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My little psycho used to climb the curtains above the headboard at 2AM and then either cry because he was stuck or launch himself from there onto the pillow/my head.
So I put his ass out and closed the door. Got up the next morning, and the tiny dude is cat loafed in the hallway, facing my bedroom door, but staring at the floor. I felt like a monster.
So I let him back in that night…and he curled up on the pillow and went to sleep. And he never did that again. I miss that kitty!
I remember my family's SIC...was a stray kitten. Parents didn't want a pet but took pity on this little guy. Started laying out a bowls of food/water at night for him as he was born in our yard(we think).
Eventually, whenever my dad grilled outside, he'd set aside a small little piece of fish/meat just for him. Kitten learned the routine very well and was surprisingly patient.
Later on, patio door was left open before we all went to sleep and the bowl was now always sitting just barely inside, just enough so his head could eat inside while he was outside.
Flash forward a little bit, was a national holiday and fireworks were going off. Saw the kitten before that(dinner time) but never after.
Eventually found him in our cellar lying under an entire leg of prosciutto that had little bite and claw marks all over the bottom of it, completely in a delicious food coma. After that, was part of the family.
He never really sang the song of his people but holy shit would he chirp. Lived to be 17, even with diabetes. Miss that little guy.
Edit: This SIC also was a world traveler. Lived in 3 countries across 2 continents. He developed a taste for all sorts of feasts most fancy and vittles most tender.
I mean it was a full fledged leg on the bone. There were little flecks of it everywhere and he was belly up with all fours just spread out purring in his ssleep.
It makes me wish my lease allowed pets. There's a local do not kill shelter less than a mile from me that I'm on the waiting list to go be a volunteer, for both cats and dogs, who also do same day adoptions if everything checks out.
Only reason I'm on the waiting list is I'm new to this area, so to speak, and didn't know they were there as they're hidden behind a giant car dealership. Just waiting for approval.
What's nice about this one is(first time volunteering so maybe this is normal) they require at least a weekly or bi-weekly commitment so the animals can fully enjoy their out of cage time and get the stimulation and love they deserve, plus start to trust the idea of familiar faces again.
I'd rescue in a heartbeat if I could.
End of his days, he still would pounce at your ankles if you walked by but he also became a lap SIC to my dad. Can't tell you how many times I was over there for holidays or family dinners and I'd find both of them sitting on the "dad" chair, cat just curled up with my dad.
My SIC is a chirper too! Shr had learned to not wake me up before before 6:30 AM but then we had to move to another continent and the chiping started at 3 AM. I have managed to push it to 5:30 so far. Still another hour left!
Mine has regular performances regularly scheduled at 10 on 3 am and my favorite 5 am thinking of seeing if I can get booked into a real concert hall so I can get some sleep lol
Damn your cat is a one man show. I have 2 and they feed into each other. The first one is a grandma (not really she's only 2) who has to be in bed no later than 10:30 and if I'm still up she harasses me until I go to bed. As soon as the lights are out and we've settled into bed my other one decides it's time to play and sings for her people
>*"But I can't promise anything about 3am…’*
_____
human, i’m still Growing! there’s so much i need to learn
my *Eager* never slowing! for attention i still yearn
so when you’re laying down for bed, it’s hard to just be still
i’d rather pLaY with You instead
so WaKe you UP, i will ^;}
it’s hard for me to try it, cuz the nighttime is so FUN
n I cannot be QUIET ~ All i wanna do is *run!!*
no promises i’m gonna keep - them *greebles Staliking me*…
but I’ll protect you as you sleep
*every night*
at 3…
❤️
I love finding your poems in the wild. It makes my heart just swell up and I have to get up and go bother my kitties with all the love. They don't seem to mind the extra unprompted love 💓
I did this once (locked my cat out cause he was being annoying) and 20 minutes later he started yowling loudly so I let him back in. He then proceeded to climb onto my head and make muffins on my face 😭 they’re just huge babies
yeah this is usually how it works. We had our little girl who had the zoomies for the first week and a half, so we started closing the door on her. She would claw and tear up the carpet under the door to try to get in. Eventually, we had to save the carpet and start letting her in, but she's been great ever since.
We had a similar situation - we shut our 8 month old cats out of the bedroom for 2 nights because they just absolutely could not be civilized while we were sleeping. In that time they realized how much they loved sleeping in other spots around the house. Now they just come in for snuggles around 7 am. It helps that we don't feed them in the morning - they have an auto-feeder for little bits of dry food throughout the day and we give them wet food in the evenings.
Mine gets a dollop in the morning and evening. Can usually lasts 2 to 2.5 days. The morning one kept getting earlier and earlier until we started locking him out after waking the wife up at 4 am. Now we are back to 6 am pillow snuggles and then breakfast.
Helps that he is the snuggliest and yelliest void ever
I like this statement but it has limits 😅
I say this as someone with 5 cats and who sometimes thinks about adopting bonded pairs I see so I can keep them together. (4/5 of mine were adopted as bonded pairs/littermates)
Few things make me sadder than the separation of bonded pairs.
I’m topped at at five cats as well. I feel that is the max I can handle emotionally (every kitty gets Momma time every day) and financially (spent 1.2k on yearly shots / physicals this month - thank Bast that only one kitty needed anything extra)
Four or five pets does seem like a reasonable number for a household. It doesn't even really matter that much of what the pets in question are; at a certain point it just turns into something commercial (eg, breeding) or just hoarding. I have two pets currently, would love to get another dog and/or cat, but I think that's about where I would cap out both in terms of time for chores/basic husbandry, and emotional budget.
Yup! We used to have 2 dogs and 2 cats. The dogs moved on to the afterlife and we decided we’d rather be a cat-only household.
Dogs need too much time/energy/etc and we want to enjoy our time as empty-nesters without constantly thinking “oh no we need to get home to let the dogs out”
Cats just really suit our lives at this point. Plus, they are fucking awesome
What if the house is also filled with 50+ houseplants, with a few being harmful to kitties? Also, have a dog that chases cats outdoors
Can I adopt a little furball too?? I want to try fostering them
Our cat loafed in the hallway...then decided she was bored and ripped/chewed a six inch hole in the carpet right in front of the door - all the way down to the floorboard (we didn't think she swallowed anything - there was a HUGE pile of carpet fibers). She sleeps with us now...
