Does your cat constantly wake you at night by either playing on the bed, waking you to be fed, or wanting cuddle time when all you want is sleep? Many people with sleeping disorders have problems going back to sleep after being awakened by a cat. There is no need to suffer from cat-related sleep deprivation. Try one or more of these suggestions to get a full night's sleep, and still give your cat the attention he needs.
1. Give Your Cat His Own Bed
If you already have a sleeping disorder, it is best that you never encourage your cat to sleep on your bed. This means making your bedroom off-limits at all times. Once a cat finds your bed a comfortable place to snooze during the day, he will automatically want to sleep with you at night. Give kitty a comfortable bed in a spare room, corner of the living room (with a screen for privacy), or even a bathroom. If necessary, rub a bit of catnip on the bed initially, to encourage him to use it.
Learn other ways to get a good night's sleep, then come back to vote in the poll and post your comments. (Please try to confine your comments to the topic.)
Joey, pictured here, sleeps pretty much wherever he wants.
Photo Credit: © Franny Syufy
Comments
Red, not sure what a stray artillery round has to do w/cats, but whatever.
I live in a one bedroom “mansion” in Manhatten so I can’t have my two cats sleep in another room since I don’t have any other room (minus the shower stall and bathroom). I remedied the problem of those two clowns keeping me up all day (I work nights as a dancer) by mixing in a tiny amount of cold medicine in their food just before bed time (6AM). It isn’t much, but it’s enough to keep us all sleeping soundly for the next eight hours.
We have had to use a combination of closing the bedroom door and the strategic employment of a Ssscat device outside of the door to keep the cats from scratching at it all night long. It’s too bad, because our older cat Breakfast is a great cuddler, but Peanut likes nothing more than clawing at the boxspring and walking on your head in the middle of the night; if we lock one out and let the other in they get very worried about being separated, so we’ve had no choice but to lock them both out.
I’ve got six cats. They don’t all get along. The most on the bed during the day was three, and one of those has passed on.
I’ve had two cats sleep with me, only because on chose one side of me, and the other the other side, so they didn’t see each other. As soon as they saw each other (together, if one spied the other one without getting caught, they would rapidly get where the other one couldn’t seem them) it was over.
I’ve really only had one that ever woke me up to feed her, and it was time for me to get up.
The cat that has taken up sleeping with me this week (looking like the cat in the picture…) has a problem with me getting out of bed to go pee (I’m on diuretics, so that’s not unusual) and complains about it when I get back to bed. Even though it looked like she was sound asleep when I got back to the bedroom.
Only three of the current six will sleep with me, and only two will sleep with both my wife and me, including the one that’s decided to sleep with me this week.
Make sure you play with your cat a good hour before bed time, this will help to wear them out and so they are ready for a sleep. Also make sure you gibe them a little food before bedtime, just to see them through the night other wise they will be yelling for breakfast at 3am.
My kids sleep with me at first,then get down off the bed and go to one of the 4 beds they have in the bedroom.I like to spoil them as much as I can.Not very often do they wake me up,once in awhile they do,and I must say,I get a bit worried,and think there is something wrong.Smokey woke me up yesterday morning at 4am,guess she just wanted to see if I was still breathing!! silly cat.About an hour before bed,Smokey & Snuggles run up and down the hallway,and tire themselves out.I keep saying they are in the “KITTY 500″.Snuggles loves to sleep on my husbands head and wrap her tail around his neck.As long as I know they are safe and warm,they can sleep where they want.
We made half of our double garage into a cat apartment. There are cat trees, tents, kennels, carriers and book cases to jump on. It is also heated in winter and cooled in the summer. When it’s bedtime, I clap my hands, say bedtime and they all scurry out into their apartment. We have 4 cats and they love their apartment and we sleep 8 or 9 hours every night.
My cat, Clancy, has slept with me since he was a kitten (only a year ago). I only use one pillow on the bed, so he sleeps right beside it — only steps on my head when I turn over and he has to move to the same side! I disagree with the advice about feeding the cat immediately after getting up — I did that with my previous cat and he was very persistent about waking me up. With Clancy, I started out by feeding him when I’m ready to leave for work — it’s worked beautifully, almost as though he doesn’t associate food with my getting out of bed! Now we can both sleep in a bit on the weekends!
My baby (Oreo) will sleep with me sometimes, othertimes in a bed of her own in the bedroom. She used to wake me every morning about 1 or 2:00 to be fed. Most of the time I could get back to sleep right away but sometimes I couldn’t. I’ve solved this problem by feeding her right before I go to bed (around 11:00) and then when I get home from work about 12:00 noon. It’s working out a lot better for me. She occasionally wakes me up to brush her druing the night but I keep teling her its not time to get up yet and eventually she leaves. She usually gets brushed as soon as I get up so she just tries to hurry up her “appointment” No matter – I can’t get mad at her as she is my “baby”.
I couldn’t vote in the poll because I have 5 cats.
