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 behavior by serving your cat's favorite food in the evening instead of the morning.
When you serve kitty's preferred food in the morning you're training him to wake you up so he can eat it. 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 dry in the morning and 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 it. 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 dry in the morning and 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 way.
I know cats who pretty much want constant contact. When I arrive they rub my leg and meow for me to squat down and give pets. They follow me around while I serve food and scoop and tidy the litterbox, and take every opportunity for more leg rubs and pets. Then when I sit down they happily glue themselves to my lap and show me where and how to continue the petting, please.
Cats like that are prone to giving early morning wakeup meows for physical affection. Providing soft, warm comfy bedding in a few locations can help. Pro tip: line the bedding with an unwashed t-shirt of yours. Your scent will be comforting.
I know cats who pretty much want constant contact. When I arrive they rub my leg and meow for me to squat down and give pets. They follow me around while I serve food and scoop and tidy the litterbox, and take every opportunity for more leg rubs and pets. Then when I sit down they happily glue themselves to my lap and show me where and how to continue the petting, please.
Cats like that are prone to giving early morning wakeup meows for physical affection. Providing soft, warm comfy bedding in a few locations can help. Pro tip: line the bedding with an unwashed t-shirt of yours. Your scent will be comforting.
Play with me.
Cats are night creatures so active cats may get bored. An assortment of toys, with a new one every so often will give an alternative to pawing at your feet while you sleep.
New toys can be simple: a piece of crumpled paper, an inverted box with peekaboo cutouts, or an empty toilet paper tube may turn into your cat's current favorite.
Also be 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 invent wand toy chase games or shine a laser pointer on a small toy that you rubbed with catnip, then push the toy down a flight of stairs. Cats are smart and curious, so variety is a game changer. Have fun capturing their imagination and enjoy the results.
Sweet dreams.
New toys can be simple: a piece of crumpled paper, an inverted box with peekaboo cutouts, or an empty toilet paper tube may turn into your cat's current favorite.
Also be 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 invent wand toy chase games or shine a laser pointer on a small toy that you rubbed with catnip, then push the toy down a flight of stairs. Cats are smart and curious, so variety is a game changer. Have fun capturing their imagination and enjoy the results.
Sweet dreams.