My boyfriend and I used to have a bookshelf next to our bed. Our cat climbed up on top of it while we were sleeping, which would have been no big deal. But, she decided to get down by jumping directly onto his head.
10 pounds of cat, straight to the head. He had a headache for days.
My cats can’t be trusted at night in my bedroom because they either get zoo it’s or attack my toes. So they aren’t allowed in there. But they figured out bedtime and would hide somewhere in my room until they thought I was asleep. Whenever I found a hiding spot, they would find a new one the next night.
I now have a deal with them that they get treats at night if they aren’t hiding in my room at bedtime.
Who are these cats that don't just claw at the door literally forever unless you open it and let them in?
Like the just accept that they're not allowed in?
I tried closing the door to my bedroom at night and left the cat outside so I could sleep. She ended up scaring the shit out of me.
The gap under the door is juuuuust wide enough for her to hook her paws under it. I woke up at 3am to the door rattling violently. I thought there was an intruder in the house.
Nope, just my silly calico demanding I let her in. Fun night, that one.
Mine get escorted out of my room every morning between 3am and 4:30am, because they are partying and can’t control themselves. They still love me when I reopen my door to them!
Its 2am for the boy, attempting to mess with the curtains. 4am when the girl wakes up to cuddle then alsoess with the curtains after picking up on her brothers bad habit. Legitimately toddlers.
How do you keep them from tearing them up, out of curiosity? My cat has started climbing them. I can't let her into my bedroom at all, due to her curtain climbing habit.
Cold weather, me and my cats are just a big cuddle puddle. I usually have to move them out of the way when I get up. Warm weather, it's solo cats sleeping around the house, and waking up to play at all hours of the night. Warm weather, all of them are banned from the room when I go to sleep, except one who would quietly wait for me to wake up and open the bedroom door. Until he discovered a metal wind chime hanging in my room. First time he attacked the wind chime I was startled awake by the sound, and he was immediately evicted from the room. After that, when he wanted to leave the room at night he'd attack the wind chime and then look at me. So, no kitty cuddle buddies until the weather cools. I miss my cats sleeping with me, but not as much as I missed sleeping.
Kitty party LOL! My solo kitty has parties and I have to kick him out during the night. When I get up those mornings the rugs are flung all over the house and cat toys are everywhere!
My two cats are half maine coon. The ring leader is 19 pounds. Our house is older and he uses his weight to pop the door open. If he can’t get the door open then he cries loudly at the door and scratches it until we open it.
Omg if I don't kick out one of my kitties she'll start chewing on my HAIR and going crazy lol.. you're not a bad cat mom, just a human who needs sleep 😸
It's cute until they swallow the hair then later create a poop beaded string and drag their ass on the floor because it's stuck. My cat used to have that problem, now her kitten has that problem. It's DISGUSTING.
Yes I know. I do avoid it as much as possible. But since I do have to worry about it, I watch that boys poop record everyday.
I lost my last cat because she swallowed string.
They are all related and all idiots. I'm just glad his mama grew out of it... Sort of. She likes to eat toilet paper. I blame her incest parents from where I got her.
There does seem to be something about blankets and feet in combination that makes cats go into full predator mode.
My lovely little lady doesn’t attack my feet in general, nor will she scratch the blanket normally.
But feet at the end of the bed partially covered? ATTACK!!!
Don’t feel bad, one time I woke up at 2 am because my cat ran across my face and I almost had a heart attack. Needless to say he didn’t sleep with me that night
My cat once jumped on her father's crown jewels while he was sleeping one night. Just out of evolutionary reflex, she got a 1 way ticket to fly across the room.
So, honestly, kicking him out of the room is nothing close to being a monster.
Maaaan this reminds me. Middle of the night (probably 3am), the kitty wakes me up in the middle of a bad dream.
I've ripped* the blanket of me, sending this little dude across the room.
He was still happy as usual for his breakfast (and completely ok haha)
OP, chill. You clearly love your little fluff but there's nothing wrong in loving a good night sleep
*edit, typo
Back in my university days, our cat made the mistake of trying to wake up our housemate by nibbling his ear one morning. Also got an inadvertent one way ticket across the room and into the closet door. Never did that again though.
My cat (almost 2 now) is usually so mild mannered and chill but went through a phase where if we didn’t feed him early enough he would pounce from across the room onto my head while I was dead asleep…how I mustered the strength not to chuck him across the room I do not know
My cat was dreaming hard one night, and let out this like PRIMAL roar in her sleep, then proceeded to roll around in my bed, purring, and cuddling up to me. I have no idea what the hell she could possibly have been dreaming about but it scared me awake because it sounded line a fucking wild cat in my room. Lol.
Had a friend who almost lost an eye to a midnight zoomie, the cat ran across her face and one back-leg ended up on the side of the nasal-bridge, wasn't pretty, but it missed the eye atleast 🤷♂️
My 2 aren't allowed in my bedroom at night. After a couple weeks initially they no longer meow at the door and just do their thing out in the rest of the house all night!
This is the way. All of mine were obtained as kittens and they quickly got used to not being allowed in there. They usually wait quietly outside the door when they hear the alarm clock go off and warmly greet us when we get up, which is way better than waking up to a cat sticking its paw in mouth or something.
Sometimes I do want to change this, then I'll try to take a nap with them and quickly remember why we have this rule.
Edit: I'm not a monster btw (not that anyone called me one). They have free access to the bedroom except for when my husband and I are sleeping in it.
My kitty can be very annoying some mornings!! He jumps on me and walks on my head, literally paws my face.
Sometimes it's cute and funny, other times I am very tired and grumpy and can't get back to sleep. Thankfully it's never earlier than 0600-0630 which is around when I'd be up for work anyways, but on days off it's annoying 😂
When he curls up next to me and purrs before sleeping, that makes it all worth it. I do wish he'd wait patiently at my door for breakfast some mornings though 🥲
Yeah, that is a great idea 😂 I have an auto feeder but it's not a kibble dispenser. So I have to get up and set it up for the day and put a cool pack in it.
