Strange new night behaviors

[chloemeow]

Hi!

I adopted my cat Chicken from a local shelter about 2 months ago. We have gone through a slew of health issues including chronic upper respiratory infections and bacteria in the ears. Once all of that finally was cleared up (after 4 vet visits), we had 2 weeks of pure kitty bliss! We created a routine and at the end of the day Chicken would get into bed with me and mostly sleep through the night or quietly play in another room while I slept. 3 nights ago she started hitting the blinds on my windows at night and incessantly walking laps around my apartment while crying. She refused to go to sleep no matter how tired she was. I have tried playing with her for an extended time before bed to wear her out to no avail. I've tried blocking the windows, extra treats, leaving the blinds open all night so she can look out, etc. She is still walking around crying at night and perfectly fine during the day. Why has this new behavior started with no clear reasoning? How can I stop it and get back to our old nightly routine? And would it be worth another vet visit just to be sure nothing is wrong physically?

Just a new cat mom looking for advice! (and some sleep)

[Ruth B]

While no expert on this, one obvious thought comes to mind, how old is she and is she spayed? If she isn't spayed she might just have come in to heat, as far as I have heard unusual behaviour and particularly calling is often associated with a cat in heat. If this is the case the solution is simple a quick visit to the vets.

If she has been spayed, maybe she is just feeling so much better and wanting to be active while you want to sleep.

[chloemeow]

While no expert on this, one obvious thought comes to mind, how old is she and is she spayed? If she isn't spayed she might just have come in to heat, as far as I have heard unusual behaviour and particularly calling is often associated with a cat in heat. If this is the case the solution is simple a quick visit to the vets.

If she has been spayed, maybe she is just feeling so much better and wanting to be active while you want to sleep.

She was spayed about a month before I adopted her. They estimated her to be around 4 years old. I honestly wish it was something that simple! She seems to be in distress almost. Though nothing in our routine has changed. I would think that being brought to a new home and having health issues would have been the stressful part but she is now all healthy and has been with me for 2 months.

[Guinevere]

Now that she is all better, it sounds like she'd like to go out at night! Was she previously a house cat?

[chloemeow]

Now that she is all better, it sounds like she'd like to go out at night! Was she previously a house cat?

They weren't very sure on her background. She was found as a stray and then brought to the shelter to be spayed and put up for adoption. So she may have lived outside before. She loves people, loves to be pet/scratched and generally is very well behaved. She doesn't damage anything and is very good at the litter box so I feel like she had to have been a house pet at some point but I could be wrong.

She has been healthy for several weeks now and sleeping in my bed at night. Could that need to be outside happen that suddenly? My initial thought was that there was some kind of animal outside and she could see or hear it but it seems unlikely that would happen several nights in a row.

Thank you for your reply!

[Janey]

I thought of the going out at night and also something around the house. My cat will sleep through the night but occasionally she gets a bit restless if she’s ready for a run around, although I never let her out at night. I also think it’s when she sees the ferals outside or the hedgehogs she’s inquisitive.

[lilynmitz]

My guess is that when she first arrived, she was, as most cats are, behaving cautiously as she was on such unfamiliar ground. Then with her health issues, she was probably feeling too rough to want to go out. But now she's feeling both more confident, and feeling well in herself, she's reverting to type and wanting to be out at night.

I don't like cats going out at night for many reasons, including this is when their hunting is most successful, it's when they're most likely to get into fights with other cats, it's when they tend to get hit by cars more frequently, and it's when they most often go missing. And if they do get into trouble, you won't know about it till morning.

TBH in your position I'd tough it out, hard as that is right now. She needs to have time to learn that new rules apply, and eventually she will get the hang of the new routine, even if she doesn't like it. My lad Zig would be out 24/7 given the choice, and Elsie likes to come and go at all hours even if she doesn't stay out long, (or even do much when she is outside!), but it's my house, my rules, as I'm the one feeding them and caring for them. Plus they have to fit in with our routine as well.

It is difficult when the cat's making an awful fuss, specially when you're trying to get some sleep, so this is easier said than done. I'm lucky that my two give up quite easily and just go back to sleep or sit on the window cill watching the world go by. Hopefully your lass will get to that stage soon. She may still "revert" periodically - they all go through phases, but just ignore her and as I say, tough it out, and they do give up eventually.

I also find making sure there are some toys around that they can play with, and plenty of food, and windows to look out of, all help to give them less reasons to pester you at night, so make sure that's all in place before you go to bed. I leave toys all the way up the stairs for my two at night, and they're almost always at the bottom of the stairs when we wake up!

[catslave16]

I've always had a cat flap wherever I've lived, and I've allowed my cats to come and go a his/her nature dictated - after all, who am I to impose my human habits on an animal that is, what's the word I'm looking for, not nocturnal, but crepuscular??? The relationship we have with cats is the closest we come to equality with any animal. You don't cage a cat, or put it on a leash. I've never even put a collar on my cats. You accept their wild nature, and so you put up with the 'presents' they bring you. If you don't treat a cat well, it will leave.
This is why I love cats, and it disturbs me to read that people lock their cats in at night. I know this is done for (perceived) reasons of safety.
I know Cats Protection advocate keeping cats indoors overnight, but I really don't like it. So ask me if I have my cats spayed/neutered, and I'll reply 'Always', and then you can point the finger at me for I'm interfering with their wild nature...

