4:00 AM Cat Meowing

It is 4:00 AM, and you have been tossing and turning for hours, trying to get at least a few hours of sleep before getting up at 6:30 AM to go to work.  After using the bathroom 5 times, watching multiple episodes of The Office on youtube and drinking a large bourbon, you finally drift off to sleep.  Then it begins.

meow.  mrow?  MEOW!

You open your eyes and a cat is a few inches away from your face.  What does it want?!  A good question, and one that we have been trying to determine.  My wife and I have had our cat Siouxsie for only a few months.  When we first got her she would curl up on the end of the bed and sleep all night long.  But now she wakes us up ever morning, usually before 6:00AM.  Obviously, this is a problem.

I have searched the internet for solutions (I will include a list of websites at the end of this post), and so far none have worked.  These have included:

• The Cat is Hungry: This problem is mentioned often, and the solution is easy: leaving food out at night for the cat.   Unfortunately this is not the problem in our case, as we leave dry food out for our cat since she does not over eat.  Of course if your cat is overweight this is not a good option.
• Close the Bedroom Door: We tried this as well, and she stands outside the door yelling.
• Spray Bottle Deterrent:  This involves keeping a spray bottle full of water by the side of the bed, and spraying the cat when they wake you up.  While this has worked very well for me in the past with different cats, we have tried this with Siouxsie with no luck.  By the time you get up, find the cat and then spray her I think it looses its effectiveness.  Plus at this point I don’t think the cat associates the punishment with the crime
• Give your Cat its Own Bed:  She has her own bed, which she doesn’t use.  I don’t know about you but I have found it almost impossible to get a cat to sleep in a place of your choosing.
• Use a Fan: Some cats are scared of fans, and using one in your bedroom pointed at the door can keep them out.  Tried with no effect.
• Tire out the Cat: I save this for last as I think it might have the most promise.  The theory is that you play with your cat for extra time before you go to bed, making them sleep their required 13-16 hours on your time and adjusting their sleep schedule to something that is more friendly to you.  I tried this for a few nights with no success, but one of the articles mentions that it can take a couple of weeks before this method starts to pay dividends.

I will post an update after trying (or retrying) some of the tactics listed above.  Do you have any suggestions on stopping the “cat alarm clock” syndrome?

References for this article

How to Cope with a Cat that Wakes you up at Night

Alarm Clock Kitty; How to Stop Early Morning Meowing

Top Ways to Avoid Cat-Related Sleep Deprivation