AboutDear Tabbi Expertise I try to help people understand their cats and their cat's behavior.
I do not answer questions about pedigreed cats as mine are, and always have been, from questionable parentage. Please remember I am NOT a veterinarian.
Experience At the current time I have 13 cats. All are spayed and neutered!
Since I was a child I have been owned by lots of cats and kittens of almost every temperment, behavior, and personality. I have experience with neurotic, disabled, stray, feral, and 'problem child' cats and kittens. (A few normal cats too!) Plus all the things a lifetime of owning cats has taught me that I want to share.
Expert: Dear Tabbi Date: 6/24/2008 Subject: new cat wont let me sleep!!
Question QUESTION: Hello Tabbi, my name is John, I am a 47 year old single male. I adopted a five year old female Calico cat from the Humane Society on April 25th, 2008, almost 2 months ago. Although this is my first cat, things seem to being going smoothly. I have two sisters who have cats, one for 15 years, I get alot of advice. The only issue was she had an upper respitory infection when I adopted her, I did not know that at the time. I took her to a vet who only treats cats, a 'cat only' clinic. She was given a shot of antibiotics and penicillian, which was repeated five days later. I bought a vaporizer and ran it near her while she slept per the vets request, within two weeks the virus had run its course and she is doing fine. My vet said ALL cats that come from the Humane Society end up with an upper respitory infection. My cat was only at the Humane Society five days before I adopted her, she was surrendered on April 20th and I adopted her on the 25th. My vet said she probably picked up the virus within the first hour. However, that is not why I am writing. For some reason my cat will not let me sleep at nite! I know cats are basically nocturnal, she does sleep alot during the day. From day one I put her in my bed and she now sleeps with me every nite. Except when I fall asleep she either starts to meow very loud or walks on top of me to wake me up! In the two months I have had her my sleep pattern has changed to where its like I work graveyard, 9 out of 10 nites I am up all nite and I just nap during the day. The only saving grace is that I am on permanent disability, so its not like I need to be up at 5am to go to work, but disabled or not I need my sleep. This morning was no different, it was about 6am, I had been up all nite and was trying to sleep, she was walking all over me, so I picked her up in my arms, gave her a hug and told her to go play, put her in the living room and shut the bederoom door. I had never done this. Within ten minutes I could hear something being knocked over, I got up, she had tipped over a stack of books, but to my suprise and shock she had defacated on the floor. I was stunned, she has had no problems what so ever with her litter box, she was obviously upset with me. I was not sure what to do, I cleaned up the mess, picked her up and told her she was a big girl and big girls use the litter box. ( I talk to her alot). I set her down in the litter box and looked at her and said 'this is where you go potty, OK?' She looked up and meowed like she understood. She is strictly an indoor cat, although I have several window perches for her. I picked her up and opened the front door and set her down outside and said ' if your not happy here you can leave'. She let out a mournful meow and walked back inside. I picked her up, told her she was a good kitty, told her I loved her, gave her a kiss and a hug and gave her a can of her favorite canned food. Some people would say that is rewarding bad behavior, but she is a cat, and I really did not know what else to do. A few hours later I went to bed, she slept with me, but this was during the day, during the day she does not wake me up. It is after midnite, and after trying to go to sleep she is up to her usual tricks, so it looks like I will be up all nite. Being on disibility is no picnic, I have not had much in the way of female relationships, so my cat fills a huge void in my life, she gives me love. If I am guilty of anything I would say it is spoiling her rotten, I do love her alot, she is a sweet kitty, very adorable, and wonderful company. I just dont know what to do about this issue of her not letting me sleep at nite. Someone suggested her previous owner had died and 'not waken up', but the paperwork from the Humane Society says she was surrendered because her previous owner had lost their job and could no longer afford to keep her. Any advice would be appreciated, thank you, John~ AKA Sleeplees in Phoenix!
ANSWER: Sleepless In Phoenix,
I can completely relate to your feelings and treatment of the cat. Your cat isn't spoiled....it's loved!
Calicos are stubborn, persistant, can get an attitude, and be a pain in the the butt...but they are loving, smart, and loyal. They are basically a one-person cat. I have two of them now, and have had some previously. They have always been my favorite type of cat.
You need to change your routine with the cat and get her used to the new one. Play with her right before you go to bed. A pet laser light is an excellent interactive toy (you can get them at PetSmart, Petco, etc.) A good play session before bedtime will tire her out, which is essential for a good nights sleep for you both! Give the cat a can of catfood (or her big meal) after you play with her, just before you go to bed. That way she will have a full tummy, be tired from playing, and will (hopefully!) sleep through the night (or most of it).
