It’s 6:30 in the morning! The alarm clock goes off! You had just fallen asleep, since your cat kept you up all night. Running all around the house, throwing things on the floor, coming to bed, moaning and pulling the covers. You got up in the dark of the night, picked up the things and closed your bedroom door to finally sleep, but no, things got worse, because your cat was sitting right outside your door moaning! The devil must have gotten inside it!
Come on, admit it, your night was like that or maybe even worse?
You got up and now you feel awful, a wreck! But your cat is now sleeping! You are having your morning coffee and you are thinking about your day ahead and all the things you have to do! Work, tidying up the house, taking care of the children (if any) and so many other things (… damn society) and as you are wondering how you are going to do all these things and you are already super tired, your partner gets up and tells you sternly:
– What are we going to do with your cat? We did not sleep at all last night!
The icing on the cake! The straw that broke the camel’s back! Desperation! And all you want to tell him/her:
– What can we do? If you do not like it, the door is open!
Don’t say it! Control yourself! Time out you guys!
Because it is not a matter of anyone leaving. Nobody will leave. The point is to solve our issue without any losses. But firstly, let’s see why this happens. Why does our wonderful kitten do all those things at night when we want to sleep?
WHY does my cat wake me up at night?
Our cats are predatory animals and have high levels of energy. Out in nature it would be hunting during the day but also at night, it would eat its prey and then sleep. So, its energy would be used up in its search for food! Do not forget that the younger the animal, the higher its energy levels are. As they grow, they decrease!
PARENTHESIS – WHY YOU SHOULD ADOPT ADULT ANIMALS
Here I would like to say, since I am given the opportunity, that it is not a bad idea to adopt older animals that will not have the same needs as younger ones! There are many such animals that are looking for a home and it is very difficult to find one. All they need is food, company and human presence! Especially, people with limited free time or older people are advised to get adult and older animals! After all, at the various animal centers that exist, adult animals are “ready” to be taken home, neutered, vaccinated and with a chip, but there are also many “independent” animal lovers who do all this before giving an animal for adoption! Therefore, in many ways, it is a good thing to have in mind when we are ready to give our love to a soul that needs it!
Back to our topic now!
We humans have our own daily routine and in order to cope with everything we have to do in our everyday lives we use our energy that goes up and down during the day and that helps us get it all done! While you are out getting things done, your cat has nothing to do in the empty house, so it sleeps and is basically just bored.
But information from the outside world such as bird sounds come and bombard their hunting instincts. They accumulate energy and if this energy does not get used up, it will come out at night when you want to rest!
That does not mean that they do not like being in a house where people love them and take care of them; it’s actually the exact opposite! Cats love the security that their home, their space and our company offer them! And let’s not forget that the average lifespan of a stray animal is 3 years!
Wow I got carried away again, but I’m back to our topic: So you just got back home from your work, you tidied up, you did what you do every day, you took care of your cat, you fed it, you cleaned up its sandbox! You spent all your energy and now all you want to do is relax, have a bite and go to bed!
Now it’s the time! I need some of your relaxation time! Not much; give me ten minutes or fifteen at most! It is the right time to give your cat this hunt it needs to release its energy! Then it will eat its food, and what do you think will follow? It will sleep! As it would in nature!
Our cats are routine animals. They love knowing they have a schedule, knowing when to eat, when to play and when to sleep! It will gradually develop the “routine” we want it to have and it will release its energy at the right time! How? By playing of course!
So what should I do now? Chase the cat inside the house?
You will try some cat toys, such as the laser or the hanging mouse or the hanging whip (mine go crazy over the laser). You will play with whatever it likes the most for ten to fifteen minutes as we mentioned before! Fast and intense! Then it will get tired and stop by its own! My Rudy who is wild and young (he is not even one) gets dead tired in fifteen minutes.
Then you will feed it. Of course, it will also eat during the day, when you are away, but give it its dinner after playing. Now, if it still keeps coming to bed, I want you to ignore it! It is a matter of time before it realizes that its tricks do not work. It will take a few days until it gets into the routine we want it to get in order to release its energy at the right time! But this will only happen if you too follow this routine!
So that was it! Easy! Piece of cake! Kisses both to you and your cats!
