Does your cat have a weird sleeping routine? When I hear something strange, I immediately think about my neighbor’s cat. Why? Because the cat used to wake up the entire neigh borshood with her meowing in the middle of the night.
It took me the longest time to understand the reason until I adopted one of my own and watched the cat wakes up meowing for food. Since pets are as much responsible as having a kid, it disturbs the owner’s sleeping schedule as well.
If you are looking for solutions to escape such situations and awaiting a good night’s sleep for both yourself and the cat, keep reading.
Reasons for cats waking up at midnight
Nurturing a new cat around the house after adoption can be a great deal of work, especially if you have not been a cat parent before. A big part of it is training them to match their schedule and actions with yours while maintaining their natural instincts.
They are naturally nocturnal and do most of their activities at night. Now, when you are bringing a cat home, they are totally untrained. They will keep establishing their inborn nature by waking up every now and then at night, disturbing your own sleeping pattern.
The reasons behind a cat waking up at night can be several. Here are some of those:
- They have not been appropriately trained enough to match a regular sleeping pattern. As a result, it is becoming difficult for them to keep up with the day to the night time pattern.
- The cat may feel bored during the daytime due to the lack of time preserved for them. It happens if you are too busy to play with them or do other activities for them. So, they try to fulfill that lack of time during the night.
- Tired of your cat whining in the morning? Your cat must be super hungry and did not get a full tummy when you were emptying its bowl.
- The cat can be feeling sick inside. So, waking you up from sleep can be its way of giving a red signal for its health. If you see any other vulnerable sign in the cat, you should definitely contact the vet right away.
- The cat may have abandonment issues. It is seen in cats that their previous owners have left behind while they were sleeping. Consequently, they have started to wake up more often during the night to check if they are still inside the house.
- Maybe the cat does not like or has difficulty being habituated with its bedding system.
How to stop them waking up meowing
Among all the reasons stated previously about the cat’s nighttime problems, the cat wakes up meowing for food is the most basic to solve. This can happen in the middle of the night or early in the morning. Whenever it is, the problem needs to be solved, and here’s how:
- Many people think that a pet is a version of how you train them, and I couldn’t agree more. If you have been bothered regularly by their scratches on your face because they are hungry, attention must be paid. First, try to figure out what time they are waking up for food and note it.
- There is a higher chance the schedule will have a regular pattern. Get an automatic cat feeder and set the timing matching the same time frame the cat is waking up.
- If your cat meows loudly in the morning, train the cat accurately, so it understands the location of the feeder. That way, instead of making sounds to wake you up for food, it will find its way to the feeder when awake.
- Never do the feeding by yourself if it does not match your schedule. If the cat gets habituated with you fetching food, even once, it will stop looking out for the feeder.
Frequently asked questions
If you are fed up with about learning how to get your cat shut up in the morning, here we are answering some of the inquiries will fully to solve the issue:
1.How many times in a day should you feed your cat?
There are three phases of a cat’s life. From six months to one year, from one year to adulthood, and the senior cats (starting from age seven). It is a must to feed them twice a day in every phase. But when they are senior cats, you can change the regimen to once a day, according to their need.
2.Should I leave food out for my cat at night?
You can leave only dry food for your cat at night. Wet food may get rotten overtime and not be edible for them. Remember not to do it regularly. Otherwise, they may get habituated with the process and disturb you for food even when they are full.
3.Should I ignore my cat meowing for food?
It depends on their eating schedule. If you know, the cat is already full and still meowing for food, and I am sorry to spit it out. Yes, you have to ignore the cat. It does not matter how painful it gets but fetching for a full cat can be unhealthy.
Finishing line
Having a pet, be it a cat or dog, can be one of the biggest blessings humans can count on. You will find them wagging their happy tail right around the corner even when you feel the most empty. They fill the void with their cute activities.
It may become super frustrating when their life pattern matches yours, even after all the facilities you are providing them for their contribution. But there are ways to resolve these. You are not thinking of getting rid of it just because it picked up a weird habit, are you?
Hopefully, you can now have a sound sleep before the cat wakes up meowing for food.
