will laugh at the term model), the hand-held and the wall mount. You want the wall mount, which costs a couple of dollars more, about $7. I have seen kittens and cats weare themselves out with this thing, and hopefully it will work a little for you.

Go to the pet supply store and look around for toys that cats can play with by themselves that use up a lot of energy. Ask the sales staff to help you and tell them your problem. Maybe you'll find some other things as well.

I certainly hope this helps a little. Good luck.

Answer 3

How old is your kitty? This is normal kitten behavior. Most cats like to "hunt" at night. As they get older they sleep pretty much 18-22 hours a day. Catnip makes them spunky. I'd just try to wake her up in the daytime and encourage her to play earlier so she'll be tired at night, in other words try to reset her clock a bit.

Answer 4

That sounds about right for a cat. They like being up at night. Don't give her catnip. It will make her crazier.

Answer 5

Cats are nocturnal animals. If you're lucky, she'll adjust to your schedule. I have one cat who sleeps at night and the other is up at night. The one who is up at night is only 18 months old so I am hoping he'll adjust to be a nighttime sleeper also.

Answer 6

Dafter. Much dafter.

Buy her a cat flap, then at least if she's running about in the night she'll be doing it outside. Cats ARE NOT SUPPOSED to live under house arrest.

Answer 7

hiya, he's in basic terms supplying you with prepare for the toddler. (Your avatar says you assume in August) It sounds like your kitty desires your reassurance, when you consider which you're in a clean place. Given time, he will settle in. i could attempt putting aside some cat treats and a (quiet) catnip toy. once you hear him, arise and take the kitty, the treats, and the toy to a distinctive room, then bypass back to mattress. according to threat your husband will take turns with you (you recognize, prepare for the toddler).

Answer 8

i got mine to sleep at night. All i did was play with him and get him warn out about an hour before i want to sleep. It resets their clocks. the new one just wants to sleep at night cause she get attention during the day when i am up.

Answer 9

That is not a problem at all, it is normal cat behavior. You'll get used to it. For references et Cats for dummies. Good book.

Answer 10

try changing her food and putting her out durin the day and she may then sleep at night when you let her indoors