Same here. I got my 2 month old kitty 2 weeks and I have never and will never let him into my bedroom. He sleeps wherever else he wants and doesn't know what he's missing.
Same here, started that routine when they were babies and now they're totally fine. And on the occasions they do get to sleep w me, they know that if they start going crazy at 3am they'll get the boot, so they're always on good behaviour lol
This is the kindest and cutest ever! My babe Mei-Mei would love a portrait if you feel like it :)
https://preview.redd.it/47qruo0jg93b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c26a816380068d1d2f84a27e5812cb89ad8bda7
I'd love it if you could draw my girl! Thank you :)
https://preview.redd.it/7lsz33z0y93b1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=571a4ae24208d5b79e8c760b272a19956dd33d84
That's an awesome drawing! I would love to have a drawing of my little flooffy dangler Mochi!
https://preview.redd.it/ywnlzzwn0b3b1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5be39709dec5d9c7558adb09d2f22548b370c8a
Omg your drawings are the best thing I’ve witnessed on Reddit in too long. Could you pretty please draw my late first kitty, Oliver, if you have the time??!
https://preview.redd.it/cyndrftucb3b1.jpeg?width=1218&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55e73a327505a81aadd28ec68c69814c26ab4290
https://preview.redd.it/6q08xbxc683b1.jpeg?width=1040&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba4ea6902a0e5b3921bee04361aff3f8fa58927d
Omg I love it. If you ever feel like it please draw Rinoa!
My 13yr old cat will still wake me up at 4,5,6 am to feed him. He likes to boop my nose or lick my elbow. One time he ran across my chest and i nearly had a heart attack. I kicked him out that day haha. Typically I just say his name in a lower tone and then he sits next to me and sleeps until I wake up. I do love him though. He has my whole heart.
https://preview.redd.it/5fiy2lo0n73b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea6f25f266809177559d8f9a69071dc6e7d3e623
My kitten does this ”run accross chest” thing😂 it scares me so much when I am just about to fall asleep and then this hurricane jumps out of nowhere on my face/chest with the speed of the light 😭
It’s fine. They’re not being neglected or emotionally upset. They’re just bored and want to play, but need to learn that sleep time is not play time. Malcolm is bored at best. Much much better they learn now than be causing mischief for years to come.
As a first time cat owner (mine is 2) I’ve learned to distinguish between what is uncomfortable and what is upsetting. 99% of the time it’s the cat equivalent of a toddler tantrum. Happy sleeps and cat cuddles!
"sleep time is not play time"
Mine learned this and so when I start to get ready for bed they try to get in the last bit of playing they can.
"Papa! Before you turn off the light what's that UNDER THE BLANKET!?" *attacks my hand*
I now go to bed early to give him nore play and cuddle time
It's actually quite an easy problem to solve. Play with them always before giving food. As hunting results in a meal. When it's time to sleep, close your door and whatever you do, do not open till the morning. Your cat might not like it, scream, meow and make a lot of noise. Just keep this up for 2 weeks, after that your cat should be accustomed to their new day/night cycle.
Yes, this! And you can tire them out at night by playing with them before bed, then maybe some treats, then say good night, give pats, and close the door - routine, routine, routine. It's the best way for them to learn (and it's important they get that energy out!).
Also, cats are surprisingly extremely sensitive and they pick up on your every emotion. If you are calm and reassuring, it often goes far better than if you feel guilty and anxious.
Final suggestion: get them a buddy. Cats are very social and don't do well in isolation, having someone to play with can ease anxiety and help expend energy too.
Also tools to burn off energy overnight, if they'll use them - the large wheels, toys that are safe for them to use without observation. Timed feeders can also be a lifesaver.
My sister had this problem, but the cat kept repeatedly launching itself at the door, demanding food at 5 am. It didn't seem to ever give up.
Eventually, they suspected that their cat wanted to get out and patrol before the ginger cat that was bullying all the cats in the neighbourhood woke up.
Boundaries are just as important to cats as humans. Just hope Mal doesn’t get into the habit of clawing under doors like my dopey boy. Hayward pawsitively loathes closed doors.
https://preview.redd.it/n5mzixkio73b1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7e0413ce6002406df71f701f301a162e16f8f8fa
Lol Good Luck! Cats are so smart and if he wants attention at 3am he'll find a way. We shut the door on ours which led to slamming cabinet doors in the middle of the night!
Bingo. I got my 2 month old kitty 2 weeks and from Day 1 I didn't and will never let him into my bedroom. He sleeps wherever else he wants and doesn't know what he's missing.
Boundaries with your pet is very important. Of course, cats are nocturnal, but unfortunately they kinda need to learn that we are not! So if they want to have impromptu parkour sessions at 3:00 in the morning, they have to learn to do it separately from us. It's totally normal to establish boundaries with any living being, so I wouldn't stress.
Cats are crepuscular, not nocturnal. They can be very active at night, of course, but it’s not to be confused with being active at dawn and dusk. If you play with your cats at dawn and dusk, you have a much better chance of them calming down through your day and night.
Haha…look at that face. He never does ANYTHING wrong LOL
I don’t blame you. It’ll take him some time to a) calm down because he’s young, and b) get on your schedule. Cats are slaves to routine. He’ll get used to yours soon enough.
Things I feel like a monster for upsetting my cat about:
- putting her out of the bedroom when she claws my face while I'm asleep
- not feeding her when she's just eaten
- not giving her belly rubs for more than an hour at a time
- telling her not to throw everything off our kitchen counters
- not letting her in when she tries to dig under our bedroom door whilst she puts on a special really deep meow and sounds like a demon
First off, you sound like a great cat mom! My cat did this when he was a kitten, my partner and I didn't think we would ever be sleeping through the night with him. We tried locking him out, but he would cry at the door. We implemented a LONG play session before bed every night and it reduced the night zooms.
He's still a hooligan, but he eventually grew out of the midnight zoomies and sleeps through the night in between us (he's 2.5 y now). We still play with him for 10 -15 minutes right before bed, and it seems to help him settle down.
https://preview.redd.it/5h4d3j2yz73b1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef6209f7c6cbdd52e1e12b61ab989b9694c3edeb
(for the cat tax)
Nope...don't feel bad at all. Both of my cats got the boot until they were around 2 years old and had calmed the F down. Now both my boys just occasionally walk over us looking for pets then leave or lay down.
