When you bring a kitten to a new home, it is easy to encounter the problem that he will confuse day with night. The owners are sleeping, the new resident is trying to play or is worried out of habit. A kitten keeps you from sleeping at night: what can you do about it?
Young, playful cats up to a year old tend to be playful at night. During the day, the owners are at work, the children are at school, and the cats are sleeping. A cat’s “day” begins in the evening. Often kittens, having slept, tend to play. Manifestations are individual: they pester their owners in bed, bite, throw things on the floor, or meow loudly under the door.
You're probably being watched the same way :)
Night games of cats
Let's take a closer look at why your pet is more active at night. Night games become an integral part of the life of cats who do not have a daily routine. After all, just like for humans, animals need a clear regime. The cat tries to adapt to the rhythm in which the owner exists. If a person sleeps until noon and watches TV until late at night, then what can one expect from a cat? The pet must have a clear feeding and rest schedule. For example, feeding takes place strictly at 8 am, 12 noon and 8 pm. And you can only run from 8 to 21 hours.
Not all owners are strict with their pets and behave inconsistently: for the same offense they can be scolded or ignored. Such selectivity confuses the animal, and cats believe that they have the right to behave as they want. Don't make these mistakes. Be regular and consistent in your prohibitions, this is the only way your pet will understand what is being asked of him.
If a pet has not spent its energy reserves during the day, then how can it not be active at night? We have to run and play at night. Try to keep your cat busy during the day, play with him, offer special toys so that he can entertain himself while you are at work.
At night, on the contrary, hide toys, close doors, remove rustling packages from the access area, etc.
What to do to stop your cat from running around at night
A common problem that many cat owners face is their pet’s increased activity at night. It’s very unpleasant when, while relaxing after a hard day at work, someone interferes with your peaceful sleep, even if it’s a furry pet. Lack of proper rest leads to irritation and reduces performance. Therefore, owners are faced with reasonable questions: how to stop a kitten from running around at night, what to do if the cat meows and fidgets, disturbing your night's sleep?
1) Night activity of cats and forms of its manifestation
2) Medical problems
3) The cat is hungry
4) The cat is bored
5) Young age
6) What not to do when weaning a cat from running at night
Night activity of cats and forms of its manifestation
By nature, representatives of the cat family are distinguished by irrepressible energy, an inquisitive and cheerful disposition. During the day, wakefulness is replaced by rest and sleep. But what if your pet is active at night when the whole house is asleep? To wean a kitten from running at night, you need to understand the reason for this phenomenon. The staff of the Murkosha shelter advise you to take a close look at your pets.
You need to understand that young cats and small kittens are more active at night. They explore the territory of the house and learn about the world around them while people relax. This often happens while pets are getting used to their new home. During daylight hours, when there is no one in the apartment, the animals sleep, gaining strength for night games, and the day comes for them with the arrival of evening.
As for adult cats, they adapt to the rhythm of life of their owners and prefer to sleep at night. In case of awakening, it is not necessary that the cat will start running and making noise at night. Most likely, he is hungry or intends to walk around the territory.
Night activity in animals manifests itself in different ways. Many pets rush around the house, climbing onto all the heights and curtains, playing with objects that get in their way. Some, having played enough, climb onto the owner’s bed and begin to bite and meow loudly, attracting attention to themselves. The peak of such activity occurs between three and five o'clock.
Adult cats and cats during the period of sexual heat can scream loudly and piercingly at night. This happens several times a year, especially in early spring.
Read more about the reasons for cat “night concerts”: Why does a cat scream loudly?
The long-term practice of Murkoshi volunteers and employees allows us to identify the most common reasons why cats run around at night.
Medical problems
When an animal's behavior changes, it may be a sign of a health problem. It is often difficult to understand that a cat is sick, and in such cases behavior is the only clue. Some diseases (thyroid gland, high blood pressure, arthritis and others) cause high night activity and loudness in cats.
A visit to the veterinarian will help you understand the reasons for your pet’s changed behavior. Only after ruling out health problems can it be considered a behavioral problem.
Read more about how to understand that a cat is sick: https://murkosha.ru/nashi-stati/lechenie-i-profilaktika/priznaki-nezdorovogo-kota
The cat is hungry
For many cats, food is the center of their world. For some pets, two meals a day are enough, while other “gluttons” have to wake up their owners at night to eat again. In this case, you need to rebuild the animal's diet. Having determined the daily feed intake, you need to divide it into several meals. It is recommended to feed an adult cat twice or three times a day - in the morning and before bed (if 3 times, then in the morning, in the evening and just before bed), preferably after you play with him. The goal is to make the cat tired, eat a hearty meal and go to bed until the morning. In the end, he will get used to a clear diet and will not strive to snack at night.
The cat is bored
If a cat lacks communication and active games, it begins to get bored and irritated, and when it sees its owner falling asleep, it pesters him in the hope of receiving a portion of love and affection.
