Kitties are Nocturnal

     It is normal for cats to be nocturnal and play or be active at night.  One cure is to not let your kitty use where you are sleeping for their playground.  Try to shift their active time to later in the evening or later in the morning.  Just don’t punish your cat for doing their normal activity at night and try to praise him/her for doing their activities when you are awake.

     Some owners may think that waking up to play with your cat is one way to get him tired and give him the attention that you think he wants.  Not true.  Your cat is seeing that as a reward that you are playing with him at night and he’ll keep up the behavior.  Some owners will get up and feed them, thinking that food will calm them down, but the cat sees this as a reward and will repeat the behavior. 

     We need to change your cats schedule to the day shift instead of the night shift.  It’s not as hard as it sounds.  Instead of watching TV and letting your cat sleep during evening hours, get down on the floor and play with your cat.  Get toys or use homemade ones like a paper bag or a shoe lace to drag around.  “Cat Dancer” is a fantastic toy that most cats love to play with.  The idea is to keep your cat from sleeping later into the evening.  This will help him sleep more at night.  The more regular your cats routine is, the quicker that he will adjust.  Also, if you see your cat sleeping when you’re awake, wake him up gently and insist on playing at this time.  Just keep it up on a regular basis for about 10 days to 2 weeks.  If you don’t keep this up on a regular basis and your cat keeps waking you up at night, then you’ll have to start all over again.  Remember, it’s not your cats fault and do not punish him.  Just train him on a regular basis for about 2 weeks then your sleep should not be interrupted.  Your cat also will become slightly sleep deprived if you keep waking him up to play and his circadian rhythm or biological clock will reset itself to when you’d like him to sleep. 

     Just be careful to keep giving your cat the love and attention he/she needs and wants and give your cat plenty of scratching posts, cat condo furniture and cat beds so that your cat has a place  of his own to feel safe and secure.  We at FurryPetStore.com can certainly provide those things.  Check it out today and good luck with your furry friend!