Re-setting my cats body clock!

[shep1001]

Pogull our cat (aka fury overlord) has developed the annoying habit of waking up at 04:30am and feeling the need to wake us up too! Every morning just like clock work for the past week or so. Its not funny now, tried ignoring him but he just keeps padding/purring and sticking his nose in your eye socket. Tried locking him out of the bedroom but he lets himself back in with his new party trick (he has worked out how to open doors!) then the padding starts again! Tried talking to him and telling him I would drop him off at the local Kebab van if he didn't pack it in, unsurprisingly this did not work either.

All he wants when I did get up the first couple of times was a slash and some food, but the door is open for him to go down stairs to the litter tray and there is always food in his bowl so he can JFDI without waking me and SWIMBO up but no he feels the need to wake us up for approval


So somebody must of had this before, what can I do?

Shep

[Munter]

Shut him in the kitchen with his food, tray and a nice soft bed?

Or try a door stop on the bedroom door.

[ali_kat]

Pepi is out of this habit now thank heavens! But he used to sit & yowl at the window at that time, then a phase of nose on face to wake me.

Chilli (gods rest him) did the same this time of year too.

Stay still & ignore as tho still asleep - my feline overlords grew out of it quickly once I stopped reacting

[edc]

You need another cat so they can beat each other up while you sleep

[Simpo Two]

I said to my neighbour how well adapted my cat was. It went to bed when I went to bed and got up when I got up, I said. 'Oh no it doesn't!' she replied 'It's out marauding at 7.00am!'

I had no idea; it was always back in bed when I surfaced at 9.00am!

[anonymous-user]

Our cat does that too, at first we ignored him but he started clawing the carpets to a point that it started shredding until we woke up. He knows now, every time we ignore him and close the door, he starts clawing the carpets Every bloody morning at 6.00am on the dot.

[jules_s]

Sounds like the furry overlord has started his training

And you are begining to learn his first lesson

Joking aside, I think it really depends on your cats lifestyle. My two don't go out and pretty much sleep in their room all day.

We come home and they wake up/enjoy our company. They get fed late, wet food, and go to bed when we do.

They rarely wake us up, but if they want to...they make themselves known.

Routine I guess.

[blueheron]

We have always shut ours in the kitchen at night. The back door from the kitchen has a cat flap so they can come and go as they please. They have access to bowls and beds so are absolutely fine, it's a firm part of the routine so no yowling or anything from them

[sidekickdmr]

Same as above, ours is locked in the utility room every night, there is a litter tray, water and a soft bed in there, what else could they need?

Not been worken up once.

And if your cat has a habit o opening doors then use a wedge under door or remove the handle on that side?

[parapaul]

sidekickdmr said:

Same as above, ours is locked in the utility room every night, there is a litter tray, water and a soft bed in there, what else could they need?

Not been worken up once.

And if your cat has a habit o opening doors then use a wedge under door or remove the handle on that side?

This. My current 2 cats aren't a problem, if they decide to honour me with their presence in the night, it's only to come and curl up on the bed with me and keep warm.

My previous cat though, was a st he was very affectionate but thought it was a great game to come in at 2am and stick his claws under the bottom of the duvet, chasing toes... He had to be shut downstairs because he ended up drawing blood on a regular basis.

[AceOfHearts]

I think the lack of routine causes the trouble with mine. I work alternating shifts and when on nights i get home at around 7:30am and want to get to sleep, but obviously I wake the cat up who just wants to play

She makes horrible noises and jumps all over me if I ignore her, and destroys the carpet if I lock her out of the room. Hopefully she will grow out of it, but it does wind me up when I am tired and all I want to do is sleep

[Emmapuma]

One of ours used to do this when we first got her, she is miles better now. I found that playing a 'hunting' game with her right before bed time and then rewarding her with a bit of food tired her out and she wasn't so eager to wake us in the morning.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

To reset a cats bodyclock, you will find the reset button just underneath the base of the tail. Jab it firmly with a sharp pencil or similar.

[shep1001]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

To reset a cats bodyclock, you will find the reset button just underneath the base of the tail. Jab it firmly with a sharp pencil or similar.

Done, I will report back tomorrow if it has worked or not.

[Simpo Two]

shep1001 said:

Done, I will report back tomorrow if it has worked or not.

If you can type with your hand heavily bandaged...

[shep1001]

Simpo Two said:

If you can type with your hand heavily bandaged...

Yes Pogull is still in 'winter mode' due to the piss poor weather so his day consists of eating, sleeping, stting & generally causing (indoor) mischief. Those claws are looking mighty sharp due to the lack of outdoor activity. The new cosmic cat nip banana I gave him yesterday was ripped open & spread all over the lounge floor when I got in tonight!!

[Simpo Two]

How has my cat countered the freezing weather?

a) learning to snowboard
b) building a coal-fired generator
or
c) sleeping more on her favourite blanket next to the landing radiator.


I gave her a treat for lunch; a slice of ham