Why Does My Cat Wake Me Up So Early?
Cats wake us up for food, affection and play
Feed me.
Good news: you can improve 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 better than 4:30 am.
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 better than 4:30 am.
Pet me.
Most cats want affection from us in some capacity.
I know cats who want contact most of the time. When I arrive they rub my leg and meow for me to squat down and pet them in their favorite places in their preferred ways. And when I sit down they glue themselves to my lap and show me where and how to continue the petting, please.
Cats like that are definitely prone to giving an early morning wakeup call (wakeup meow) for physical affection.
I know cats who want contact most of the time. When I arrive they rub my leg and meow for me to squat down and pet them in their favorite places in their preferred ways. And when I sit down they glue themselves to my lap and show me where and how to continue the petting, please.
Cats like that are definitely prone to giving an early morning wakeup call (wakeup meow) for physical affection.
Play with me.
Cats are night creatures so active cats may get bored. An assortment of toys can help. Also making 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, and enjoy the results.
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, and enjoy the results.
