My boy walks on me at night

[nycats]

My boy cat wakes me up at night by walking all over my chest. He goes across then back repeatedly, which is quite painful, even though he only weighs 9.5 lbs. I don't know what he wants. I play with him before bed, and I give them treats afterwards. He sleeps next to me at times, and it's so sweet.

When he walks on me, he seems to be wanting to get my attention because he is looking at me when I open my eyes. After a while, he rubs on me then curls up next to me or walks away. What could be causing this behavior?

 

[lamiatron]

 
My boy cat wakes me up at night by walking all over my chest. He goes across then back repeatedly, which is quite painful, even though he only weighs 9.5 lbs. I don't know what he wants. I play with him before bed, and I give them treats afterwards. He sleeps next to me at times, and it's so sweet.

When he walks on me, he seems to be wanting to get my attention because he is looking at me when I open my eyes. After a while, he rubs on me then curls up next to me or walks away. What could be causing this behavior?

you kitty just wants your attention. if his liter box is clean, and he has eaten shortly before bed time, then he just wants to play with you!

my Charlie used to the same thing. and yea, its not a fun feeling when he's walking all over my breasts -__-

here some things i tried:

1) ignore ignore ignore kitty. that's your best option. soon he will learn there is NO pay off in him walking on your chest. and he will stop

2) set an alarm that goes off every morning for you to wake up, even on days when you are not doing anything. no work, days off, etc. as soon as the alarm goes off, go to kitty with treats and pet him and show him love. he will soon associate the sound of the alarm clock with you giving him love in the morning, and will learn to be patient and wait till the alarm goes off to bother you.

it takes time, but it has worked for me. both of my cats sleep in the same room with me. in the same bed as me. they walk around the bed and cuddle and play with each other, or not, but they have both learned to not bother me. once they hear my alarm, they run to it, wait for me to turn it off (or snooze it lol) then once i'm back in bed i get ambushed for pets. 

hope this has helped. 

 

[nycats]

OMG it's sooooo painful, and it's like he actually is aiming for the soft parts. He definitely IS play driven, and he looooves to play. That is why I play with him every night before bed with his favorite toy! I do try to ignore him, but the pain makes me wake up and get him off of me. He comes right back -_-

Maybe he needs more play time?

My food driven girl kitty always tries to wake me once the alarm goes off (she's learned to wait till then). What she does is drop everything that is on the night stand to the floor, then try to nibble on my cell phone or glasses (conniving kitty!). Then I wake up and say stop it! at which her eyes brighten up all wide, then she bolts to the kitchen in homes of me being right behind her.

 

[mservant]

Ha ha, I know how it feels, my boy weighs 9 1/2 pounds too and when that is concentrated through a couple of paws it is pretty painful! Even more so if they jump on.

    I do think it is attention seeking if he isn't kneading / treading.  @Lamiatron is right I think in ignoring the behaviour as if he gets what he wants he will do it all the more.   If he kneads and treads then showhim you like it with quiet praise and maybe a stroke if he will let you, but if just walking and trying to get you up, or even pawing and annoying your face or biting then lay still and cover skin with bed covers to avoid needing to respond to bites or anything.

You don't say how long you play but you could try playing for a bit longer or a bit harder, I reckon half an hour of running about is roughly what Mouse needs.

Mouse has got to know I like him coming up to give me what I call my pawsages but not to be jumped on and pumelled to get me up to play so he is very well behaved around the bed and after his treading me to bits he settles nicely and snoozes until I get up.  If he does want to play he does so quietly and on his own.  I think they learn quickly as long as you are consistent in your responses so they don't get confused.

 

[GemsGem]

Ha ha, I know how it feels, my boy weighs 9 1/2 pounds too and when that is concentrated through a couple of paws it is pretty painful! Even more so if they jump on.     I do think it is attention seeking if he isn't kneading / treading.  @Lamiatron is right I think in ignoring the behaviour as if he gets what he wants he will do it all the more.   If he kneads and treads then showhim you like it with quiet praise and maybe a stroke if he will let you, but if just walking and trying to get you up, or even pawing and annoying your face or biting then lay still and cover skin with bed covers to avoid needing to respond to bites or anything.

