night cat nightmare HELP
Written by jendndre
We are at our wits end. Our cat pounds on anything, mostly doors, all night long. It isn't a scratching behavior. She is making noise. She does it on the wall, garbage cans (so that they fall over), and as I said her favorite doors. It keeps us up all night and we don't know what to do...we have tried isolating her, but this seems to make it worse. She is a very aggressive cat..with a not so warm personality. She has been that way since she was a kitten. She has a warm, calm, loving environment, but lashes out in aggression often. I do not think the pounding is aggressive. It seems as if she is saying...I am here pay attention. Please help. We can't take it anymore!
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Unfortunately for us cats are nocturnal animals.
I have playtime with my cats on their play rug just before I go to bed. I also provided them with a night light so they can see all their toys well and they do play with them, they even take some out of their toy box. Gabby comes to bed around 3am but no longer wakes me up because she is now ready to sleep. I only know she is there around 3am because if I get up before 3 she isn't there, if I get up after 3 she is always there. I know cats can see in the dark, but I think the night light gives them permission or encourages them to play in that area, once I go to bed.
I have always gotten my kittens in pairs so they have company. My first pair Sasha and Nick-Sasha died at 15 years but Nick was around for 3 1/2 more years. I did not stress him out by getting another cat for those last 3 1/2 years. I waited 6 months and then I caught 3 feral kittens who were 6 weeks old. One unfortuantely died at 17 weeks but the other two are now 6 years old.
Jendndre, what you are experiencing with your kitty is a common problem because cats are nocturnal (active at night) and crepuscular (more active at dawn or dusk). They cannot help themselves, they are programmed to be up. I have been in your situation and it is very stressful. You are right, she would love for you to get up and play with her.
Your best bet for fixing this problem is to try to keep her awake if you are home during the day, increase the amount of play time and attention she gets before you go to bed and add distractions to keep her busy while you sleep. New toys, scratching posts, condos, a cat video, anything to entertain her at night. The more you can ignore her behavior, the more you are sending the message that she will not get your attention by making noise. If there is a way to keep her in a separate area overnight like the basement or garage if they are safe, may be helpful.
In regards to the aggressive behavior, if you know what makes your cat more aggressive, try to avoid those situations or ones like them as much as possible. If she displays aggressive behavior, ignore her until she has settled down. Reward good behavior (like tolerating being patted) with treats. Food can be a great tool for getting your cat to warm up.
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