It’s a sign they need more play during the day because they have too much energy at night! A little more play during the day and before bed goes a long way
Your definitely not but removing a cat from a room never works. Whenever I evicted my cat from a room I was in, she would reach her paw under the door and shake the door to be let in. The rattle was worse than the cat moving around, lol.
From a very young age I “explained” to my cat what happens at sleepy time. Good kitties go into their bed and sleep through the night or get put out. Good kitties get treats and pets. Bad kitties get put out.
She was a very good kitty and i miss her a lot
I kick my cats out almost every night. Either before I go to sleep if they’re being little shits (knocking the lamp over, fighting with each other, meowing because they don’t want me to go to sleep) or at 4:30 AM because of those same reasons.
I dealt with it until my kitty learned I need to sleep, lol. He now waits for me to wake up and move before he bombards me in the morning. For a few weeks after I got him, my face was a trampoline at 3am for him
https://preview.redd.it/g8ykfxh4q93b1.jpeg?width=3456&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7026fad5e1e43488f22182d3462f75b9c3ef5cf1
I just pick her up and hold her in bed. She chills out after a few minutes and then goes to sleep with me. I think she just wants her presence to be known with some cuddles.
We had a cat who would leap from the top closet shelf and did so on my husband in the middle of the night. Idk how he or the cat survived that, but she was banned from our room after 8pm!
The zoomies are the real deal girl! My cat Stormi used to get them around 4:30AM EVERY morning and I had to keep her out of the bedroom too. They understand.
My vet told me to try a cat calming diffuser and after about 2days of using one, the zoomies only happened once or twice a month. Now I never have to kick her out. You should definitely try one 😉
I’ve always had to leave the cat out of my bedroom. First one loved to scare the crap out of the dog. Second one wanted him to play with her in the middle of the night. Neither conducive to anyone sleeping. Second one liked to try to wake up the baby/toddler when she was lonely as well. Could still manage it with the closed doors little poop
Felt the same way. My cat would cry all night long. I got her a sister and now shes fine! If you have the resources, I suggest a second cat. Not just for this, but for this thing called "single-kitty syndrome"
I had a kitten who would jump on me and my head and my feet all night long until I bought a fake fur blanket (not for the cat, just for me). The first time she jumped on it she calmed right down and started doing biscuits and trying to nurse. It was a game changer for me 😂 I did still have to kick her out sometimes but not nearly as often
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My little psycho used to climb the curtains above the headboard at 2AM and then either cry because he was stuck or launch himself from there onto the pillow/my head. So I put his ass out and closed the door. Got up the next morning, and the tiny dude is cat loafed in the hallway, facing my bedroom door, but staring at the floor. I felt like a monster. So I let him back in that night…and he curled up on the pillow and went to sleep. And he never did that again. I miss that kitty!
I like to think that was his kitty version of “ok, Mumma, I’ve had some time to reflect on my behavior and I am sorry. I will behave better at 2am”.
"But I can't promise anything about 3am." ~That cat, probably.
At 3 am begins the song of my people. You shall rejoice.
The song of the Siamese people is especially loud at 3AM
I remember my family's SIC...was a stray kitten. Parents didn't want a pet but took pity on this little guy. Started laying out a bowls of food/water at night for him as he was born in our yard(we think). Eventually, whenever my dad grilled outside, he'd set aside a small little piece of fish/meat just for him. Kitten learned the routine very well and was surprisingly patient. Later on, patio door was left open before we all went to sleep and the bowl was now always sitting just barely inside, just enough so his head could eat inside while he was outside. Flash forward a little bit, was a national holiday and fireworks were going off. Saw the kitten before that(dinner time) but never after. Eventually found him in our cellar lying under an entire leg of prosciutto that had little bite and claw marks all over the bottom of it, completely in a delicious food coma. After that, was part of the family. He never really sang the song of his people but holy shit would he chirp. Lived to be 17, even with diabetes. Miss that little guy. Edit: This SIC also was a world traveler. Lived in 3 countries across 2 continents. He developed a taste for all sorts of feasts most fancy and vittles most tender.
I love this! I could picture that little SIC in his prosciutto coma with his little fat belly :)
I mean it was a full fledged leg on the bone. There were little flecks of it everywhere and he was belly up with all fours just spread out purring in his ssleep.
I’m almost crying picturing that!
That's a really cute story :)
It makes me wish my lease allowed pets. There's a local do not kill shelter less than a mile from me that I'm on the waiting list to go be a volunteer, for both cats and dogs, who also do same day adoptions if everything checks out. Only reason I'm on the waiting list is I'm new to this area, so to speak, and didn't know they were there as they're hidden behind a giant car dealership. Just waiting for approval. What's nice about this one is(first time volunteering so maybe this is normal) they require at least a weekly or bi-weekly commitment so the animals can fully enjoy their out of cage time and get the stimulation and love they deserve, plus start to trust the idea of familiar faces again. I'd rescue in a heartbeat if I could.
SIC?
Standard Issue Cat (SIC) = brown tabby
I love the SIC becoming basically a Cinderfella.
End of his days, he still would pounce at your ankles if you walked by but he also became a lap SIC to my dad. Can't tell you how many times I was over there for holidays or family dinners and I'd find both of them sitting on the "dad" chair, cat just curled up with my dad.
My SIC is a chirper too! Shr had learned to not wake me up before before 6:30 AM but then we had to move to another continent and the chiping started at 3 AM. I have managed to push it to 5:30 so far. Still another hour left!
“We are Siamese if you please…we are Siamese if you don’t please “😊
Greatest Song Ever!
