My intended feeding schedule for Angel, my 8-year old female cat, is a morning feeding at 7:30 am and an evening feeding at 5:30 pm. This worked for about five years until about 12 months ago. Normally, she would climb into bed with me in the middle of the night, wait on me to awaken, and follow me downstairs when I got out of bed.
Around a year ago, Angel started to make noise to get me out of bed by using our woodwork as a scratching post.. I have used sprays, tape, etc to discourage this behaviour. These methods work for a time, then she moves to other woodwork and the drywall. I purchased a scratching pad, which she used to ignore, but she now uses the scratching pad, woodwork and walls.
The worst part of the behaviour is that she now starts the noise earlier and earlier. She has gradually moved her start time from 7:30 am back to 4:30 am. I ignored her scratching until my planned wake time. However, she now refuses to eat unless I stay with her. On weekends, I would try to feed her at 7:30 then return to bed, but she would come back to my room to make noise and refuse to eat until I come to the kitchen with her.
My husband is getting very upset. He usually leaves for work between midnight and 2:00 am during the week and would like to sleep past 4:30 am on the weekends - not to mention he is not pleased at the having continuious repairs to walls and woodwork.
Any suggestions as to the reason for this behaviour and how to overcome the inappropriate scratching.
Around a year ago, Angel started to make noise to get me out of bed by using our woodwork as a scratching post.. I have used sprays, tape, etc to discourage this behaviour. These methods work for a time, then she moves to other woodwork and the drywall. I purchased a scratching pad, which she used to ignore, but she now uses the scratching pad, woodwork and walls.
The worst part of the behaviour is that she now starts the noise earlier and earlier. She has gradually moved her start time from 7:30 am back to 4:30 am. I ignored her scratching until my planned wake time. However, she now refuses to eat unless I stay with her. On weekends, I would try to feed her at 7:30 then return to bed, but she would come back to my room to make noise and refuse to eat until I come to the kitchen with her.
My husband is getting very upset. He usually leaves for work between midnight and 2:00 am during the week and would like to sleep past 4:30 am on the weekends - not to mention he is not pleased at the having continuious repairs to walls and woodwork.
Any suggestions as to the reason for this behaviour and how to overcome the inappropriate scratching.
