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.

sleep deprivation

Excuse my english, I'm french, I've got a magnificent brillant White chinchilla persian (spectre james bond) His owners give him to me when he had 5 and always living inside. Immediatly he went out and knew the beautiful life, garden, birds, butterflies, even twice he came back home with a mouse and other time a red-throat. At the beginning he woke me up 6 am, the second I spoke to him and said : Now it's finish, look at me, never, never for all the years we'll stay together you'll take me out of bed at dawn, (shouting) you'll have to take new habits, I give you love, good food, tenderness and what do you do, you disturb me, you make me feel angry, do you understand, FINISH after that speech, since nowadays never for ever he came waking up me, at my great astonishment, he perfectly understood me. Today, I speak to him and explain what to do, what's wrong (few people could think I'm a little mental deficient, but some psy do the same to babies, the cleverness is everywhere, Anne

—Guest franny

sleeping

get a scat mat to put at the shut door keeps them away!!

—Guest Pat

Family room

I too used to sleep with all four of my cats. One would cuddle under the covers and leave and then another would take her place and this would go on all night... I am such a light sleeper that I finally had to put a stop to them sleeping in my room. Now they let me know when it is 9 o'clock and they head for the family room downstairs. They know they get a bedtime treat and then the door is closed and stays that way until it's time for breakfast. The family room is totally furnished and their litterboxes are downstairs, so they don't seem to mind and best of all, I can finally sleep through the night!!

—kismutt

Cat Behaviour at Night

Cats are the most loving "things" God Created. They give their human Papas and Mamas purest Love ! So, if you have to get up at night to attend to them you should not mind it - you put up with your kids, then why not with Cat-boys and Cat -girls ? Mine use to wake me up at 4 a.m. because that was his time to go out ! But his way to wake me was so gentle - I never felt bad. The Lift used to be off at that time so I walked him all the way down 6 Floors - I live in a 6F apartment ! My wonderful Cat- boy.

—Guest Vincent

nursecat

I put my two cats in their own room and shut the door at night. They get a treat and go in their room. It has their food, water, litter boxes, toys, climbing furnitore and window perches in it. They have no problem doing this. In the morning we open the door.

—Guest Bluebellesmom

No more sleeping with me on work days

I work overnights, so I have to sleep in the afternoon/evening. O just gets lonely for me about 2 hours before I need to get up. And sometimes U comes and starts pawing to get under the covers. U is silent. O is not. I finally had to make the difficult decision that, on those evenings, they just can't sleep with me. I think I miss them more than they miss me.

—acter

Back to bed

Most of my problem comes when I've had to get up at night (bathroom visit) and am trying to go back to bed. They think Mommy's up, it's snuggle/play time. What worked - pulling them under the covers. They curl up on or beside me, I rub their chin or tummy and we all purr back to sleep. But otherwise, they see the sun coming up and once they fail to get me to pay attention, they go and get the dog up! Being heavier and louder, she is much toughter to ignore when she wants attention.

—Guest Susan

door scratching

when i have to shut a door, i learned the hard way to first put down doublesided tape. I had the carpeting ruined around 2 bedroom doors before I figured this out. I use Sticky Paws tape.

—Guest kim

Sleep? What Sleep?

My cat Waco yowls to go outside. Only he doesn't just do it at night he does it 24/7. Doesn't matter that he was just outside not 10 minutes before. He will keep this up for HOURS. Per extensive testing at the vet, there is nothing medically wrong its a behavior issue. So, I have resorted to putting him in "their room" for the night with the door closed and a rug in front of the crack of the door. And, because he is so loud, I also use earplugs. At some point he eventually settles down and curls up in their scratching post/pedastile bed and goes to sleep. Of course, other times he must have his girlfriend Chasca with him before they snuggle together and he'll quiet down. I've also used catnip. He'll roll around in it, eat it, wig out for a while and then sit and be pleasantly out-of-it which gives poor me some much needed relief!

—Guest Debbie

cat-related sleep deprivation

I can't do any of the above. I love her too much and since I work most of the day and she is nocturnal, I just give her the love she wants and go back to sleep immediately. It's a habit I enjoy.

—Guest Joanne

Sleep

When I lived in a Studio apt., there was no door for the sleep area. My 2 cats kept me up all night. I found out that if I feed them only at night, they eat until they are full, groom themselves and go to sleep for awhile, which lets me fall asleep in peace. I've used it with all my cats, and it works wonders. If the cat bowl is empty during the day, don't replenish it until your bedtime.

—Guest tjblondstorm

sleep deprivation

I close my bedroom door and position a SSScat (which Franny recommends to stop counter surfing) in front of the closed bedroom door. Keeps kitties away all night long.

—Guest Jill