[Crewella]

I hear you, Catslave 16, and I did think long and hard about my decision to lock my gang in at night. I never have had a catflap, though, and as I work from home a lot of the time it has seemed reasonable to just let the cats in and out when they ask - the back door tends to be open a lot of the day in the summer anyway. I have decided to compromise over the night curfew - I call them in to eat at around midnight so that they do get a good few hours of darkness before they come in and stay in until morning.

There were a few complaints when I introduced the regime, but I was utterly consistent and followed the same routine each night, and they soon got the hang of it. We live in a rural area but very close to a very busy A road (I won't take on a kitten or young cat for this reason, only older cats and usually ex-strays that are 'streetwise') and I just don't want to risk the cats getting used to the road when it's quiet.

[chloemeow]

I've always had a cat flap wherever I've lived, and I've allowed my cats to come and go a his/her nature dictated - after all, who am I to impose my human habits on an animal that is, what's the word I'm looking for, not nocturnal, but crepuscular??? The relationship we have with cats is the closest we come to equality with any animal. You don't cage a cat, or put it on a leash. I've never even put a collar on my cats. You accept their wild nature, and so you put up with the 'presents' they bring you. If you don't treat a cat well, it will leave.
This is why I love cats, and it disturbs me to read that people lock their cats in at night. I know this is done for (perceived) reasons of safety.
I know Cats Protection advocate keeping cats indoors overnight, but I really don't like it. So ask me if I have my cats spayed/neutered, and I'll reply 'Always', and then you can point the finger at me for I'm interfering with their wild nature...

I would love to let her outside to roam but was told by the vet that she is better off as an indoor only cat as she has FRV or Feline Rhinotracheitis Virus. Once the cat has this virus they become more susceptible to upper respiratory infections. It took us a month worth of antibiotics to get the infection that she had when I got her taken care of. She has a permanent snort and sneezes frequently. Apparently she will remain healthiest if she stays indoors and keeps a nice stress free lifestyle. I am still doing research on the virus but if anyone has any helpful tips or experience with it I would love to hear about it!

[lilynmitz]

I don't keep mine in because I don't like mopping up the bodies of their presents in the morning, I'm a veteran of rescuing terrified and half chewed mice and birds in the middle of the night or hauling fighting cats out from under cars, rushing around the streets and neighbour's gardens bare foot in my dressing gown in the rain in the middle of the night. I keep them in so that they don't destroy the local wildlife, who are also acting as nature intended, or beating the stuffing out of each in territorial battles. And having had two cats run over at night in our street, even though I live in a fairly quiet village, I decided enough was enough. I sleep well, the cats sleep well, and the mice rabbits and birds go about their business in peace. And we're all in one piece in the morning.

[cattrina99]

Hey, I also keep the cat indoors at night for all the reasons already stated. As for disruptive night behaviour: it does sound as if she's trying to assert her right to go out. Can you close a couple of doors between you and your cat, so that you can sleep undisturbed?

We always had to lock our cat in the living room because she would clamour from 4.30 onwards. However, we were recently away for a few weeks and had to leave her in a cattery. Ever since I've been back, she miraculously lets me sleep until 8am or even longer - they obviously didn't feed her early at the cattery and presumably nobody felt disturbed by her miauing, so it took her two weeks to learn that food comes later in the morning. Hold out and be consistent! They do learn.

[chloemeow]

Hey, I also keep the cat indoors at night for all the reasons already stated. As for disruptive night behaviour: it does sound as if she's trying to assert her right to go out. Can you close a couple of doors between you and your cat, so that you can sleep undisturbed?

We always had to lock our cat in the living room because she would clamour from 4.30 onwards. However, we were recently away for a few weeks and had to leave her in a cattery. Ever since I've been back, she miraculously lets me sleep until 8am or even longer - they obviously didn't feed her early at the cattery and presumably nobody felt disturbed by her miauing, so it took her two weeks to learn that food comes later in the morning. Hold out and be consistent! They do learn.

I've tried shutting her out of my bedroom at night just to get some sleep but she ends up scratching at the door and meowing quite loudly. I rent my current place so I'm worried she will damage the door with her scratching. I've been ignoring her at night now for several nights. No improvement yet but I have hope! Thanks for your response!

[catslave16]

I'm sorry if I sounded critical of people who keep their cats in at night - I know it's done for the best possible reasons, not least safety. I should have added that I am lucky enough to live in a close, no passing traffic at all. If I lived on a busy road it would very likely be a different story! My trouble with trying to 'train' a cat is that I'm a complete pushover. My cats have never even had set meal times - every cat I've had has been fed on demand. I could never have a dog. It would be as fat as a barrel within three months as I simply couldn't resist puppy eyes. Fortunately neither my current cat, Rufus Tuftypaws, nor my previous darlings Blake and Pussy, were all that keen on human food - apart from sliced Gouda and Edam cheese, that is, and the odd bit of beef or ham ( I tend to share the contents of my sandwiches) and, oh, yeah, bits of chicken, come to think of it.... See what I mean?