Cat sleeping in bed/near head

[kd3045]

Hi, I recently adopted an almost 6 month old kitten from a local shelter. While she's sweet and affectionate for the most part she's also a bit clingy and gets upset if she can't follow me (closing the door to the bathroom, stepping outside to check the mail). This problem tends to be the worse when I attempt to sleep. When I can manage to fall asleep after ignoring meowing, jumping on stuff and her making noise to get my attention, I'm inevitably woken up by her jumping on my bed and trying to sleep as close as possible to my head or on my chest. If I fall asleep with her near me she will wake me up jumping off the bed to scamper to the litter box and then back to me etc. This is happening every time I go to sleep. If I try to move her away sometimes she takes a quick bite and extends her claws on my hand.

 

[lilin]

 
Hi, I recently adopted an almost 6 month old kitten from a local shelter. While she's sweet and affectionate for the most part she's also a bit clingy and gets upset if she can't follow me (closing the door to the bathroom, stepping outside to check the mail). This problem tends to be the worse when I attempt to sleep. When I can manage to fall asleep after ignoring meowing, jumping on stuff and her making noise to get my attention, I'm inevitably woken up by her jumping on my bed and trying to sleep as close as possible to my head or on my chest. If I fall asleep with her near me she will wake me up jumping off the bed to scamper to the litter box and then back to me etc. This is happening every time I go to sleep. If I try to move her away sometimes she takes a quick bite and extends her claws on my hand.

I always love having kitties in the bed, but it can certainly be annoying if they're restless.

If she is a lone kitty, and you are the lone human, it is pretty expected for her to be clingy. She's still just a kid, and as far as she knows, you're her adoptive cat parent. When you're gone, the world might still be a little bit scary to her.

Her restlessness may be due to excess energy levels. She obviously wants to bed down with you, but if she's too wound up, she won't stay still for long. Try having a dedicated play session with her, then food, then bed. This may help chill her out.

Keep going until she's pooped out. This doesn't take very long with most cats -- they aren't really built for endurance. Maybe 10 or 15 minutes of high-gear playtime will usually do the trick. Find some kind of toy that gets her running and jumping and don't let up until she's tired.

 

[katluver4life]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Thank you for taking in this kitten!

How long has she been with you? This is quite normal behavior at this point. She feels most secure when near you, as you are now her momma now. As she gets older and more secure in her surroundings, she should relax more and become more independent.

If you'd prefer her not be in your bed, you could try keeping her out of your room, but she'd probably carry on some until she learns it doesn't get responded to. She will eventually also learn that she doesn't get responded to even on your bed if you just ignore her. Pull the covers over your head, turn away, ect. She is still young, but will learn to leave you alone if you do not give in and give her what she wants.

ETA: I was posting same time as Lilin! I agree with her though, that wearing her out some before bed can help a lot.

 

[fhicat]

I have to echo the suggestion to wear her out before bed. My cat can be quite clingy (although just the right amount since he also likes his alone time), so he follows me to bed every night. The first couple of nights I got woken up during the night from his scampering and jumping up and down my bed. I just ignored him even when he started chirping. Once we start settling into a routine of play before bedtime, he now sleeps next to my pillow (at least until I fall asleep, then I have no idea what he does next) and doesn't wake me up during the night anymore.