Pawing at air conditioner…

[Murphys_mom]

Hey all! My ornery boy Murphy has started pawing at the ac window unit in our bedroom every night while my boyfriend and i are asleep. It’s usually somewhere between 1 am and 5 am. The sound his paws make against the ridges of the ac unit is SO LOUD it wakes us both up every night. It’s not a major issue but we would like some tips on how to break him of this behavior. He knows he isn’t supposed to be doing it because as soon as we start to get out of bed, he darts out of the room. Usually when he starts doing things we do not want him to do, we tell him no and redirect him to another area. This works most of the time and spray bottles are used as a last resort. We’ve only sprayed him once and now he stops bad behavior as soon as we grab the spray bottle. He’s such a good boy but we are losing sleep over this, literally haha. I don’t want him to lock him out of the room because he does sleep with us for most of the night. Any tips would be more than helpful!!

 

[neely]

It sounds like Murphy is ready to play or eat and is trying to get your attention. Our last cat did the same exact thing and just like your boy when one of us would get up she'd dart under the bed or run out of the room. Please, please do not use a spray bottle. TCS has an Article that explains why: 5 Reasons To Never Spray Water On Your Cat [Or otherwise punish them] – TheCatSite Articles

Even if you could cover the a/c or block it she'd find another way to get your attention. Cats are smart and very determined when they want something. If you get up whether to use a spray bottle or another method you are reinforcing his behavior. Do you play/exercise him before bed to tire him out? It's can also help to leave a little bedtime snack out for him. When all else fails you might want to consider setting up a cozy room for him away from your bedroom to keep him out at night. I know you mentioned he likes to sleep with you and visa versa but being sleep deprived especially if you have to wake up early for work can be tiresome.

Here is an excellent Article with some helpful tips and advice for you:
How To Stop My Cat From Waking Me Up At Night (step-by-step Plan) – TheCatSite Articles
Best of luck, please keep us posted.

 

[vince]

Kitty is training you. He makes noise--you get up. One of my cats did that with strumming the Venetian blinds to get attention. You have to have resolve not to acknowledge his noisemaking or you'll never get any sleep. He probably needs to be kept out of the bedroom, but that might come with another problem. Either way, if you want to sleep, you'll have to not acknowledge him.

Truth be told, I haven't had any success with the blind-strumming either. I'm afraid she may damage them, so I get up and shoo her away from the window, which I probably will have to do for the foreseeable future (at least she can't do it at night--I have curtains on the bedroom windows).