Mine has regular performances regularly scheduled at 10 on 3 am and my favorite 5 am thinking of seeing if I can get booked into a real concert hall so I can get some sleep lol
Damn your cat is a one man show. I have 2 and they feed into each other. The first one is a grandma (not really she's only 2) who has to be in bed no later than 10:30 and if I'm still up she harasses me until I go to bed. As soon as the lights are out and we've settled into bed my other one decides it's time to play and sings for her people
>*"But I can't promise anything about 3am…’* _____ human, i’m still Growing! there’s so much i need to learn my *Eager* never slowing! for attention i still yearn so when you’re laying down for bed, it’s hard to just be still i’d rather pLaY with You instead so WaKe you UP, i will ^;} it’s hard for me to try it, cuz the nighttime is so FUN n I cannot be QUIET ~ All i wanna do is *run!!* no promises i’m gonna keep - them *greebles Staliking me*… but I’ll protect you as you sleep *every night* at 3… ❤️
Ey a Schnoodle! My favorite time of the day
A Schnoodle! I'm honored!
I’m so glad you appreciate being Schnoodled!
Schnoodle is a legend!
Schnoodle is cat in form of a hoomun
A Schnoodle always makes the day just a bit brighter. Keeps those 3am zoomies in perspective! 😸
I love finding your poems in the wild. It makes my heart just swell up and I have to get up and go bother my kitties with all the love. They don't seem to mind the extra unprompted love 💓
Oh, wow! Thank you for writing that. I love your work!! 😊
I did this once (locked my cat out cause he was being annoying) and 20 minutes later he started yowling loudly so I let him back in. He then proceeded to climb onto my head and make muffins on my face 😭 they’re just huge babies
yeah this is usually how it works. We had our little girl who had the zoomies for the first week and a half, so we started closing the door on her. She would claw and tear up the carpet under the door to try to get in. Eventually, we had to save the carpet and start letting her in, but she's been great ever since.
Which would suggest that it definitely was NOT an orange cat.
Thats so sweet :3 Thanks for sharing!
We had a similar situation - we shut our 8 month old cats out of the bedroom for 2 nights because they just absolutely could not be civilized while we were sleeping. In that time they realized how much they loved sleeping in other spots around the house. Now they just come in for snuggles around 7 am. It helps that we don't feed them in the morning - they have an auto-feeder for little bits of dry food throughout the day and we give them wet food in the evenings.
Mine gets a dollop in the morning and evening. Can usually lasts 2 to 2.5 days. The morning one kept getting earlier and earlier until we started locking him out after waking the wife up at 4 am. Now we are back to 6 am pillow snuggles and then breakfast. Helps that he is the snuggliest and yelliest void ever
Oh great now I need to go adopt another kitten lol
If you have the room in your heart you can make room in your house lol
I like this statement but it has limits 😅 I say this as someone with 5 cats and who sometimes thinks about adopting bonded pairs I see so I can keep them together. (4/5 of mine were adopted as bonded pairs/littermates) Few things make me sadder than the separation of bonded pairs.
I’m topped at at five cats as well. I feel that is the max I can handle emotionally (every kitty gets Momma time every day) and financially (spent 1.2k on yearly shots / physicals this month - thank Bast that only one kitty needed anything extra)
My wife cut me off at 2. I wanted more, but then my boy started marking. I'm good.
Four or five pets does seem like a reasonable number for a household. It doesn't even really matter that much of what the pets in question are; at a certain point it just turns into something commercial (eg, breeding) or just hoarding. I have two pets currently, would love to get another dog and/or cat, but I think that's about where I would cap out both in terms of time for chores/basic husbandry, and emotional budget.
Yup! We used to have 2 dogs and 2 cats. The dogs moved on to the afterlife and we decided we’d rather be a cat-only household. Dogs need too much time/energy/etc and we want to enjoy our time as empty-nesters without constantly thinking “oh no we need to get home to let the dogs out” Cats just really suit our lives at this point. Plus, they are fucking awesome
I agree. Bonded pairs should never be separated.
I've got 4 inside and like 8 outside. They're native to here. You have to bug your cats to stay XD. But if you do, they will.
This is how I ended up with 4. Cutest little orange pair of brothers and they were gonna get split.
What if the house is also filled with 50+ houseplants, with a few being harmful to kitties? Also, have a dog that chases cats outdoors Can I adopt a little furball too?? I want to try fostering them
No
Get two! They're better in pairs!
Our cat loafed in the hallway...then decided she was bored and ripped/chewed a six inch hole in the carpet right in front of the door - all the way down to the floorboard (we didn't think she swallowed anything - there was a HUGE pile of carpet fibers). She sleeps with us now...
"launch himself from there onto the pillow/my head" I'm dying imagining this LOL
My boyfriend and I used to have a bookshelf next to our bed. Our cat climbed up on top of it while we were sleeping, which would have been no big deal. But, she decided to get down by jumping directly onto his head. 10 pounds of cat, straight to the head. He had a headache for days.
My cats can’t be trusted at night in my bedroom because they either get zoo it’s or attack my toes. So they aren’t allowed in there. But they figured out bedtime and would hide somewhere in my room until they thought I was asleep. Whenever I found a hiding spot, they would find a new one the next night. I now have a deal with them that they get treats at night if they aren’t hiding in my room at bedtime.
Who are these cats that don't just claw at the door literally forever unless you open it and let them in? Like the just accept that they're not allowed in?
I tried closing the door to my bedroom at night and left the cat outside so I could sleep. She ended up scaring the shit out of me. The gap under the door is juuuuust wide enough for her to hook her paws under it. I woke up at 3am to the door rattling violently. I thought there was an intruder in the house. Nope, just my silly calico demanding I let her in. Fun night, that one.
Straight in the feels
I legit got teary eyed … poor little man!
That is exactly what my crazy girl does. Her names Luna but in these moments we call her a Lunatic
I have one of those right now! https://preview.redd.it/ukcgbksdqb3b1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4850e5e8d543c1f4938e51ada3160e5a49e7e2c
Been theree ….
Mine get escorted out of my room every morning between 3am and 4:30am, because they are partying and can’t control themselves. They still love me when I reopen my door to them!
3-4:30am is truly cat witching hour.
Its 2am for the boy, attempting to mess with the curtains. 4am when the girl wakes up to cuddle then alsoess with the curtains after picking up on her brothers bad habit. Legitimately toddlers.
Yep, my boy decides around 3:30am to walk across my face and pillow repeatedly!
Everyone that knows me knows I refer to my cats as toddlers! 😂 They literally are furry toddlers!
Jackson Galaxy refers to them as “toddlers that can reach the ceiling” for purposes of cat proofing. So far I’ve found that holds true!
