Bath Time is Getting DISRUPTIVE at Night!

[ObeseChess]

So, as you may all know, Sassy is very fluffy (I've attached a photo for those of you who don't know) and in the winter her coat somehow gets even thicker. She gets brushed at least 15-20 minutes a day, and thankfully she loves getting brushed, but she's still quite fastidious about bathing herself. I've had her long enough to know that she spends significantly more time bathing herself in the winter because I inevitably worry that she's doing it out of stress, allergies, and then go "Oh no, I worried about that last year, and the year before, and the year before, and the vet said she was fine."

What's new THIS year is that a few months ago she decided her favorite spot to sleep is ON ME, though eventually she moves to her usual spot at the foot of the bed. Now, this is normally cute, except that she wakes up a few times during the night and will start bathing herself vigorously, which wakes me up.

I have absolutely no idea how to get this to stop and I am exhausted. My current solution is to gently yet firmly eject her from the bed as soon as she starts bathing herself. This isn't working. If I boot her out of bed, she comes back ten to fifteen minutes later and I usually get another hour or two of sleep in before it's bath time again. It's too late in our relationship for me to tell her that she can't sleep in the bed, but I'm stumped as to how to convince her that the bed is for sleeping and NOT for bath time.

Any tips?

 

[catmom2wires]

Maybe try some melatonin at bedtime. It is used for sleep and behavior issues. I had a girl who loved to play during the night…loudly…and I found that half a mg of melatonin cut that significantly. She loved the melatonin when given in a pill pocket.

 

[sunny578]

Would blocking out the noise with earplugs/sleep headphones work? Or would she still wake you up with her movement? I'm pregnant, and have been sleeping with a large u-shaped pregnancy pillow, and one side effect of this has been that it kind of separates me from the creatures that I'm sleeping with, so no one can really comfortably sleep on top of me. So maybe a pregnancy pillow + ear plugs?

 

[danteshuman]

Can you take her to the groomers and have them give her a short hair cut like the lion haircut or when they cut all the cat’s hair to 1/4 or 1/2 inch long. Take all your cats to the groomer at the same time so they all smell the same.

That or lock your sweet kitty out at night & run a nice loud fan to drown out her cries.

I would try playing with her (get her tired out) for 15 minutes or panting. Then give her a nice wet meal dinner & get ready for bed. It might help reset her grooming time. Give her a cat bed with a pet heating pad on your bed or on the night stand next to your bed. At night put her in her bed. Hopefully she can sleep & groom in her bed instead of on you.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Feeby does the bath routine at night, just something she started recently - I suspect it is a phase and eventually she will stop this particular routine. And it does wake up my husband (she does it to him, not me!). But he has found most of the time her 'bath' is over in 5 minutes or less and then everyone can relax and sleep. If the 'bath' isn't done after that time frame, my husband will 're-adjust' his position and by then, she is ready to stop and go to sleep herself. He is pretty 'chill' especially when it comes to our cat, so he lets it happen and is happily 'snoozing' 5 minutes later.

The more you try to stop it the more it annoys you and keeps you awake even longer. Removing her from the bed only disrupts you (and her) more and it is not surprising that she comes back up to the bed to 'finish the job'. I wonder if she is allowed to finish her bath the first time, if she would be less inclined to repeat the process later in the night.

You could also try using a worn unwashed piece of your clothing and laying it on top of a blanket to make a 'cushy' little bed for her - on top of your bed - similar to what was said above - and see if she might use that arrangement instead of you. It is probably not only the comfort of your smell - but it is also likely the warmth you provide.

 

[ObeseChess]

Yeah, it's the movement that wakes me up. Miraculously, last night, she seemed to get the message - she got up, hopped off the bed, finished her bath, climbed back on and went to sleep. Complaining on the internet wins again!

 

[mservant]

Hmmm, good luck! Hope you managed another bath free night.

I don't know what your daily grooming routine is like but if you don't have a full on grooming session with Sassy shortly before bed time it's worth considering altering your timing.

I'm sure she likes to have numerous beauty sessions throughout the day and night but if you have a main brush and polish with Sassy before you all retire she might just feel more content and settle for longer.

I regularly groom a friend's VERY fluffy cat. One thing for sure is that once we finish our mutual grooming session (he likes to make sure my hands/feet/face have a good wash from him too) he will spend a similar time rearranging his fur to get it back how he likes it. . By the end of the process he is ready for a good long snooze and settles down nicely.

I'm left clearing up the piles of fluff and picking his fur out of my eyes and mouth and trying to de fuzz my clothes.