Why Does My Cat Wake Me Up?

Cats wake us up for food, affection and play.

Feed me.

Good news: you can lessen this one by serving your cat's favorite food in the evening, not the morning.

When you serve kitty's preferred food in the morning you're training him to wake you up so he can eat. At dawn he thinks, It's time for my yummy breakfast. Get up and use those opposable thumbs!

Maybe your cat's favorite is wet food and he also gets a portion of dry. If you serve the wet at dinnertime, he'll wait till evening to start dropping hints. Ok, maybe late afternoon. That's still way better than 4:30 am.

Pet me.

It's been hours since you petted me and there are so many places that need attention! It's just not the same when I do it. Here's my list:
Top of my head — meow!
All around my neck — meow!
Between my shoulder blades — meow!
Along my back — meow!
Base of my tail — meow!
Under my chin — meow!
Sides of my face — meow!
My ears — meow!
I'm still waiting. Meow!

Play with me.

Cats are night creatures so active cats may get bored. An assortment of toys can help. Also make sure they get enough exercise earlier in the day so they’re not pent up with energy later, especially if yours are indoor cats.

To get them moving and playing during the day you can make up wand toy chase games or shine a laser pointer on a small toy that you rubbed with catnip. Have fun inventing ways to play that capture their interest.

Canyon's 5 Step Morning Wake Up Method

Canyon is an expert waker upper. Here's her 5 step method:

1. Stand in the doorway and meow at me. I pretend to be asleep.
2. Jump on the bed, sit at my feet and meow some more. Still bluffing.
3. Walk up and down my body. By then she knows that I know that she knows I'm awake and faking.
4. Sit on my chest, lean in and sniff my face. This one tickles and makes it hard not to crack a smile.
5. Gently lick my closed eyelids. Ok Canyon, the jig is up and so am I!