One or 2 sleep in bed with me, but the others sleep in any of the 5 cat beds in our bedroom with us…with the door closed to keep them in.
We got them all as kittens, and their ages vary from 2.5 to 5 years old.
I went without a good night’s sleep for about 3 or 4 years while I was training them to sleep all night.
Now that they’re getting older, they’re trained to sleep all night, but there should be a law against birds singing at 4:30am and waking them all up!!!
Cats CAN be trained to sleep through the night if you’re consistent and make the effort.
My cat is so cute! If I sleep in the same room with her she’ll put her paws under me and try to make me get up–for company, not food, since she has food in her dish at night.
I live in a one-bedroom in a hot climate and sleep in the livingroom because it’s cooler. My bed doubles as a sofa during the day and the cat has free access to it. We enjoy hanging out on it together when I’m awake.
When I go to bed I put my cat in the bedroom. She has the entire room, with her own bed that is also a window seat, so she can look out the window and enjoy the cool night air. She’s very happy with it. It’s a large chair piled high with cushions and blankets. Her food, water and litterbox are always in that room, so it’s easy to just put her in the room when I go to bed.
Because I’m a light sleeper I was already sleeping with ear plugs before I got the cat, so noise is not a problem.
The cat was one-year old when I got her and I’ve had her for 3 years.
I have two cats and both of them want to eat at 6:00 am. I have tried going back to bed after I feed them and both of them leap up and down on the bed as soon as they are done eating. I have never had cats like this. They both were shelter cats, and I wonder if they got that bad habit where they lived before. One is 10 and the other is 6.
All cats that I’ve ever had sleep with me on my bed. I’m in a catch 22 situation. I don’t sleep properly when they’re on my bed, & I fret & don’t sleep properly when they’re not on my bed. I miss their warmth & rhythmic breathing when I’m sleeping. My one tom cat has adopted his own sleeping place in a shelf in a cupboard, otherwise he doesn’t get much sleep either! I’ve padded that up with an old duvet. But, he still initially comes to lie down with me & the others.
I have 11 cats, they take turns sleeping and anywhere else they want to, sometimes one of them will wake me up at night but I just turn away from them and they get the message. Sometimes when I have had a stressful day it’s nice to be purred asleep.
I have 6 cats, 4 of which are feral that have now been inside for the past 6 years. These think the bed is the safest place for them. Since they are so different from the other two, both 15 yrs. old, I let them sleep where they want. Since I am retired, I don’t have to be up early, so it is ok. I can take a “cat nap” most afternoons, so not really a bother. I can close my door if they start playing, so it works out alright. Cats are great companions.
I’m unlucky in that my 3 yr old barely allows me to touch her, only on her terms when she’s on the floor and I’m at arm’s length. Sleeping with me is not an option for her. She sleeps on my bed when I’m on the chair, and on the chair when I’m in bed, or anywhere else.
I have a 5 year old female ,that i got at the human society she sleeps with me ,but wakes me up at 2 or 3 every night.There is always food but it is like I have to go with her ,like she is affraid Help how do i get my sleep and her to just get her food on her own
Are you out of your mind?? Cold medicine? You have to be kidding me. I would definitely check with a veterinarian to be sure the ingredients are safe. There are a lot of human meds that will kill a cat, acetaminophen (tylenol), Ibuprofen to name a couple. Please ask your vet for a safer alternative.
I live in a one bedroom “mansion” in Manhatten so I can’t have my two cats sleep in another room since I don’t have any other room (minus the shower stall and bathroom). I remedied the problem of those two clowns keeping me up all day (I work nights as a dancer) by mixing in a tiny amount of cold medicine in their food just before bed time (6AM). It isn’t much, but it’s enough to keep us all sleeping soundly for the next eight hours.
I live in a one bedroom “mansion” in Manhatten so I can’t have my two cats sleep in another room since I don’t have any other room (minus the shower stall and bathroom). I remedied the problem of those two clowns keeping me up all day (I work nights as a dancer) by mixing in a tiny amount of cold medicine in their food just before bed time (6AM). It isn’t much, but it’s enough to keep us all sleeping soundly for the next eight hours.
Candy, I’m not sure whether you’re having some “trollish fun” with my readers, or posting in serious. In any case, giving cats *any* kind of human medication is extremely dangerous. Future readers, please ignore this bit of irresponsible “advice.”
I have a severe sleep disability that prevents me from sleeping through the night so any disturbance to my sleep will wreak havoc on my system the next day. My understanding wife understands my health concern so we’ve decided to keep our 8 kids in the garage at night so that they can’t wake me up. We put a small space heater in the garage in the winter time to warm it up a bit since winters in Rochester, NY are so harsh. They weren’t real thrilled with the arrangement at first since they weren’t in the house (yeah, they’re house babies!), but they’ve since accepted the arrangement.
My wife and I could not bear the thought of giving them away and my condition has only gotten worse over the years. So bad that I fell asleep on the way to work last summer after a night of virtually no sleep. Luckily my car skidded off the road and into a ditch.
