Early wake up and constant meowing

[Alanowner19]

My boy is 7 months old. He has got into a routine where he meows constantly from anytime from 4-6 until someone gets up. We then take him downstairs and he eats a bit (he does have full access to food at all times) then he will go
Back upstairs and meow again.
I keep bringing him down and this does on for a hour then he goes bacK to sleep.
I can’t leave him to meow as I can’t have my kids up. He gets played without, lots of love and cuddles.
He knows when the lamp in the hall goes on it’s bed time and he has his bed in the landing. The light is left on at the bottom of the stairs also.
i can deal with being woken up if he stopped when I got up but it’s the constant meowing after.
Basically I’m like the walking dead and don’t know what to do now..help!!!

This picture is him meowing while sneaking round the corner. When I call him he comes down

 

[ArtNJ]

Step one is to rule out actual hunger. What do you feed when?

Step two is to stop reinforcing the behavior. Your cat has discovered a way to get attention. Why on earth would he stop? It works like a charm -- he has you dancing to his tune. I know you say you can't ignore him because you don't want him waking your kids up. Well, if ruling out actual hunger doesn't help, you don't have a lot of options other than ignoring him until the behavior self-extinguishes. I have a furnished basement which is no hardship for my cats to spend the night in, which is great in this situation, but if you don't have something like that, I don't know what else to tell you.

I am not real optimistic that this is just a hunger issue, but ruling out hunger is the first step for a reason, so lets look at that. Cats, especially one this young, should get a minimum of 3 meals a day, and its helpful if at least the last one is wet food, as wet has more volume for the same calories and helps cats feel full. With a cat that young, you can likely leave a little something in the dish overnight as well, without risk of him getting fat. Timed feeders can also be considered.

 

[LTS3]

Here's TCS article with suggestions:

How To Stop My Cat From Waking Me Up At Night (Step-By-Step Plan) - TheCatSite

Discover how to stop your cat from waking you up at night with our comprehensive step-by-step plan. This guide provides practical strategies to align your sleep patterns with your cat's, ensuring peaceful nights for everyone.

thecatsite.com

 

[Alanowner19]

Thank you for your rely.

I agree it’s almost a game with him. He is fed 3/4 sachets a day and always has dry food available. He has a bowl of water although he refers to wash his feet in that and drink from the bathroom tap.
Even when I get up (today 5am) he eats a bit but then goes back to meowing.

I will try the ignoring next week when my kids are on half term. the other thing I thought was trying to find a why to teach him he can go downstairs without us to eat..how I don’t know

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Does he eat some of dry in between his wet food meals? He may actually NOT like the dry and is waiting to get 'the good stuff'. You could try to place some food upstairs close by, right before you go to bed - maybe both some dry and some wet, in case it does have something to do with him not wanting to go downstairs by himself. And, when he meows after eating a bit, if it could be because you went back upstairs without him - having the food upstairs might help with that as well.

What about the water - do you leave the tap on all the time, or is that something that you turn on when you get up? That might also play a role. Have you considered a water fountain? Some of them are made to dispense water just like how it comes from the faucet.

Not saying any of this will work, but it is worth a shot - before you have to come to the conclusion that he has just managed to 'train' you in his short 7mo life!!

 

[Brice53]

My one cat would do this and even after ignoring him for a few weeks he still tried tricks like licking or pawing at my face to try and wake me up and feed him. It's tough to ignore but we suffered through about a month of his antics until he finally settled down and was quiet during early hours of morning. We also found putting his dry food in a puzzle at night made him less likely to try and stir us.

 

[Lisannez]

If the cat is hungry this is easier to solve, get an auto feeder and set it. But it sounds like your cat just ants your attention and that is a harder problem to solve. Our rag doll did this and what we had to do is for two weeks, we shut our bedroom door and wore ear plugs, she got the point and now we can leave our door open and until we wake up, she does not say a word. I would say do not let her in your bed at all, or in your bedroom until she can obey the rules. I know it sucks for your kids to wake up, but in the end if they can tough it out for two weeks, it will be worth it. Try noise machines And whatever you do do not respond to the behavior. Do not yell, do not get up, do nothing. Ignore the cat.