Need cat advice.

[Asterix]

One of our mogs likes to start howling for food at 6am. The other is fine, just the bloke (snipped).

We don't normally arise until 7:30 but he just howls and howls. I sleep through it but the missus doesn't.

She's started water pistolling him but he just comes back 10 mins later and starts again, and again...

They're house cats but my theory is to chuck him outside until he gets the message.

Thoughts please.

[Mobile Chicane]

Feed him?

[Asterix]

Clever - we want to set the feed times.

They're around 9 months old. Get fed at 7:30am, 6pm and Midnight at the mo.

[Mobile Chicane]

The old adage: dogs have owners, cats have 'staff'.

Try shutting the door and completely ignoring them. Waterpistolling is still a 'reaction', pleasant or not.

Good luck. In my experience cats easily work out who is the weakest link, and quickly take advantage.

[Vixpy1]

Shotgun?

[Google [bot]]

I nipped this in the bud by simply ignoring mine. I steadfastly refuse to be disturbed from bed by the cat and he accepts this. Occasionally he'll try it on, and a foot up and down bang on the bed sees him off.

I know it will take some time but you have to make him realise he is flogging a dead horse. Any reaction will be taken as a result by him. Ignore.

[Joecooool]

I just leave the food bowl full. They know when they are hungry and when they are full.

[BaronVonVTEC]

Dropkick it!

[deviant]

Google [bot] said:

I nipped this in the bud by simply ignoring mine. I steadfastly refuse to be disturbed from bed by the cat and he accepts this. Occasionally he'll try it on, and a foot up and down bang on the bed sees him off.

I know it will take some time but you have to make him realise he is flogging a dead horse. Any reaction will be taken as a result by him. Ignore.

This. Our cats try and demand feeding time but if we just ignore them they just give up and find somewhere to sit and doze until we go to the kitchen. If they are being really pushy then one of us gets out of bed and they all bolt for the kitchen and then we just close the door behind them so they cant get in.

Its okay in the week as we are up at 5.30am but on the weekend we dont want to be disturbed that early so we just feed them quite late at night so they dont get hungry until later.

What are you feeding them OP?

Edited by deviant on Thursday 13th May 05:41

[timbobalob]

Joecooool said:

I just leave the food bowl full. They know when they are hungry and when they are full.

This is what we do for our tabby with dried food - he just goes to it when he's hungry. He used to have wet food, but if he didn't finish it the leftovers went all skanky.

I've heard that dried food is meant to be a better all rounder as well? <stands to be corrected>

[BGB autosport]

Asterix said:

She's started water pistolling him but he just comes back 10 mins later and starts again, and again...

Try a bucket of water? At least if it comes back after 10 mins, you can drop the bucket over the cat, this should at least muffle the noise.

Edited by BGB autosport on Thursday 13th May 08:33

[Reload]

What about one of those automatic pet feeders? You can get them from most pet shops:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/cat/cat-bowls-acces...

Obviously they're not fully automatic - you have to fill them up

[itsnotarace]

timbobalob said:

I've heard that dried food is meant to be a better all rounder as well? <stands to be corrected>

It's better for their teeth in the long term as crunching the kibbles is a self cleaning mechanism

We feed our two dry food throughout the day and they share a pouch of wet food between them in the evening, at 7pm sharp. Woe betide us if it's a few minutes late, they definitely know their food times via built in body clock lol

Ours used to meow outside the bedroom door at 5am too, we tried ignoring them but that failed so we just put some extra dried food down before we go to bed now and they are fine until we get up. Cats will generally only eat when they're hungry, they won't stuff themselves if you leave food down.

[Reload]

itsnotarace said:

Cats will generally only eat when they're hungry, they won't stuff themselves if you leave food down.

Try taking the bowl away from our 8 month old cat! Never seen food disappear that quickly! Ever since we had to take her food away the evening before she was spayed.

[Jasandjules]

I'd say just ignore it. If you react he will learn that he can get attention. However, expect him to move to sitting on your head/purring in your face/attacking your feet....

I'd be inclined to put a few biscuits in the bowl overnight for them..

[becksW]

Reload said:

itsnotarace said:

Cats will generally only eat when they're hungry, they won't stuff themselves if you leave food down.

Try taking the bowl away from our 8 month old cat! Never seen food disappear that quickly! Ever since we had to take her food away the evening before she was spayed.

Some cats regulate, unfortunately many do not and do overeat (I spk with lots of experience, I'm the one at work who then has to help these moggies lose weight!)

Ignore - our cats try to get fed early pm I can generally switch off to them but they pester hubby more as he tends to finally break!

What are you feeding them?

[BertB]

I'd try giving him a bit more food at the midnight feeding, assuming that the bowl is empty when you come down to feed in the morning?

You've definitely got the right approach by ignoring him. Once they realise that they can get a reaction out of you it will never stop.

[Reload]

becksW said:

Reload said:

itsnotarace said:

Cats will generally only eat when they're hungry, they won't stuff themselves if you leave food down.

Try taking the bowl away from our 8 month old cat! Never seen food disappear that quickly! Ever since we had to take her food away the evening before she was spayed.

Some cats regulate, unfortunately many do not and do overeat (I spk with lots of experience, I'm the one at work who then has to help these moggies lose weight!)

Ignore - our cats try to get fed early pm I can generally switch off to them but they pester hubby more as he tends to finally break!

What are you feeding them?

Are you asking me, or the OP?

Ours has a sachet of wet food in the morning, and one at tea time. Then she has a bowl of dry food there in case she gets peckish. She only eats when she's hungry - although she has been known to try and wolf it down, resulting in it coming back up onto the kitchen floor

[becksW]

Reload said:

becksW said:

Reload said:

itsnotarace said:

Cats will generally only eat when they're hungry, they won't stuff themselves if you leave food down.

Try taking the bowl away from our 8 month old cat! Never seen food disappear that quickly! Ever since we had to take her food away the evening before she was spayed.

Some cats regulate, unfortunately many do not and do overeat (I spk with lots of experience, I'm the one at work who then has to help these moggies lose weight!)

Ignore - our cats try to get fed early pm I can generally switch off to them but they pester hubby more as he tends to finally break!

What are you feeding them?

Are you asking me, or the OP?

Ours has a sachet of wet food in the morning, and one at tea time. Then she has a bowl of dry food there in case she gets peckish. She only eats when she's hungry - although she has been known to try and wolf it down, resulting in it coming back up onto the kitchen floor

Sorry, forgot I was quoting, I was asking the OP!
I have a cat that throws up dry food if eaten too quickly as well.

[parakitaMol.]

Could you set a timer to let the cat have something at the time he is getting hungry? A few biscuits - just so he's distracted from yowling.

I'm not sure what the purpose of making him wait for an hour is really going to achieve. Maybe he wants a cuddle or a play? I couldn't listen to it but my two now have an alarm clock that starts when I get up - rather than an exact time.