I guess it’s the lesser of two evils though. Any suggestions would be welcome!
Regards-Taint
First off, you should NEVER feed a cat cold medicine in ANY amount. Their livers could get damaged very easily and you could well end up killing them. I know it’s hard to get a good night’s rest with rowdy cats, but follow some of the many suggestions here or online FIRST before you resort to drugging your babies and end up with fatal results.
~~My wife and I have 2 cats and 1 kitty and while my wife could sleep through an atomic bomb, I have a lot of trouble getting solid zzzzz’s because of the cats and their propensity for getting up at 4 in the morning and playing in the bed. What we’ve been trying, which really seems to help, is making the cats stay up later at night and interrupting their frequent catnaps during the day. “Running” the cats about an hour before we go to bed has given me an extra hour of sleep in the morning. I could use more but an hour is an hour and it helps. Good luck to all the sleep deprived out there and thanks for all the tips. We’ll try some of them for sure minus the cold medicine idea which is flat out bad and DANGEROUS. Ask your vet, they’ll tell you the same……
First off, you should NEVER feed a cat cold medicine in ANY amount. Their livers could get damaged very easily and you could well end up killing them. I know it’s hard to get a good night’s rest with rowdy cats, but follow some of the many suggestions here or online FIRST before you resort to drugging your babies and end up with fatal results.
~~My wife and I have 2 cats and 1 kitty and while my wife could sleep through an atomic bomb, I have a lot of trouble getting solid zzzzz’s because of the cats and their propensity for getting up at 4 in the morning and playing in the bed. What we’ve been trying, which really seems to help, is making the cats stay up later at night and interrupting their frequent catnaps during the day. “Running” the cats about an hour before we go to bed has given me an extra hour of sleep in the morning. I could use more but an hour is an hour and it helps. Good luck to all the sleep deprived out there and thanks for all the tips. We’ll try some of them for sure minus the cold medicine idea which is flat out bad and DANGEROUS. Ask your vet, they’ll tell you the same……
Just wanted to chime in, though I doubt anyone will read this months after the original posting…
I’ve actually had a vet recommend mixing in half of the minimum dose of children’s cough and cold medication in with my cat’s favorite food– this was so she’d make it stress free through most of a 8 hour car trip/move. I took his advice because, shoot, he was my vet for a year, and he’d never led me astray before. Pumpkin hated the taste, even in her favorite (vanilla ice cream– just a little!), but she was calm for 7 hours, the last 1 & 1/2 were bad traffic and she and I both had enough.
But yeah, a vet has actually recommended using kid’s cough and cold meds, a tiny amount, for my kitty. I don’t know about using this method on a regular basis, but for a one time move, and in my & my cat’s situation, it worked.
i just adopted a cat for a christmas present for a friend. shes about six months old and will not sleep! she runs around my room at one in the morning and claws at my rug, gets into my school papers and tears them and will just lay at my feet for only a few short minutes…shes an awesome cat, i just cant get past the sleeping problems!
I “Found” a cat{Sept 17th}ALL Shelters are full!!] Pike County Animal Shelter[Awesome,etc}{young}approx.1/1/2 but had to bring her in after spending the last 2+wks in our shed..she came in,slept on my bed {mother doesn't want her downstairs,all the time..I put a collar on her {w/ a bell} so ,she slept the 1st night after having been outside for almost 2 wks!The Sunday she came in she slept 6-hours,then Mon.,another "Cat"ching up on her sleep..but I cannot keep her..she always wants to go "out!!",just after being ""OUT" she wants to "Go Out" again! She'll stay out for..say almost 2 hrs but today we're going out..What will I do when she comes to the glass door & there's "NOBODY HERE?"we will NOT be here to answer the door,she'll expect me to be "tight there" so will she go back into the shed until we get back{there's a nice carry all she slept in{warm} w/ blankets} QUESTION? Will she remember to go into the shed while "waiting for us?' It's raining out,again..she hasn't any clothes as I haven't done "that" yet..PLEASE help me..am I have I ? been spiling her by allowing her to go out each time she wants? I tried to keep my bedroom closed,but she kept going back..she wanted "OUT",again,now after being out "twice"[she goes out,then comes in,then wants to Go out again like I said}but she wouldn't take no..she must be hanging around w/ other cats but there's one whose really -a-"Stray!!' I heard screaching,the make was trying to make her..pregnant[ya know] not funny] she must have fought him off..but I Am Worried,what if she’s still asleep while we’re ready to go out,is it better to keep her out because my mom told me she doesn’t want the cat inside while we’re gone..{she does get stuck in things,I’d be better off if she goes outside right..Please tell me what I should do..
What if I’m not back when she comes to the door?
Where will she go?
Will she go into the shed do Cats remember these things?
thank you..please tell me,I cannot loose her,
(Off-topic post deleted by site Guide)
Catherine, you may reply to my email, however your comments do not belong in a post about “Cat-Related Sleep Deprivation.”