Do you have a cat that constantly wakes you up at night? If yes, don’t worry, since this is a problem experienced by a lot of cat owners. Unlike us humans who sleep for a continuous period, cats sleep in multiple shorter cycles which is their natural instinct to protect themselves and hunt. Although many domestic cats manage to adjust to their owner’s schedule and remain less active at night. Some cats, of course, find it tough to sleep at night and tend to wake up their owners.
One of the main reasons why your cat disturbs you at night is because they want attention. There are chances that they are not getting enough attention, mental enrichment or playing sessions during the daytime. They can also be hungry or thirsty or they just want their favourite cat treat.
Regardless of the reasons, here in this blog, you will see 6 simple yet highly effective tips that will help you prevent your cats from coming to you and disturbing your sleep.
Here are those tips,
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Play & Tire them Out Before Sleep
One of the best ways to put your cats to sleep at night is by playing with them and tiring them out before you hit the bed. The more they jump and run, the higher will be the chances of them sleeping peacefully at night. So consider offering your cats some good engaging cat toys that will make them chase and run. Tennis balls are another great playing accessory that will keep your cats on their move.
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Don’t Allow Your Cat to Sleep in Your Bed
Don’t let your cat sleep in your bed, unless you are someone who can doze off in a minute. It is usually difficult to sleep when you have a cat beside you, and this is why you should designate a separate space for your feline to sleep. A nice and cosy cat bed will do the job. To entice your cat to their bed, you may place a catnip toy on it as it is irresistible for the cats.
As you have seen, hunger and thirst can also keep the cats awake at night. Also, cats in the wild hunt for food during the night and are known as nocturnal hunters for this reason. By offering them highly nutritious cat food at night, you will satisfy their instinctual need. It would be best if their meal time followed their playing session at night as it will help them sleep faster. It will also reduce the likelihood of the cat waking up at night due to hunger.
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Don’t Get Up When They Meow
Every time you wake up and listen to your cat when they meow at you during sleep, you have given them a message that meowing can win them your attention. Yes, it is difficult to ignore your cat especially, if they have woken you up from deep slumber. But if you give in, your cat will be encouraged to repeat this behaviour.
Just be patient, and try to ignore your cat each time they come near you and meow. You may fail many times in this process, but with patience and consistency, you will soon break this pattern of behaviour of your cat.
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Get an Automatic Feeder Bowl
An automatic feeder is an excellent accessory for those cats who like to munch some food at night. It will get your cat fed, even while you are fast asleep. This device automatically dispenses food at regular intervals at night, fulfilling the natural foraging behaviour of cats. This also reduces the possibility of your cats coming to you for their late-night snacks. With an automatic feeder, you can enjoy peaceful sleep while ensuring that your cats are well-fed.
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Add Another Cat to Your Family
Sometimes boredom can also make a cat yearn for attention and wake up their owner in the middle of the night. The root cause here is boredom, and you can solve this easily by adding another cat to your family. A second cat offers good companionship to your feline and reduces their nocturnal urges to wake you up for playing. This is particularly applicable to kittens who are loaded with energy and are ready to play anytime.
In Brief.
You have seen 6 amazing tips that will help you to stop your cats from waking you up at night. If you have a kitten, just be sure that it is extremely normal for kittens to be awake at night as they are filled with energy and are curious as well. So this is a temporary phase, and it will be resolved possibly within six months as kittens grow rapidly and experience an energy decline as well.