If a cat runs around the apartment at night, you need to take care of its active leisure. Toys that imitate the habits of birds and animals, balls, wind-up models, climbing shelves, and vertical slides will help. Play with your pet half an hour to an hour before bedtime, until the animal is completely tired.
Read more about the importance of games: Why do cats play and how to do it correctly with them?
If the cat does not sleep due to lack of attention, before going to bed, comb its fur, stroke it, or just sit next to it. After petting, the cat will sleep sweetly until the morning.
Young age
Kittens and young cats are capable of playing at any time of the day or night and see fun in everything. As they grow older, playfulness decreases and the kitten stops running at night, adapting to the rhythm of life of the owner. This may take a lot of time to get used to. What should you do now to be able to sleep peacefully at night?! Volunteers of “Murkoshi”, and simply experienced cat lovers, know the answer: you need to tire your pet before bedtime, involving him in active games with a ball or other toys. After playing, before going to bed, you need to feed the kitten well.
What not to do when weaning a cat from running at night
- Never get up if your cat is disturbing your sleep at night, even if she is hungry. Cats have no equal in manipulating humans, and once they have achieved their goal, they will constantly abuse the kindness of their owners. Therefore, not paying attention to the cat is the only way out in this situation.
- There is no need to lock the cat in another room, because it cannot understand the reason for its isolation from the family. Frightened and sad, she will begin to attract attention to herself with noise.
— You can’t shout or punish a cat that runs around at night. First of all, it is inhumane. Secondly, it’s completely useless. The cat will not correlate the punishment with a “misdemeanor” (for him it is not a misdemeanor at all), he will simply think that now you pose a threat and will begin to avoid you. Punishments can cause very serious behavioral problems.
Read more about why cats should not be punished: https://murkosha.ru/nashi-stati/povedenie-koshek/pochemu-nelzya-nakazyvat-koshek
In general, we can say that a cat runs at night most often due to health problems or lack of physical activity during the day. In the first case, you need to show it to a veterinarian. In the second, play with your pet more often, especially before bed. You can also think about a friend for your pet, take a kitten similar in age and character. In addition to fatigue in common games, they will not be bored while the owner is not around. You can choose a playmate here at the Murkosha shelter. All of our charges are vaccinated, trained to use a tray and scratching post, and are ready to live in an apartment. Well, you can choose who is right for you by coming and meeting the cats. We work daily (including weekends and holidays) from 9 to 21 hours.
Morning activity of cats
Early morning awakenings for your pet can have several causes.
· The animal is bored and asks to be entertained
· The cat is hungry and hurries the owner to give out the morning portion of food
· Excess tenderness. Incredible, but true: it is in the morning that cats especially need affection and attention.
You can control your pet’s morning activity by providing him with independent entertainment. For example, give your cat access to a glassed-in balcony, where your pet can watch passers-by on the street.
Coordinate your pet's feeding times so that your cat doesn't feel too hungry in the morning.
Pet the animal only after you have woken up. Don't react to a cat if he asks to be petted at 5 am. The pet must understand: while the owner is sleeping, he cannot be disturbed.
What to do
Give the animal enough attention
If you have been away from home all day, don't forget to feed and pet the animal when you return. And of course, you need to play with it. The later you start the game, and the more intense it is, the more likely it is that the cat will spend a lot of energy and will no longer want to be active at night.
Offer your cat toys
To diversify the game, you can buy various toys and devices for cats. Some of them do not even require the presence of the owner. For example, various tunnels with a rolling ball inside that can be driven back and forth. In addition, you can buy a laser pointer and give your cat active movement without wasting your own energy. At the same time, you can sit more comfortably in a chair or on a bed, and the pet will independently chase the “naughty” red dot.
Get your pet a friend
If you don’t have the energy and time to entertain your cat on your own, get him a playmate. A second cat is not the easiest option, but it will definitely help save the animal from loneliness and you from the need to spend a lot of time playing with it.
If the reason for nocturnal activity is “cat spring,” even if it’s still February, this issue can be easily resolved in two ways: find a mating partner for the animal or buy a special medicine. When choosing a drug as a solution to your problem, be sure to consult a veterinarian first. Drugs such as “Sex Barrier” and “AntiSex” are hormonal and can cause serious harm to the animal, especially if they are used regularly for many years. In this case, it would be more humane to castrate or neuter your pet.
Night activity of cats
Based on all of the above, there are two reasons why cats run at night. The first thing we found out is that they are predators, which means they see perfectly in the dark. With the onset of darkness, their hunting instincts awaken and they play with almost all objects in the house. Everything is used: a bowl of food, flower pots, bags scattered around the house, and so on. But what infuriates the owners most of all is that domestic predators attack the legs that appear from under the blanket. In general, cats' nocturnal activity is instinctive hunting.
