Why Is My Cat Annoying At Night When I'm Sleeping? Our Vet Reviews 5 Troublesome Habits/ Behaviors
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If you have a cat, you know that nighttime is party time. Cats are crepuscular, which means they hunt and play the most in the evening and early morning. For you, that could mean annoying behaviors at the crack of dawn while you’re still getting your beauty sleep.
Cats’ nighttime behavior can be annoying at best or disruptive at worst. If you don’t find a solution, it can negatively impact your sleep and disrupt other aspects of your life. Here are some common annoying nighttime cat behaviors and some possible solutions.
The 5 Annoying Habits of Your Cat That Don't Let You Sleep
1. Nipping or Pouncing on Your Body
One of the most annoying nighttime cat behaviors is treating you like a cat toy. If your cat wants you to play with them, they may nip or nibble at your toes, fingers, or ears, play with your hair, or pounce on any lump or bump under the covers. No matter how deeply you sleep, that’s tough to ignore.
2. Meowing or Yowling Incessantly
Whether you lock your cat out of the bedroom or leave the door open, cats know that meowing or yowling gets attention. Your cat may sit outside the door meowing, or worse, climb on your chest and meow in your face until you wake up to give them what they want.
3. Pawing or Scratching at the Door
If you do close the door, your cat may sit outside and paw and scratch, rattling the door the whole time. There are a lot of reasons cats want to get behind a closed door, but when it’s your bedroom at night, it’s an attention-seeking behavior to wake you up or demand some food.
4. Running Around the House
Cats are active at night, so if your cat is bored, they may tear through the house to amuse themselves. This could include walking across the counter or bookshelf, knocking loud things over, or climbing the furniture in your bedroom until you react.
5. Playing Loudly
Like running around the house, turning nighttime into play by excitedly jumping across you or across furniture, chasing shadows or faint slivers of light. If you move in your sleep, that’s a good opportunity to chase and pounce to keep themselves occupied.
Why Are Cats Annoying at Night?
Cats have a natural instinct to hunt and get out excess energy late at night and early in the morning. This is common, but there could be some other causes for the behavior:
How Can I Get My Cat to Leave Me Alone at Night?
Your cat may always be a bit of a night owl, but you can take some steps to help them sleep better at night and leave you to sleep.
Here are some tips:
Conclusion
Cats settle into a routine, but for some, that could include irritating behaviors designed to wake you up and get attention during the night. If your cat’s nighttime behaviors are becoming disruptive, you can try a few of these tips and schedule a vet appointment to get back to a good night’s rest.
Sources
Featured Image Credit: Maliflower73, Shutterstock
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Nicole is a lover of all animals, especially of the feline variety. She's mom to four, three fur babies and a human baby. She and her husband, John, live on a large forest property down in New Zealand.
Their beautiful Burmese cat Baby (who is now 17 years old) was their first child, though he is now called Baby Cat since their human baby joined the party in 2022. The dogs Rosa and Mac also love cats, but the whole family agrees that King Baby Cat is enough cat for this household.
Nicole is the Director of Content Management at Catster and Pangolia. With a Bachelor's degree in Education and years of online experience, she shares her pet knowledge and the knowledge of other professionals with the world, aiming to improve pets and pet parents' lives.