NYCats you have been given some great advise here. Nothing much I could add to it

9.5 pounds - I need to get smaller cats :lol3: I've got a 21 pound maine coon boy who loves to jump from my bedroom window sill onto me in bed when I'm asleep. Ouch !

 

[mservant]

....
9.5 pounds - I need to get smaller cats

I've got a 21 pound maine coon boy who loves to jump from my bedroom window sill onto me in bed when I'm asleep. Ouch !

Yes, I think we should think our selves lucky NYcats, and make sure our boys don't put on too much weight!  @GemsGem, at least Main Coons have massive paws.  

 

[fluffybeard]

Mine does the exact same thing at around 6am every morning! Walks back and forth across my chest! Ugh, mine weighs about 13.5 lbs, it does hurt!

 

[nycats]

Thanks everyone!

Oh damn, 21 lbs! But I guess the weight is distributed onto a larger area hahaha. But still, it must be pretty heavy!

I'm trying to think if he knead. Can't remember...I'm too sleepy to pay attention hahaha. He might be. I will make sure to check the next time. I play with my boy about 15 mins, then with the girl about 15 mins. They both have their favorite toys and different ways of playing, so I have to have two separate sessions.

I first thought it was because he was hungry, so I now make sure to give them enough calories, but he's still doing it (not every night but often enough!), so I'm not really sure what he wants. He does like to be touched when he sleeps next to me, I think. He lets me pet him on his belly and paws and everything. He goes upside down and seems to enjoy it quite a bit. Then he curls up next to me between my arm and boy, and he puts his little head and paws right on my arm. My heart melts every time.

 

[mservant]

That sounds SO sweet.  It wouldn't surprise me if his trampling does involve some kneading. Mouse doesn't use his claws, just the digits on his feat so it isn't jaggy, you just feel him going from one paw to the other. Maybe if you stroke your boy as he's walking over you he will trample you: his way of saying 'you're mine, I like it here'.  

 

[nycats]

He is! He is a sweetheart. I love him to death. When he doesn't come to bed, I go to where he's resting and tell him to come to bed. He often gets up and comes with me!

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• nycats
• Mar 17, 2014

 

[lamiatron]

he's such a handsome fella!! look at him. i'd cuddle with him all night lol

you've mentioned that you play with both of your kitties before bed, but i don't think you mentioned if you feed them after the play session.

with kitties you should do in this order:

1) play

2) eat

3) kitty grooms and stretches

4) kitty sleeps

when you play with your kitty, its more than play for them, its like they're hunting their prey. that's why they say its dangerous to play with your hands, because cats view them as pray. not even toys. after play, or hunting for the kitties, give them food. it gives them a sense of satisfaction. i just hunted, i've caught my prey, and now i will eat. that's my reward. once they're done eating, the itis hits them while they groom and they knock out!

if you don't already implement this method i would suggest it! i play with my kitties until they are panting or laying on their side unable to play anymore and then i feed them...morning and night. this might help your kitties to stay asleep through out the night.

another thing you can do, which was suggested to me by another member on this site, is get cat bed warmers. they're like heating pads you place inside your cats bed. the pads always stay at a constant low heat, and only when the cat lays down on it, does it warm up to a comfortable temp for the kitties the reason why i suggest this is when a cat has a nice and warm bed to lay in, he/she may not want to get out of it at night! something to consider...

it's gonna take time and patience but i hope you can keep your boy from waking you up. My charlie gave me a hard time too but he eventually learned to not wake me up. can't say the same for my bf tho. whenever he's over he gets the worst of it. both cats get at him. lolll

 

[nycats]

Thank you! I do think he's quite handsome but I'm a biased cat mommy.

I do feed them after play time. Some treats, then a bit of wet food. They are quite happy and do seem to rest after that, at least for a while.

Cat bed warmer sounds nice. Do you think it'd still be good if the house is already quite warm? My apartment usually gets to a short and T-shirt temperature due to the noisy but effective radiators.

I do hope he would let me sleep through! I can't get mad at him because he's so cute, but I am really sleepy the next day.

Thanks for your advice

 

[lamiatron]

Thank you! I do think he's quite handsome

but I'm a biased cat mommy.

I do feed them after play time. Some treats, then a bit of wet food. They are quite happy and do seem to rest after that, at least for a while.