The same “tygydyk-tygydyk”
The second reason cats run around at night is that they want attention. As a rule, during the day they are left completely alone and bored - all they can do is sleep and wait for their owners to arrive. And after their arrival, the owners rarely pay attention to them, but the animal, which has gathered energy during the day, wants to play. This is why cats ask to open the door and do not enter the room. And for the same reason, they can sit by the sofa and just meow, for no apparent reason. In general, they are excellent manipulators and with the help of noise they want to gain attention to themselves.
Do you know why cats purr?
Raising Animals
But what can you do to stop cats bothering you at night? This issue has been studied for a long time and veterinarians advise regulating the sleep patterns of pets. That is, you need to make sure that the animals are active during the day and go to bed with the owner. To do this, it is necessary to provide them with conditions for daytime activity. You can buy or make all kinds of mazes from boxes, as well as toys in the form of balls. Even a rustling bag left on the floor will do, and should keep predators occupied for several hours. The main thing is to cut off the handles of the bag so that they don’t get tangled in them. Having wasted energy during the day, pets are unlikely to be active at night.
The box is one of the best toys for cats
It is also worth thinking about the cat's diet. Veterinarians recommend giving food little by little in the morning and afternoon and at strictly defined times - for example, at 8:00 and 14:00. But in the evening the animals can be allowed to eat to their fullest. As a rule, after a heavy dinner they do not want to run and prefer to just sleep soundly until the morning. And in the morning, the likelihood that furry creatures will wake up their owners, demanding food, decreases.
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Cats should not be punished by dousing them with water from a spray bottle or throwing slippers at them. The best thing to do is to be patient and explain to them day by day what can and cannot be done. In the evening, it is better to play with them on your own and restore the emotional contact lost during the day. Believe me, these furry creatures really want this. After all, the fact that cats perceive their owners as parents has already been proven by science. An article on this topic can be read at this link.
The cat is bored and wants to play
Being nocturnal animals, cats are more energetic at night. And as humans, sometimes they want to have fun. It's not weird or bad, it just might interfere with your sleep.
Cats treat everything in the house as toys and can figure out how to have fun with many things. Some may even stomp on your face or start crossing your legs to invite you to play while you are having your seventh dream.
If the cat fails to wake you up, or if you lock it in the bedroom, the animal has no choice but to entertain itself. He might be busy with cat toys, or maybe he'll be chasing his own tail.
This could be a sign of infection or health problems
If the cat not only runs around at night, but also meows, it could be a flea bite. This causes itching and discomfort in the cat.
Running around in the middle of the night can also be the result of a skin disease that worsens at night. Hyperesthesia can cause this reaction.
This disease causes a general increase in activity, causing the animal to behave aggressively, attack its own tail, lick furiously, and scream. Pupil dilation is also observed.
Hyperthyroidism in cats is known to result from increased production of thyroid hormones and causes hyperactivity.
If you think your cat's health has changed, it is best to take her to a veterinarian for a check-up.
Features of cats
First, let's look at cats from a scientific point of view. They are mammals from the cat family and, please note, are predators. They are meat eaters and by nature love to hunt rodents and other small animals. That is why our ancestors tamed them, because mice often appeared in houses and ate bread and other foods. And cats caught them well, remained well-fed and sometimes did not even ask their owners for additional food. Just perfect. The ancestor of modern cats is considered to be the forest cat of the species Felis silvestris.
Forest cat (Felis silvestris). How much wildness there is in those eyes!
It is also worth noting that cats are very social animals. That is, they love to communicate with each other and with people using sounds, smells and body movements. In 2021, Canadian scientists proved that cats even use facial expressions to express their emotions. But many of us simply do not notice the movements of their facial muscles. But this skill is possessed by people who often spend time with animals. For example, veterinarians.
The cat is hungry and needs attention
Cats are nocturnal animals and cannot go long without food at this time of day.
The feeling of hunger leaves them no choice but to meow and bother their owner all night, even if he gets up early for work in the morning.
Not all cats will wake up their owners to be fed in the middle of the night. Some adapt well to people's schedules.
Train yourself to feed your pet before you go to bed, or purchase an automatic feeder.
Helpful advice for cat owners: do not feed your pet as soon as he wakes up. Then the cat will not draw an analogy between the two actions: “waking up” and “feeding”
Enforcement measures
What to do if the owners get a very active pet, capable of running and playing around the clock. The environment before bed should be quiet and calm. Avoid nighttime meals for all family members. Be patient and do not give in to manipulation. If the pet does not agree with the ban on sleeping on the owner’s bed, he will persistently try to get into the bedroom. It is important to prevent this from happening. To distract attention, you can place a scratching post near the door. If the animal does sneak into the room, you can try to darken it. In complete darkness, the cat will most likely quickly calm down and go to sleep.
The nightly activity of pets, which annoys their owners, is often the main reason why they are thrown out into the street or sent to a shelter. This is an absolutely wrong and inhumane decision, so before purchasing a cat, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of this decision. Well, if the “for” still outweighs, be patient and try to find a common language with your pet.
