Living with cats has become an integral part of my life, but there are challenges, such as sleep deprivation due to their nighttime whining and crying. This issue isn’t consistent, but it’s a struggle when it occurs. I recall the early days with my cat Avery, where the constant early morning wake-ups and nighttime disturbances led to feelings of resentment. Fortunately, I found solutions before it escalated, which has given me empathy for those who face similar issues.
If you’re here, you’re likely experiencing the same and seeking quick tips to resolve it. This article aims to provide those solutions. Please share your thoughts and experiences below; your advice could help exhausted pet parents and potentially save cats from rehoming due to unresolved issues. First, it’s crucial to determine if your cat’s nighttime behavior is due to illness. While it’s less likely if your cat has been with you for a while and this is a new behavior, it’s always wise to consult a vet. Cats primarily communicate discomfort through meowing and whining, so it’s better to be safe and ensure there’s no underlying health issue. Inform your vet about the nighttime crying, any other symptoms, and any changes in your cat’s environment. If your cat is healthy and there are no health concerns, move on to troubleshooting. Step 1: Rule out hunger as a cause. It’s possible that your cat is waking you up at night because it’s hungry. Feeding your cat a meal right before bed can help address this issue.Food is a significant motivator for both cats and humans. A hungry cat may disrupt your sleep, seeking food. To determine if hunger is the issue, try feeding your cat a large meal before bedtime, including extra calories. If this resolves the problem, adjust your feeding schedule to provide the largest meal before bed while maintaining the same daily calorie intake.
If your cat wakes you up early due to hunger, consider using a timed automatic pet feeder set before bed to prevent immediate consumption and subsequent hunger.
Step 2 involves ruling out oversleeping at night. Cats, like humans, have varying sleep patterns. If your cat sleeps excessively during the day, it may not sleep through the night. To encourage nocturnal sleep, keep your cat awake during the day through feeding, petting, playing, and providing snacks at various times. This approach helps your cat adapt to a diurnal schedule, aligning with your own.
Essentially, measure out food for your cat or multiple cats at the start of the day and only feed from that measured amount throughout the 24-hour period. Your cat won’t gain extra weight this way. If you work long hours and can’t do this easily, you might have a weekend or day off to try keeping your cat awake most of the morning to see if it will sleep better or through the entire night. Give snacks and pet your cat between snack times one weekend. If it goes well, you’ll know this is a solution.
Worried about the solution if this is the problem? Don’t fret. Keep your cat engaged while you’re away. Use an automatic/timed pet feeder set to go off multiple times while at work. Grab home alone cat toys like a cat spring, crinkle ball, or spring string on the doorknob. Use techniques to keep bored cats entertained, like rearranging furniture for interesting spots, leaving the radio or TV on, creating sleeping nooks in bookshelves or closets. Have a suction cup bird feeder outside a window, add self-groomers and grooming arches, get a perch window seat and move it around, and have cat furniture/toy hybrids like the Ripple Rug. Keeping an indoor cat entertained isn’t too bad. Once you create an ideal environment, there’s little maintenance needed. Just refill birdseed if you use a feeder. If your cat is needy and wakes you up at night, consider adopting a second cat. Cats play with each other and keep each other entertained. A companion cat can fill a void for single cats that need more attention. It’s not a decision to make lightly but should be considered if possible.Picture from post The Story of How a Cat Nap Came to an End.
Step 3: Rule Out Needs Exercise. Your cat may need exercise and physical stimulation. Around 20-30 minutes of it per day is ideal. Maybe this is the reason your cat wakes you up late at night if he or she is hyper. To find out if this is the case, play with your cat as much as possible during the day and see if your cat sleeps through the night. If yes, it means your cat needs exercise. Cats need both physical and mental stimulation. Cats need exercise like humans do for fitness and health. They also have a prey drive that humans don’t. Cats are lazy creatures. Encouraging a lazy cat to play can be a struggle. Exercise cat toys that require high-energy output are ideal for physical stimulation. There are other ways to get a cat to exercise more. For example, having your cat do a kibble-motivated workout before meals and providing high sleeping spots for cats to jump around. How I personally fixed this problem. I had no idea what I was doing when dealing with this issue. There was no guide that worked well. My troubleshooting was a mess. I tried everything and something did work, but I can’t say which issue was the actual fix. It’s been years since I’ve dealt with sleep deprivation due to a cat crying all night, but Avery’s behaviour still reverts back sometimes.I’ve realized that when my cat Avery meows at night, it’s often due to my negligence in keeping him active during the day. I’ve found that maintaining a daily routine for Avery helps prevent this issue. Although I don’t strictly adhere to the routine, having a loose framework is beneficial for keeping things in order.
Cats have basic needs, and if these are met, I believe you can train your cat to behave in ways that promote a harmonious and happy coexistence. Nighttime crying, like staying off counters and avoiding furniture scratching, can be trained out with patience and trial and error. By consistently meeting your cat’s needs during the day, you can ensure peaceful nights and enjoy the comfort of a furry companion. Have you ever dealt with a cat meowing at night? Was it a constant or specific to certain hours? Did you discover the reason and find a solution? Please share your experiences and any advice for those currently facing this challenge in the comments below. Your insights could be invaluable to both the cat owners and their feline friends.