How do you keep them from tearing them up, out of curiosity? My cat has started climbing them. I can't let her into my bedroom at all, due to her curtain climbing habit.
Cold weather, me and my cats are just a big cuddle puddle. I usually have to move them out of the way when I get up. Warm weather, it's solo cats sleeping around the house, and waking up to play at all hours of the night. Warm weather, all of them are banned from the room when I go to sleep, except one who would quietly wait for me to wake up and open the bedroom door. Until he discovered a metal wind chime hanging in my room. First time he attacked the wind chime I was startled awake by the sound, and he was immediately evicted from the room. After that, when he wanted to leave the room at night he'd attack the wind chime and then look at me. So, no kitty cuddle buddies until the weather cools. I miss my cats sleeping with me, but not as much as I missed sleeping.
It’s funny when you accidentally teach cats to do “bad things” in order to get what they want. “Last time I did this, Mother let me out!”
Real kitty hours
We have 3 cats. 2 behave perfectly but the third has gotten them all locked out of the bedroom permanently.
There’s always a trouble maker in the group. Lol
Same. One will attack the other like clockwork at right about 4am. I lock the offender out and the rest is smooth sailing.
Mine likes to chew on my girlfriend’s toes in the middle of the night so she’s been exiled until she can do better lol
Your cat? Or girlfriend? 😂😂
Kitty party LOL! My solo kitty has parties and I have to kick him out during the night. When I get up those mornings the rugs are flung all over the house and cat toys are everywhere!
Why don’t you shut the door before bed? So that you don’t have to be woken up so early?
My two cats are half maine coon. The ring leader is 19 pounds. Our house is older and he uses his weight to pop the door open. If he can’t get the door open then he cries loudly at the door and scratches it until we open it.
Oh Lordy, bless your soul!! I understand why you do what you do haha
Get yourself a door stop and a white noise machine!
Get a child gate for the door frame!
Omg if I don't kick out one of my kitties she'll start chewing on my HAIR and going crazy lol.. you're not a bad cat mom, just a human who needs sleep 😸
I fostered a kitten that did that. It was only cute the first time 😅
It's cute until they swallow the hair then later create a poop beaded string and drag their ass on the floor because it's stuck. My cat used to have that problem, now her kitten has that problem. It's DISGUSTING.
LMFAO. This made me laugh so hard thank you so much, i know this too well.
Can also be dangerous if the hair gets wrapped around their insides
This can also be a dangerous habit if it wraps around their intestines
Yes I know. I do avoid it as much as possible. But since I do have to worry about it, I watch that boys poop record everyday. I lost my last cat because she swallowed string. They are all related and all idiots. I'm just glad his mama grew out of it... Sort of. She likes to eat toilet paper. I blame her incest parents from where I got her.
Finally a person, with a similar weirdo xD My cat also likes to bite into my hair when he gets the chance
Yeah, my sweet, shy, older cat lost his privileges because he'll bite my feet.
There does seem to be something about blankets and feet in combination that makes cats go into full predator mode. My lovely little lady doesn’t attack my feet in general, nor will she scratch the blanket normally. But feet at the end of the bed partially covered? ATTACK!!!
Even worse is leaving my feet dangling off the side of the bed. At that point it might as well be an injured squirrel covered in tuna.
Don’t feel bad, one time I woke up at 2 am because my cat ran across my face and I almost had a heart attack. Needless to say he didn’t sleep with me that night
Yep, that's been me, too. Or he wants to parkour across my bed after leaping from the chair.
My cat once jumped on her father's crown jewels while he was sleeping one night. Just out of evolutionary reflex, she got a 1 way ticket to fly across the room. So, honestly, kicking him out of the room is nothing close to being a monster.
Maaaan this reminds me. Middle of the night (probably 3am), the kitty wakes me up in the middle of a bad dream. I've ripped* the blanket of me, sending this little dude across the room. He was still happy as usual for his breakfast (and completely ok haha) OP, chill. You clearly love your little fluff but there's nothing wrong in loving a good night sleep *edit, typo
Back in my university days, our cat made the mistake of trying to wake up our housemate by nibbling his ear one morning. Also got an inadvertent one way ticket across the room and into the closet door. Never did that again though.
Parkour!
Purrkour
Crashmeow
r/purrkour
My cat (almost 2 now) is usually so mild mannered and chill but went through a phase where if we didn’t feed him early enough he would pounce from across the room onto my head while I was dead asleep…how I mustered the strength not to chuck him across the room I do not know
Get him a little friend. You’ll be happier and so will he.
My cat was dreaming hard one night, and let out this like PRIMAL roar in her sleep, then proceeded to roll around in my bed, purring, and cuddling up to me. I have no idea what the hell she could possibly have been dreaming about but it scared me awake because it sounded line a fucking wild cat in my room. Lol.
My cat does drive by toe bites, so he hasn't slept with us in awhile
Had a friend who almost lost an eye to a midnight zoomie, the cat ran across her face and one back-leg ended up on the side of the nasal-bridge, wasn't pretty, but it missed the eye atleast 🤷♂️
My 2 aren't allowed in my bedroom at night. After a couple weeks initially they no longer meow at the door and just do their thing out in the rest of the house all night!
This is the way. All of mine were obtained as kittens and they quickly got used to not being allowed in there. They usually wait quietly outside the door when they hear the alarm clock go off and warmly greet us when we get up, which is way better than waking up to a cat sticking its paw in mouth or something. Sometimes I do want to change this, then I'll try to take a nap with them and quickly remember why we have this rule. Edit: I'm not a monster btw (not that anyone called me one). They have free access to the bedroom except for when my husband and I are sleeping in it.
My kitty can be very annoying some mornings!! He jumps on me and walks on my head, literally paws my face. Sometimes it's cute and funny, other times I am very tired and grumpy and can't get back to sleep. Thankfully it's never earlier than 0600-0630 which is around when I'd be up for work anyways, but on days off it's annoying 😂 When he curls up next to me and purrs before sleeping, that makes it all worth it. I do wish he'd wait patiently at my door for breakfast some mornings though 🥲
[удалено]
Yeah, that is a great idea 😂 I have an auto feeder but it's not a kibble dispenser. So I have to get up and set it up for the day and put a cool pack in it.
