Readers Respond: How did you solve cat-related sleep deprivation?

Have you lain awake at night because a cat is scratching at the door, running across your bed (and you), pawing at your face, or meowing to be fed? I've shared my own Top 10 Ways to avoid cat-related sleep deprivation. Here is your opportunity to share your own solutions with other readers. Perhaps you've come up with a novel idea not covered in my list.

Originality earns extra points. Here's how: When we have sufficient entries, I'll chose the top 6, and we'll have a poll to select the best one. Put the best spin on your answer - grammar and spelling are important too.

sleepless in Toronto cat

I tried even tried valium with my 20 pound muscle cat and it made him a little weak, but in 1/2 hour back to meowing and running up and down the hall way. The valium made him eat so much he puked. I have had my sleep disturbed all night and he of all 3 cats keep me up. I have circles under my eyes and want to kill him, but I try to pat him and settle him down. That only works for a half hour. Awwwwwwwwwwww eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek

—Guest Kate

Night Biter

I have an 8 month Kitten who loves to sleep with or near me. I love having her there except around 2 or 3 when she wants to play and she starts biting my arm until I get up and play. Sometimes I cover her with the blanket and that helps. When she doesn't stop and pushing her out of the bed doesn't work, I get up and play with her for a few minutes and then we can both sleep. My other cat, who is 4, doesn't really bother me. If I'm playing with the kitten she'll come out and play sometimes and then they both do about 5 minutes of chasing each other and play fighting. I go to sleep and they usually come back to sleep within minutes. I normally wake up at night to go to the bathroom or drink water. Sometimes, I think I deprive them of more sleep than they do me.

—Guest Cat Momma

The best sleeping aid in the world

Stroking, or even feeling the soft body of a cat is one of the best stress relievers in the world and will help you go to sleep. Even lowers blood pressure. Kittens sleep with mother cat. The cat's human is its mother cat, it wants to sleep with her/him. I am having great fun imagining me in my bedroom playing soothing tapes of birds sounds and my cats shut out of the bedroom, desperate to get at the birds. Not a recipe for sleep.

—Guest Constance

large dog crate

We use a large dog crate, put its litter box inside, put a small cat carrier inside with soft material inside and a small kitty bed secured on top of cat carrier, food dish and water dish. You had even put in some kind of propped up wood for scratching. Kitty goes in there before we go to bed and out in the morning. Ignore meowing, they will get used to it and soon stop as long as you don't reward their meowing by giving them attention once it's lights out. Plenty of dogs love their crates, and a cat can learn to as well. Some people sacrifice their sleep for the animal, or sacrifice marital harmony for their pet, but people and relationships come before pets! A tired and unhappy you is not fair to your spouse, your kids, or your employer.

—Guest me

Get a Heating Pad

My cat slept on my legs or feet all winter. Then I put an old heating pad under one layer of quilt and put it on low. Immediately he switched fro lying on me to lying near me on the heating pad. We were both happy.

—Guest amyarizona

Awaken the Vacuum Monster!

My cat was extra annoying at night. He would wake me once every hour or two, every night. I tried playing before bed, squirting with water, feeding him, locking him out, cat relaxant medications.. nothing would deter him. It was time for a creative solution. Like most cats, mine doesn't like the vacuum cleaner. I put the vacuum cleaner in the far corner of my bedroom, attached to a power bar by my head. Every time the cat attempted to wake his people, the vacuum monster roared to life. This scares the bejesus out of the cat, who would shut up for awhile. It took less than a week to get the point. The vacuum treatment stopped over three months ago, and the cat might try to wake me up once a week (Rather than once an hour).

—Guest Jebus

My Donut

The best way to get sleep was to listen to my cat, Donut. Once we had checked his food and I'd gone to the loo, he settled down for much longer. He knew about my eeds to. each tinme he took me to the bathroom, I did need to go.

—Guest mary2

Demon cats

My wife has 3 cats, all from before we were married. They're spoiled to sleeping with her/being fed on their time. I've been trying to keep them out of the room, building pillow forts outside the door supplemented with a baby gate & weights - they tear it all down and continue clawing / meowing at door. I feed them large amounts right before bed and they're indoor/outdoor cats with access to go outside any time. Ahhhh!

—Guest Aaron

elderly cat

Our 18-year-old deaf cat recently started meowing loudly between 3-4 a.m. We tried confining him in another room and using white noise (meow too loud); squirting him water (he just got wet); feeding him (he just started earlier); and veterinary sedative (he didn't sleep, just staggered). He's in good health, but I'm not.

—Guest not solved

Sleeping

My rescue cat used to wake me up every night meowing or pawing at me, since geting a new kitten, it has reduced quite dramatically as she now sleeps with her but she does occasionally paw at my nose or hair so she can sleep cuddled up in my arms. The little one is still a terror and often gets locked downstairs for some peace though!

—Guest Briony

What Sleep Deprivation?

I just taught myself to sleep through the noise. We have a multiple-cat, multiple-species household, so they entertain each other, and curl up to us to sleep.

—Gretchiesmom

Small price

One cat is a cuddler; she has slept in my hands, now arms, since the day her mother rejected her. Her purring and warmth help ME to sleep. Her mother was poisoned by the melamine food from China and is now dying from kidney failure. I wake up multiple times to care for her. Yes, I am exhausted, sleep-deprived, and sometimes soaked in urine, but she has given me her love and trust for 18 years. If that is my price to repay this magnificent love, I pay it. I dread the night she is no longer here.

—Guest BarbR7

Solved

Got a puppy - now the cat is happy to sleep in the living room to get some peace!

—Guest Hatty H

sleep time

well, my cat, Cookie would always wake me up in the night. At first I would ignore her and she would stop, but it continued. So then when she would play at night, i would yell NO and she would meow back to me and stop. Like she understood. But later on she still woke me up. So i used to get up, and toss her out the door. ( you see, i live upstairs in a 2 story house) then she could wander in to the kitchen or use the litter box. But the thing is, that i locked the door and kept her out the whole night. My cat likes my room because that is were her bed and toys are. It is also were i am. So she was not very pleased and would understand when i tossed her out. When i woke up she would be by my door waiting for me. I later on let her back in my room. She got used to my schedule and went to sleep when i closed the door and turned out the light, and woke up when i did. Later on she was my alarm clock. she really woke me up, right on time. i really loved having her as my clock!

—Guest zazawish

ignore the pesty cat

The solution for Rocky was when he meowed and purred I ignored him. When he lay quietly for 5-10 minutes or more, I'd get out of bed and feed him. I give him plenty of attention but he learned to let me sleep in the AM.

—Guest mike g