Help with waking up very early every day

[aprilroo]

My kitten is 11 months old and recently (the last couple months or so) has been purposely waking me up at around 5am EVERY morning. Even with the clocks going forward it is still 5. He will meow, knock objects, bang cupboard doors, jump around, run up and down the bed all over me and pat me with his paws until I get up.

He does it to be let outside but we can't get a cat flap in the door as we are moving in a few months. Plus if we open the window for him to go in and out then other cats come into the house!

I'm just so tired and the only option is to shut him downstairs but I don't want to do that as going to bed he is a dream. He settles down in his box next to the bed and goes to sleep, nice and quiet. I feel like if I shut him downstairs he'll be lonely.

The rest of the time he is the best cat ever. It's only the early hours of am.

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas or had similar problems with their cat? It's driving me nuts!

Thank you

[alanc]

Wish I could give you an answer to your problem. The only thing I do not miss about my cat Badger is his habit of waking me up at 5.00am!

[Lallum]

I've had this for over 5 years. Midnight tears the carpet up. He wants food and playtime. It's driven me mad especially as he wakes the other two cats and they join in. I have tried locking him out of the bedroom but he scratches the door and howls. It has been making me I'll and I've tried everything. This weekend in total desperation, I bought an animal crate and he now sleeps in there with his bed and blanket. He's not happy being banished to the landing but I had no choice. I was sleeping until 11am as I couldn't get back to sleep and when I did, I just stayed there. If I was working I don't know what I'd have done. I've now had three unbroken nights of sleep. Midnight snot happy but I humoured him for years so I need some peace. If he calms down, I will try to let him back but not until I'm sure because I need to catch up on thousansds of hours of lost sleep, not being able to have coffee with friends , not been able to take early doctor appointments, garage appointments, trains, flights etc.

I'm sorry you have this problem and 5am is a common theme. I did wonder about traffic/ lorry/ motorbike at the same time every day but it happens every day of the year. Best of luck. If there's another solution I'm open to trying it.

[geckodiva]

I really feel for you, over the years I have been stressed by this. I currently work shifts which start or end at 5am so this is when they get fed. Unfortunately they then expect this on my days off. Which isn't too bad because I can go back to bed and don't have to worry about what time I finally get up. But I have worked day hours and it is very disruptive to sleep patterns.
The things that I have found to help are feeding them lightly in the early evening then just as I go to bed give them a big feed. This usually stops them waking up out of hunger. I also found that it was worse with light summer mornings I use blackout blinds behind the curtains to reduce the influx of bright morning sunshine.
You may find that as your cat gets older they will calm down and be less inclined to early morning madness.

[Lallum]

I'm still getting sleep but he's very opposed to going in the crate. He gets 4g of Prescription cat food at 7pm and a sachet of prescription food at 12. He was still up for play and food at 5am. If he was fed at 5am he slept through until lunchtime! I would like the 8 hours of sleep from midnight to eight rather than lose my mornings. He's current getting fed at 8 am as per my plan. He sits in the crate waiting then rushes down to the kitchen. He used to get the girls up to join him at 5am. At 8am it's every man for himself!

I have extra thick curtains and linings plus shutters. It made no difference as he seems not to be reacting to light.

He's nearly 9 and it's the first real time (except when he was seriously ill) that I've had a nights sleep. I've even taken down the wall of books I built to stop him scratching all the paint off the door when I put him out.

I love him so much but I wish he slept like the girls.

[aprilroo]

It sounds like you have had it worse. I'm sorry to hear it got bad.

Mine crashed a frame this morning to get me up at 4:30am so I ended up shutting him downstairs in the kitchen/living area with everything he needs. I tried shutting him out of the bedroom before that but he just scratches the carpet up. I could hear him whining which was sad as he's always been a cuddly and loving boy who likes to be close. But I think from now on that might have to be the solution until we move .

When I have to get up early for work then it's not much of a bother but when I do have days off or a later shift it's such a pain.

I wish I had an answer besides that. If I do find an alternative then I'll post it. It definitely seems like a cat thing to do. Which I guess we should expect as everything is on their terms.

[meriad]

What about getting a play mate for him? Chances are that he's lonely and just quite desperate for company and someone to play with esp if it's just you and him at home? I'm out the house close on 12 hours a day so I've gone for a multi cat household so they have each other for company - right from when I first got cats I went for 2 for exactly that reason.

Now, I'm assuming your working hours are fairly similar (just varying hours to accommodate shift patterns) so think about it - you're out between 10 and 12 hours and then sleeping for hopefully (on a good night) 7 hours with the door closed which leaves no more than between 5 and 7 hours split between mornings and nights that your cat has company. And like most of us, I would again assume that during those few precious hours you actually have at home you also have your usual chores to do and also want to sit down and watch TV, have dinner etc.... which really doesn't leave all that much quality time to spend with your cat?

Would a 2nd cat be an option?

[OHWS]

.

[aprilroo]

I am out 4 and a half days a week with work but most weekends I'm home as well as on my half day. I spend as much time with him as I can as he's a cuddly boy and will play with him when he wants to, even when/if I am watching TV.

We had considered the option of another cat but I think he'd be quite jealous as he is clingy. I can't go to the toilet without him whining outside the door (which he's now worked out how to open and come in) and if I'm cuddling with my partner then he'll always come over and join in. He gets a lot of attention whenever he wants it.

I didn't end up shutting him downstairs and don't think I will. I do like having him sleep at night with me.

It's my own fault as he's been my baby since we got him. Cats are clever. He knows I'm soft and will give him whatever he wants.

[Crewella]

... Now, I'm assuming your working hours are fairly similar (just varying hours to accommodate shift patterns) so think about it - you're out between 10 and 12 hours and then sleeping for hopefully (on a good night) 7 hours with the door closed which leaves no more than between 5 and 7 hours split between mornings and nights that your cat has company. And like most of us, I would again assume that during those few precious hours you actually have at home you also have your usual chores to do and also want to sit down and watch TV, have dinner etc.... which really doesn't leave all that much quality time to spend with your cat?

Would a 2nd cat be an option?

You have made a very good case for there being a shortage of a resource - attention from the owner. Aprilroo makes a good case for her cat placing a high value on that resource. Given that cats are territorial about resources, I would think twice about another cat.

I think this is one of those situations where it very much depends on the individual cat. It might be that the cat is naturally a 'needy' cat that wants to form a close bond with their human and will get jealous of another cat, or it might be that the cat is placing such a high value on the owner's attention through boredom and than another cat would help to satisfy his social needs. Like people, cats are all different - I've had both sorts, but in my multi-cat household I've found most will settle.