Slight Kitty-cat Problem...

[BAC]

Hey everyone, I know there are a lot of cat lovers on here... so I know I can get some advice.

Just last Wednesday, me and the boyfriend got a cat from the Michigan Humane Society (same place as the TV show, Animal Cops, Detroit). She is one year old, she was a stray dumped off in front of the building, and was neutered the day before we got her.

She is the sweetest thing in the world, loves affection, uses her litter box, ect. The only problem we are having right now with her is her 'nocturnalness'. I realize she is a cat, and cats by nature are nocturnal, but as she settles in more, she is more active at night than in the day and it is effecting our sleep.

While we are sleeping, she runs back in forth from the bedroom to the living room and will meow loudly but when I call her to the bed she won't jump on or anything. She jumps up into the blinds, which is ok, it just makes a lot of noise.. All of this is not a huge problem or anything, but I can see it being annoying after a long period of time. I'm afraid after a while I will suffer from sleep loss...

Does anybody know why she is doing this and if there is anything we can do to maybe settle her into a pattern where she is more calm at night?

[flyershoe]

Sorry that you're having this problem... mine do the same thing a lot. I would say that they wake me up at least 3 times a week. Mine love the blinds, too... and we've tried locking them out of the bedroom, but they start clawing the carpet. I've also found that if I leave things on top of the dresser, they love to push them off... so I try not to leave anything up there that they might want to play with. The only thing that seems to help is to play with them a lot and wear them out before you go to bed.

I'm going to the vet tonight, I'll try to remember to ask his opinion.

[mum]

Wel, this should make you feel better. I have 2 cats, and live on a farm. Th bedroom we sleep in is in the walkout basement. I got an insert for the window that has a flap so they can come and go at will. Usually around 2 or 3am, they come back in with whatever they may have caught, a bird, a bunny, a mouse.... Being cats they bring them in alive and let them loose s they can hunt them again inside. The bunnies are the worst, they scream. The birds are bad, they fly around with 2 insane cats after them. Every morning my guy cleans up the crime scene. Bless his heart. Yes, I could lock the cat flap, but I need them to ctach the inside mice too. We also have 2 dogs who don't bark until 2am, and then it starts. One of them actually yodels. She gets the coyotes all worked up too. I am able to sleep through the dogs barking, but my fella usually wakes up and starts yelling out the window for them to shut up, which does wake me up.

Well, I don't have any advice other than lose the blinds for some curtans? Sleeping pills? ;-)

[jr_lenz]

wait until they get about 8 yrs old. I swear my big fatty is in the excat same place on the bed when I get home from work as she was when I left. when I walk in she has this suprize look on her face like *wow are you home already!*

our one year kitty, goes to bed with my son and sleeps with him all night so we have no trouble with her. its funny though she is sprawled out across the pillow and he is sleeping on one tiny corner!

[Kristie]

Originally Posted by flyershoe

Sorry that you're having this problem... mine do the same thing a lot. I would say that they wake me up at least 3 times a week. Mine love the blinds, too... and we've tried locking them out of the bedroom, but they start clawing the carpet. I've also found that if I leave things on top of the dresser, they love to push them off... so I try not to leave anything up there that they might want to play with. The only thing that seems to help is to play with them a lot and wear them out before you go to bed.

I'm going to the vet tonight, I'll try to remember to ask his opinion.

all 3 of my cats do that... if you wear them out before you go to bed, it'll get better.

[BAC]

lol.. I love your stories of your animals' eccentricities.. good stuff.

I think we need to try to wear her out. But she needs to be able to be alone for around 9 hours each day. That's enough time for me to go to work, go work out, and come home. The days that my pilot is home she will have company all day. We're thinking of buying her cat nip or bringing her litter box in the bedroom and seeing if that helps...

[jetwife]

I don't think I know a cat that isn't crazy in some sort of way! My cats go out at night for that reason(not in the winter). They love it though! Every morning I get a 'present' at my doorstep. Which at one point in my pregnancy made me puke. But now that it is getting fall and a little cold at night they are getting antsy again and are giving me the stink eye like its my fault the world is turning on its axis..... Whatever. I am willing to guess that your cat prolly was outdoors alot and probably misses it. It probably hunted for its food and wants to go out and do it again. If you are not in an area where you can let it out then good luck! No just kidding. It will probably settle down soon. Give it some time.

[LauraL]

Originally Posted by BAC

We're thinking of buying her cat nip or bringing her litter box in the bedroom and seeing if that helps...

Oh, the litter box in the bedroom might not be a perfect idea. If you think the sound of clanking blinds is annoying, wait until that feline jumps in the box and paws around for ten minutes. They do that stuff on purpose.

I've got two words to help remedy your bedroom woes: Spray Bottle. One little douse of water and that cat will go running. I had a particularly bad night with the gato not too long ago. When I got up (unrested) in the morning, I found a spiderman squirter in a Cheerios box. It was fait.

My girls know and loathe that little red piece of plastic. I just stand him up facing the lampshade they like to maul in the night ... and he works like a charm. They knock him off the table every chance they get.

Good luck!
-disclaimer: be nice with the water bottle squirting. a little goes a long ways.

[flyershoe]

Originally Posted by LauraL

My girls know and loathe that little red piece of plastic. I just stand him up facing the lampshade they like to maul in the night ... and he works like a charm. They knock him off the table every chance they get.

Good luck!
-disclaimer: be nice with the water bottle squirting. a little goes a long ways.

ROTFLMAO!!!

We tried the water bottle thing for a while. The problem was that we got a cheap one. When they were doing something they shouldn't have been, the water wouldn't reach them. So they would just sit there defiantly, forcing you to get up and chase them with the bottle!! Next stop......... SUPER SOAKER.

BTW, I forgot to ask the vet. The ear mites are gone, but now my babies are both sick. Let's see how well they behave after having a thermometer jammed up their butts!!

(poor little guys!)

[Kristie]

Originally Posted by BAC

lol.. I love your stories of your animals' eccentricities.. good stuff.

I think we need to try to wear her out. But she needs to be able to be alone for around 9 hours each day. That's enough time for me to go to work, go work out, and come home. The days that my pilot is home she will have company all day. We're thinking of buying her cat nip or bringing her litter box in the bedroom and seeing if that helps...

OMG do not do the litterbox in the bedroom!! keep the litterbox where ever you plan to keep it (forever) otherwise she'll get lost trying to find it everytime you move it somewhere!!

one of the things that helped my cats was having a cat ball (feathers, whatever) to play with (hung up on the door or stuck to a window). maybe even get a scratching post but it's going to take time to get her used to having the whole house to herself and only age is going to get her to slow down... she's a kitty afterall. would you expect a 2 yr old to sit quietly all day? thought not.

I'm afraid kitty probably won't like catnip till she's at least 1.

spray bottle might help some but playing her to sleep would be best as she'll get used to a spray bottle fairly quickly if you use it too often.

you really should expect your cat to want to play all the time, if not, she may be sick or not a very "healthy" kitty... the fact that kitty wants to play and play, esp at night means that she's healthy and active which is a good sign.

If you didn't expect a playful kitty, you shouldn't have gotten one until you were ready (they're just like babies, needing lots of attention) IMO.