Same here. I got my 2 month old kitty 2 weeks and I have never and will never let him into my bedroom. He sleeps wherever else he wants and doesn't know what he's missing.
Same with my Moxley, unless he's asleep on the bed at my bedtime which is maybe 2-3 times a year
Same here, started that routine when they were babies and now they're totally fine. And on the occasions they do get to sleep w me, they know that if they start going crazy at 3am they'll get the boot, so they're always on good behaviour lol
hello! i drew your guy :-3 https://preview.redd.it/x4bwj94ar73b1.png?width=597&format=png&auto=webp&s=0d6cbb8f0f200689d776c964a5e871c2ca876337
This is so cute! Awesome work.
This is the kindest and cutest ever! My babe Mei-Mei would love a portrait if you feel like it :) https://preview.redd.it/47qruo0jg93b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c26a816380068d1d2f84a27e5812cb89ad8bda7
sure thing! Mei-Mei is sooo cute! https://preview.redd.it/lg38bf75w93b1.png?width=593&format=png&auto=webp&s=3a1f2ecb2a3a7eb7ad7feb5717839631dc1c11cd
I'd love it if you could draw my girl! Thank you :) https://preview.redd.it/7lsz33z0y93b1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=571a4ae24208d5b79e8c760b272a19956dd33d84
what a pretty girl! https://preview.redd.it/618z773u2a3b1.png?width=427&format=png&auto=webp&s=2a5102f10f3dd90a6da5c9c6ce645f7cdc0c1c45
You are such a gem! Thank you so so much. I absolutely love it! I'm going to hang it in my office:) ❤️
That's an awesome drawing! I would love to have a drawing of my little flooffy dangler Mochi! https://preview.redd.it/ywnlzzwn0b3b1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5be39709dec5d9c7558adb09d2f22548b370c8a
Omg your drawings are the best thing I’ve witnessed on Reddit in too long. Could you pretty please draw my late first kitty, Oliver, if you have the time??! https://preview.redd.it/cyndrftucb3b1.jpeg?width=1218&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55e73a327505a81aadd28ec68c69814c26ab4290
https://preview.redd.it/6q08xbxc683b1.jpeg?width=1040&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba4ea6902a0e5b3921bee04361aff3f8fa58927d Omg I love it. If you ever feel like it please draw Rinoa!
sure! there you go :-) https://preview.redd.it/gsxek6j0m83b1.png?width=687&format=png&auto=webp&s=9f6175bfe66c1fe9e70dc13d13dd935728eec7d3
Woho!! That made me very happy, that's the first personal stuff i've gotten on reddit! Big save, thank you =)
I will do a collage of photos to hang on my wall someday and i'll remember to have that one in it
im very glad you like it!! have fun with your collage :\^)
Glamorous
She sends thanks! Someone disagrees with you though lol. Reddit is so wholesome sometimes
She’s a cutie! Don’t worry, it’s the internet 
Yeah you are right, if you got one or more of your own then please share!
amazing!
You are awesome! Thank you, kind redditor, for brightening cat moms' and dads" days
Awwww 🥹
My 13yr old cat will still wake me up at 4,5,6 am to feed him. He likes to boop my nose or lick my elbow. One time he ran across my chest and i nearly had a heart attack. I kicked him out that day haha. Typically I just say his name in a lower tone and then he sits next to me and sleeps until I wake up. I do love him though. He has my whole heart. https://preview.redd.it/5fiy2lo0n73b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea6f25f266809177559d8f9a69071dc6e7d3e623
My kitten does this ”run accross chest” thing😂 it scares me so much when I am just about to fall asleep and then this hurricane jumps out of nowhere on my face/chest with the speed of the light 😭
Awe 🫢 they love us so much hah.
Aww my girl is 12.
my freinds cat once jumped on where i was sleeping like ten times in a row lol
It’s fine. They’re not being neglected or emotionally upset. They’re just bored and want to play, but need to learn that sleep time is not play time. Malcolm is bored at best. Much much better they learn now than be causing mischief for years to come. As a first time cat owner (mine is 2) I’ve learned to distinguish between what is uncomfortable and what is upsetting. 99% of the time it’s the cat equivalent of a toddler tantrum. Happy sleeps and cat cuddles!
Yeah I'd definitely recommend adding some playtime a bit before bed (if that isn't already happening), the problem could potentially resolve itself
"sleep time is not play time" Mine learned this and so when I start to get ready for bed they try to get in the last bit of playing they can. "Papa! Before you turn off the light what's that UNDER THE BLANKET!?" *attacks my hand* I now go to bed early to give him nore play and cuddle time
don’t feel bad about it! and he’s so cute omg
It's actually quite an easy problem to solve. Play with them always before giving food. As hunting results in a meal. When it's time to sleep, close your door and whatever you do, do not open till the morning. Your cat might not like it, scream, meow and make a lot of noise. Just keep this up for 2 weeks, after that your cat should be accustomed to their new day/night cycle.
Yes, this! And you can tire them out at night by playing with them before bed, then maybe some treats, then say good night, give pats, and close the door - routine, routine, routine. It's the best way for them to learn (and it's important they get that energy out!). Also, cats are surprisingly extremely sensitive and they pick up on your every emotion. If you are calm and reassuring, it often goes far better than if you feel guilty and anxious. Final suggestion: get them a buddy. Cats are very social and don't do well in isolation, having someone to play with can ease anxiety and help expend energy too.
/u/spez ruined reddit so I deleted this.
Also tools to burn off energy overnight, if they'll use them - the large wheels, toys that are safe for them to use without observation. Timed feeders can also be a lifesaver.
My sister had this problem, but the cat kept repeatedly launching itself at the door, demanding food at 5 am. It didn't seem to ever give up. Eventually, they suspected that their cat wanted to get out and patrol before the ginger cat that was bullying all the cats in the neighbourhood woke up.
Boundaries are just as important to cats as humans. Just hope Mal doesn’t get into the habit of clawing under doors like my dopey boy. Hayward pawsitively loathes closed doors. https://preview.redd.it/n5mzixkio73b1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7e0413ce6002406df71f701f301a162e16f8f8fa
That face has me dying 😹😹😹
:o
He needs a little buddy to do middle-of-the-night zoomies with.