Cat bed warmer sounds nice. Do you think it'd still be good if the house is already quite warm? My apartment usually gets to a short and T-shirt temperature due to the noisy but effective radiators.

I do hope he would let me sleep through! I can't get mad at him because he's so cute, but I am really sleepy the next day.

Thanks for your advice

i haven't personally tried the heating pads. I'm in the process of getting some for the kitties.

but i think they would work.

i know this because i iron my shirts on the bed. and once i'm done ironing, i will turn around for two seconds to put the iron away, and i'll come back to the sight of both my kitties sitting curled up and cuddled up on my shirt that i JUST ironed -_____- only because that particular spot is hotter/warmer than the other parts of the bed. lol. so i think it would work or help.

 

[di and bob]

The cat warmers DO work, whatever bed you put them in THAT's where the cat will be! I even used to put one at the very foot of the bed to 'redirect' them away from my legs. I also learned to sleep with my arms across my chest when I'm on my back, it does HURT when they walk across you! My Casper will come in to the living room and make a nuisance of himself at bedtime, biting our feet, meowing, and knocking things off the table until we get up and go to bed. We know exactly what he wants, he stares at us, walks to the bedroom door, sits, and stares some more. Then comes back and starts all over again.  

 

[lamiatron]

 
The cat warmers DO work, whatever bed you put them in THAT's where the cat will be! I even used to put one at the very foot of the bed to 'redirect' them away from my legs. I also learned to sleep with my arms across my chest when I'm on my back, it does HURT when they walk across you! My Casper will come in to the living room and make a nuisance of himself at bedtime, biting our feet, meowing, and knocking things off the table until we get up and go to bed. We know exactly what he wants, he stares at us, walks to the bedroom door, sits, and stares some more. Then comes back and starts all over again.  

yes yes it was you! you made a suggestion on another thread and it then suggested to me!!! lol

i have a question. what do you do in the summer??

 

[di and bob]

In the summer I put them away and use plush foam bath rugs for them to lay on, they love those too, they are like little tempra pedic beds! I wait until I get a 30% off coupon at Also and get them there. The summer isn't as bad because they get too hot and don't want to cuddle as much. Hope this helps!

 

[nycats]

My girl came and bit my face 3 times this morning -_- my boy did come to me at night, but right at the beginning of my slumber. After he settled by my side, I don't think he bothered me. I think he wanted to be petted before settling in. Those cats are so damn demanding!

 

[lamiatron]

 
In the summer I put them away and use plush foam bath rugs for them to lay on, they love those too, they are like little tempra pedic beds! I wait until I get a 30% off coupon at Also and get them there. The summer isn't as bad because they get too hot and don't want to cuddle as much. Hope this helps!

hope its not TMI, but i keep my bras in a storage bin, a small one, in my closet. my girl likes to get in there and make herself comfortable on the section where the padded bras are -__- 

home made temprapedic for her! she sleeps there for hours. and i don't have the heart to move her. lol. 

 
My girl came and bit my face 3 times this morning -_- my boy did come to me at night, but right at the beginning of my slumber. After he settled by my side, I don't think he bothered me. I think he wanted to be petted before settling in. Those cats are so damn demanding!

the BF has a beard, he gets bit in the face by both the kitties. LOL

they try to groom his beard, and then they bite his face, accidentally i suppose. 

 

[nycats]

Ahahahahaha grooming his beard! That's so sweet. I was brushing my boy last night, and he kept trying to return the favor by grooming my hair. I am always touched when he wants to groom me back, but when he does, he tries to grab my head with his paws (claws), and it can get a bit painful!

 

[lamiatron]

 
Ahahahahaha grooming his beard! That's so sweet. I was brushing my boy last night, and he kept trying to return the favor by grooming my hair. I am always touched when he wants to groom me back, but when he does, he tries to grab my head with his paws (claws), and it can get a bit painful!

isn't it adorable. at first...and then its like....you want to throw your cat out the window? jk. i don't want to do that.

Charlie is the only kitty that will try to groom me. He doesn't grab my head, which is good. but he's slowly moved on from just grooming my hair, or any hair on my face, such as...my eye brows....and my eye lashes -____- 

he licks my eyelashes and eyelids open sometimes. fun way to wake up!