Question:
Dear Julie,
We have just moved into a flat with our six-month-old male cat Tiger and a new two-year-old male cat, Tally. Apart from the terrible cat litter smells in a flat, they are new to each other and have taken to sleeping all day and running amuck at night. They can’t go outside and we’re running out of patience with the 3am wake-up call! Is there anything you can suggest for turning these naturally nocturnal monsters into cute, sleepy cats?
Jaime McKenzie
Answer:
The good thing is that you have recognised that this nocturnal behaviour is normal for cats so, like changing any natural behaviour, it will take time. Also, you have one that is still a kitten, so things will settle down as he matures. It is a bit more difficult with totally indoor cats, but the trick is to tire them out during the day so they change their body clock to suit yours.
Give them lots of toys (mice to chase, balls to bat around, things to scratch and climb) to keep them busy. You may need to teach them how to use them by playing with them yourself; early evening when you get home is a good time to do this. Hide food around the house so they have to hunt for their food — having it handed to them on a platter doesn’t fill much of their day. Try cat videos/DVDs or other interactive toys to keep them from dozing too much. Feel free to wake them up in the afternoon or evening when you’re home — they are happy to wake you up!
The other thing is not to reward bad habits. When you have cats meowing at the door at 3am, it’s easy to give them food to shut them up. But this tells your cat that if they do this, they will be rewarded with food, exactly what you don’t want to encourage. If they have food, water, clean trays and comfy beds, there is no need to get up. Hopefully after a few nights of ignoring them they will give up. It’s also fine to relegate them to a part of the house (eg, laundry, kitchen) far away from your bedroom so they disturb you less.
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