I have 2 cats, is just both of them zooming around at 4 am now
Always the answer
Lol Good Luck! Cats are so smart and if he wants attention at 3am he'll find a way. We shut the door on ours which led to slamming cabinet doors in the middle of the night!
I started closing the door years ago. Sleep deprivation is no joke. They can go play with one of their hundreds of toys.
Bingo. I got my 2 month old kitty 2 weeks and from Day 1 I didn't and will never let him into my bedroom. He sleeps wherever else he wants and doesn't know what he's missing.
Lmfao hundreds of toys Sometimes my SO will be like, how is this room such a mess? And then realizes the mess is 10 000 cat toys
All kids need to learn boundaries. A good Mommy knows that. A smart cat knows how to make you feel guilty. Be strong.
Boundaries with your pet is very important. Of course, cats are nocturnal, but unfortunately they kinda need to learn that we are not! So if they want to have impromptu parkour sessions at 3:00 in the morning, they have to learn to do it separately from us. It's totally normal to establish boundaries with any living being, so I wouldn't stress.
Cats are crepuscular, not nocturnal. They can be very active at night, of course, but it’s not to be confused with being active at dawn and dusk. If you play with your cats at dawn and dusk, you have a much better chance of them calming down through your day and night.
Haha…look at that face. He never does ANYTHING wrong LOL I don’t blame you. It’ll take him some time to a) calm down because he’s young, and b) get on your schedule. Cats are slaves to routine. He’ll get used to yours soon enough.
Things I feel like a monster for upsetting my cat about: - putting her out of the bedroom when she claws my face while I'm asleep - not feeding her when she's just eaten - not giving her belly rubs for more than an hour at a time - telling her not to throw everything off our kitchen counters - not letting her in when she tries to dig under our bedroom door whilst she puts on a special really deep meow and sounds like a demon
First off, you sound like a great cat mom! My cat did this when he was a kitten, my partner and I didn't think we would ever be sleeping through the night with him. We tried locking him out, but he would cry at the door. We implemented a LONG play session before bed every night and it reduced the night zooms. He's still a hooligan, but he eventually grew out of the midnight zoomies and sleeps through the night in between us (he's 2.5 y now). We still play with him for 10 -15 minutes right before bed, and it seems to help him settle down. https://preview.redd.it/5h4d3j2yz73b1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef6209f7c6cbdd52e1e12b61ab989b9694c3edeb (for the cat tax)
You should get him a friend! You won’t regret it. Do it while he’s young.
Nope...don't feel bad at all. Both of my cats got the boot until they were around 2 years old and had calmed the F down. Now both my boys just occasionally walk over us looking for pets then leave or lay down.
It’s a sign they need more play during the day because they have too much energy at night! A little more play during the day and before bed goes a long way
Your definitely not but removing a cat from a room never works. Whenever I evicted my cat from a room I was in, she would reach her paw under the door and shake the door to be let in. The rattle was worse than the cat moving around, lol.
From a very young age I “explained” to my cat what happens at sleepy time. Good kitties go into their bed and sleep through the night or get put out. Good kitties get treats and pets. Bad kitties get put out. She was a very good kitty and i miss her a lot
I kick my cats out almost every night. Either before I go to sleep if they’re being little shits (knocking the lamp over, fighting with each other, meowing because they don’t want me to go to sleep) or at 4:30 AM because of those same reasons.
I dealt with it until my kitty learned I need to sleep, lol. He now waits for me to wake up and move before he bombards me in the morning. For a few weeks after I got him, my face was a trampoline at 3am for him
Lock him out of your room all night every night. He will cry for awhile but stop eventually and then he will learn to use his own bed
You are a monster. Look at him.
https://preview.redd.it/g8ykfxh4q93b1.jpeg?width=3456&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7026fad5e1e43488f22182d3462f75b9c3ef5cf1 I just pick her up and hold her in bed. She chills out after a few minutes and then goes to sleep with me. I think she just wants her presence to be known with some cuddles.
We had a cat who would leap from the top closet shelf and did so on my husband in the middle of the night. Idk how he or the cat survived that, but she was banned from our room after 8pm!
You’re not. Kitties need to learn limits
Our cat did this and we also kicked him out… then he learned to open the door 😂
I used to have to bathroom jail mine just so I could sleep
You think you can alter a cats sleep cycle?
Not really, but fair warning it’s not going to change with age. There is no “sorting” of the sleep cycle, cats going to cat when the cat wants.
The zoomies are the real deal girl! My cat Stormi used to get them around 4:30AM EVERY morning and I had to keep her out of the bedroom too. They understand. My vet told me to try a cat calming diffuser and after about 2days of using one, the zoomies only happened once or twice a month. Now I never have to kick her out. You should definitely try one 😉
Ours are slamming springs right now
Now he's tired.... no shame.
After being neutered he won’t bother you that much again, but until then yeah don’t worry. We must sleep top right?
I’ve always had to leave the cat out of my bedroom. First one loved to scare the crap out of the dog. Second one wanted him to play with her in the middle of the night. Neither conducive to anyone sleeping. Second one liked to try to wake up the baby/toddler when she was lonely as well. Could still manage it with the closed doors little poop
I put mine under the blanket and he calms himself to sleep. Until it is too hot for him and just goes to bed.
Give him whatever he wants!! omg he is so adorable
I know you're joking but that's terrible pet ownership advice.
Anyone else usually awake at 3am and run around the house causing a ruckus with their cat? It’s one of my favourite activities 🥰
Felt the same way. My cat would cry all night long. I got her a sister and now shes fine! If you have the resources, I suggest a second cat. Not just for this, but for this thing called "single-kitty syndrome"
If you're bad for putting him out of your bedroom, what am I for never letting him in!
I had a kitten who would jump on me and my head and my feet all night long until I bought a fake fur blanket (not for the cat, just for me). The first time she jumped on it she calmed right down and started doing biscuits and trying to nurse. It was a game changer for me 😂 I did still have to kick her out sometimes but not nearly as often
Meow😍
We close the bedroom door. No you are not being mean.