My 14 year old cat wakes me up!

by Diana
(New York)

My cat Stitchy seems very healthy he is a little overweight but thats alL! Recently my mom passed and since that he is home alone all day and i assume lonely. So when i get home from work, he is waiting for me at the door. But he has recently developed a new behavior. Every morning at 4am he wakes me up by meowing at the door, i try and figure out what he wants, i give him food, water, treats, anything to shut him up. i lock him out if he continues to cry, but he meows at the door for like a half hour until i let him in again. Then at 7am he wakes me up again with the meowing. I cant sleep at all anymore and im really frustrated. Is something wrong? Should i be worried? or is it that he is lonely all day and wants me to get up in the middle of the night? Should i put him in the basement when he does this? I dont think giving him treats and food at 4am is the right answer but i was trying anything just so i could go back to bed! please help!

Answer by Kate
well you have answered your own question really.

basically your cat is seeking attention and as night time is usually the time that cats are most alert and with the recent changes to his home then he may also be feeling a little insecure and is seeking comfort.

Many people have this problem with their cat waking them at early in the morning and they can be quite persistent can't they.

the problem is once we get up and see to them they think they can do it all the time and it does take some time to break this habit again. basically you have to ignore them and not get up and keep them out of your room, they will eventually understand that the meowing doesn't get the desired affect and will stop but if you are unable to cope with the meowing in the mean time then perhaps putting them in another room where you cannot hear them would be a good idea. just make sure that the room they are in is warm and comfortable and that they have their bed, litter fresh water and toys available to them.

you can also try playing a run around game about half an hour before you go to bed and feed them just before bedtime, sometimes this helps them settle down for the whole night too.

i wish you all the best and remember this is not an unusual problem just one that needs some persistence to break. best wishes Kate

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