Mary Allen
Sometimes it seems bewitched: your cat has slept blissfully all day long in its favorite spot, was not motivated to do anything, and stands, hardly have you gone to rest, moaning loudly or knocking your paws in your face next to you and robbing you of sleep. Some feline night owls also let you fall asleep first and stand as a reliable alarm clock between three and three-thirty to serenade you. Do you have more of a feline craftsman who designs the bedroom door for you at night or a nocturnal athlete who seems to be climbing your walls? Whatever your cat’s night out, it robs you of sleep and nerves, and you’ve tried a lot to get her used to this behavior. Right?
You’re Not Alone!
The reassuring news: many owners are familiar with this problem and there are various possible solutions! Several factors come together in the case of nocturnal disturbance of the peace. Cats are twilight-active animals that like to sleep through the day in order to go on a prey tour with the last daylight – that is when we want to slowly make ourselves comfortable. At the same time, in our sleep phase, we are particularly compliant with so-called attention-seeking behavior, i.e. when our mini tiger tries everything to get a reaction from us. The problem: if we give in to the munching, scratching, or trickery, our cat learns that their behavior is obviously worthwhile – and perfects it. On the other hand, the animal only expresses a need – and that should not go unnoticed by us. How do we get out of this dilemma?
Cause Research – Why is Kitty Doing This?
A common cause of nighttime disturbance is simply being hungry in your cat. Your organism is set up for many small meals distributed throughout the day and often has to endure major periods of hunger when living with us. Ideally, your velvet paw will have a small meal every four to six hours in order to be nourished according to its physiology. If this is not possible at night, for example, automatic feeders can also release fresh wet food at the set time. Fummel boards from the trade or self-made, individual chunks of food laid out in the apartment and lick mats for wet food can keep your cat busy in addition to pure satiety and thus make the boring hours of the night more exciting. You have killed two birds with one stone because boredom is at least as common a factor in nighttime riots.
Action, Baby! – Fight the Boredom
Hand on heart: how much activity do you offer your cat during the day and at night? Does she sleep for a large part of the day until you get home from work, is it played in a longer unit and then goes back to more of a sideline? Do you cuddle a lot on the couch in the evenings? While your workday was certainly hectic and exhausting, your cat had enough time to recharge its batteries and now wants nothing more than to use the excess energy in many small play units – while you actually want to relax. The best recipe: distribute short and longer activity units throughout the day using solitary games, i.e. everything that your cat can do on its own. For this purpose, feeding games or an apartment that is always slightly changed over, for example, an overturned chair before you go out the door or a low-hanging ceiling over the dining room table. If your cat likes to splash around with water, some water in a bowl or sink, small toys, or floating treats can keep them busy. Individual toys that can be used alone can be deliberately offered shortly before long absences or before going to bed and later removed again in order to retain their appeal. If you are available for your cat, play with it as often as possible and include it in your everyday life. Physical play and movement are unfortunately still far too much underestimated, but they not only put your mini tiger under full load, they also reduce stress. Cat exercise bikes are a very new and very practical way for your cat to work out in many short sprints. Again, keep in mind that your cat prefers frequent “hunting sessions” rather than just being employed once a day for long periods of time.
Rituals Help You and Your Cat – Not Just at Night
The more regular and species-appropriate your cat is during the day, the more relaxed it can ultimately spend the night. You can also help her adjust to your rhythm through a structured daily routine and bedtime routine. Just before going to bed, give your cat another bang in an intensive play unit. Make sure that your game ends slowly and that your bundle of energy can adjust to the subsequent quieter phase. Nothing is more frustrating than being interrupted in the middle of the greatest game. A cooldown phase brings them down slowly. The following snack can be a bit bigger in order to end the day in the same sequence as a bedtime ritual.
Behavioral Deletion – an Ordeal for Your Nerves
If you have responded sensitively to your cat’s needs – you should self-critically question whether your cat really lacks anything that is important to it – now the most difficult phase begins – the animal has to learn that nocturnal chants are no longer worthwhile. Choose a phrase that is as stress-free as possible for you, such as your vacation. If you are dependent on your sleep, you should rather put this step on the back burner. If you no longer react to the nocturnal urge, your cat will probably try harder at first. After all, it had worked reliably so far. It increases the intensity or duration of your wake-up attempts for some time, during which you should not react under any circumstances. If you give in, the animal will learn that it just has to be a little more emphatic in order for you to give in again. This connection is often the reason why the behavior has initially strengthened and established itself: you have given in at least occasionally, which has signaled to your cat that it just has to be persistent enough before you react – and ultimately it gives everything to get what it wants to get. If you get through this phase, it will gradually get better. Make sure you don’t become negligent in meeting your cat’s daytime needs – a fair deal for your sleep and happy life, right ?!