You need to put a stop to the bad habit of waking you up. THAT is the hardest part. To do that, you need to COMPLETELY ignore the cat when she starts it. Don't acknowledge her at all. No matter what she does or how long she does it. No verbal or physical acknowledgment at all. EVENTUALLY the cat will stop doing it if she's not getting any attention from it because that is the sole purpose of her actions. If her behavior gets your attention, then she will continue doing it. You HAVE to be consistant! If you respond to her even once it won't work any more and the habit will continue, even worse than before, because she has found that if she continues long enough EVENTUALLY you will give in to her attention getting behavior so she will keep it up (she hasn't got anything else to do).
You might also think about getting a kitty friend for her about the same age and temperment. That would give her somebody to play with and to keep her company which would take some of the pressure off of you to keep her entertained. It's not good for a cat to depend too much on humans for their companionship and play. A single cat is more likely to be annoying, demanding, and more destructive due to lack of stimulation and kitty companionship.
QUESTION: Hello Tabbi, and thank you for your response. I had no idea Calico's were that'different'. I just thought they were beautiful cats. Thanks for the advice, I did buy a laser toy a few weeks ago, she loves it. Even though I am home most the day, I guess she needs more one on one attention. I will try your advice of ignoring her, it will be hard, I am a light sleeper. Also, you have to understand, at 47 I am used to living and sleeping by myself, any movement on the bed can startle me awake, I bolt right up, so it will be a little hard to ignore her, but it sounds like the right course of action, including feeding her before bed. I forgot to mention when I adopted her and took her to the vet the first time and they weighed her, the vet said she was over weight, she weighs 12 pounds. I am supposed to bring her in for a rabies shot and check up in 6 months, my vet said she would like to see the cat at 10 pounds. From looking at her and looking at other cats, she is fat!! I'm afraid she has gained weight since I have had her. I usually give her a can of cat food a day, but I split it in two, its a small can, 3 ounces. I give her half, then later in the day I give her the other half, the rest of the time I fill her bowl with dried food. My vet said that is a no no, that my cat should not have access to food 24/7. If I try to give her a full 3 oz. can of cat food she will eat to much and throw up. If I don't put dry food in her bowl in between when I give her her canned food, even a half portion she eats so fast she throws up. So I am faced with the task of changing her eating habits as well. As I said, she is a big girl compared to other cats, but changing her eating habits have also been hard. I guess I will have to start feeding her a special 'diet' cat food, but that is dried, I noticed her bowel movements are better when she eats soft canned. I don't want to take her to the vet in six months and have her weigh 15 pounds! Do you think feeding her right before bed is a good idea? Any other ideas you might have on her loosing weight? I also bought her a leash and collar, hoping to take her out side once a day, just to play, but she is to skittish, if a car goes by she really gets scared, she did not seem to enjoy it so I stopped taking her outside. Well, it is again after midnite, I slept all day and will be up all nite, give round two to kitty. Right now she is running around meowing and bouncing off the walls like she really needs some attention, what a pistol! P.S., I named her Princess, so you can get an idea from her name I do spoil her. Thank you again, John~
Answer Awake in Phoenix,
Quite a few vets do not agree with free-choice feeding, and a lot think some cats need to always be on a diet. I don't agree. I have ALWAYS fed my cats free-choice (always a bowl of dry available) and I have NEVER had an overweight cat. Cats actually eat LESS when it is always there. They like to munch and nibble. Some cats, like people, are built bigger than others. Some cats have a large frame which is normal for them. Some cats are tiny and petite. If your cat was ALWAYS at the food bowl, and then just slept all day (and night), then she could get a weight problem. But if she is eating normally, getting exercise, and is happy and healthy then I wouldn't worry about her weight. She just may be a 'big girl'. I have a 'big boy' who is built stocky and husky, and weighs a ton. People call him a 'fat cat' but he barely eats anything compared to my other cats. That is normal for him and nothing to worry about.
Have you tried getting a cat video for your cat to watch? My cats LOVE them. I have 3 of them! Here is a link to two of the ones I have: http://petsittervideos.com/index.html
About feeding her at night. If it works, yes I recommend it. If you want to cut down on her food intake then feed her the half a can once a day...at night and see how it goes.
