Keeping us up all night - HELP!

[richi the cat]

hey fellow catowners

We got our new kitten Richi on Saturday and are vigorously using the forums online to post our questions coz it does help us with various insghts.

Here goes our question:

Since day one Richi has explored options on how to get on our bed and he has managed to jump up and loves sleepin in between us or on our legs. Since he is such a young kitten we don't feel comfortable placing him in a separate room and closing the door,altho that is what it would take for him not to try n climb up our bed to sleep with us. Eventho we do wear em out with playtime at around 9pm and give em some food right after that it seems that he falls asleep with us at round 10.30 or 11 pm n then wakes us up at 1.30 n then in a 2-3 hour rhythm. I feel like we are being parents of a newborn hahaha its a great exercise for a baby but then again it really wears me out. Right now its still ok as Im not workin but when Im back to work for 60% I need my energy hehehe.

Any suggestions?

With lots of love and meow,Kat

 

[ddpb2112]

Hey I'm pretty much at the same stage you're at; we got a 11-week-old kitten 1 week ago.

We've been locking him in the bathroom each night (we have a small studio with limited doors). We put a generous portion of rescue remedy in his dinner each night, then my wife hangs out with him in the bathroom to help calm him down for like 20 min. It seems like they're creatures of habit and adapt to a consistent schedule. We are getting about 5-6 hours of good sleep a night, then all hell breaks loose around 4-5 am. I'm not sure how long I would continue with this method...I've peed into a bottle a few nights so as not to risk going into the bathroom to wake him up.

 

[pusheen]

You might not like this suggestion, but it’s probably the only one that will work: get a second kitten. At this age, this is normal and expected and, in fact, healthy. And so you don't want to quash that kitten-ish behavior. But you do, of course, need to sleep. A second kitten will play with Richi when he wakes up, and they'll tire each other out. One kitten is so much hard than two kittens, trust me.

 

[Columbine]

Interactive playtime followed by a meaty treat/snack is the best way to settle a cat down for the night. Keep the play going until he's pooped.

It might be worth considering banning him from the bedroom too - he can't wake you up so easily if he's not jumping all over you![article="22303"][/article][article="0"][/article][article="0"][/article][article="32827"][/article]

 

[artyjill]

My cat was waking me up just the same,  was  climbing onto the top of wardrobes and dancing around making an awful noise, what l did was play with him more in the day and  tire him out then he started to sleep more in the day. Then l found he was sleeping a lot more in the night time and l didn't stop him sleeping in the same bedroom.

So  try this, it will take a good  few nights but cats sleep when there tired, its just a case  of altering the day around.

Jilly

 

[ellag]

another vote for a second kitten! 2 kittens are really easier than 1 imo and it's so much fun to watch them play together. they need a cuddle/grooming cat buddy!