Cat keeping me awake at night!

MurrayMint

I lost one of my two beautiful kitties to a horrible illness last Friday. It's now just me and Murray. I only used to let them sleep in with me at the weekend - cherishing my nights sleep during the week.

The last week I let them sleep in with me as Ollie was so sick, I wanted him close. Now that it is only now me and Murray I want him to know he can be with me all the time when I am at home (well if he chooses!). I have been waking up around 6 - 6.30am the last 2 months and normally surface about 7.30. However now with Murray sleeping in I am awake at 6am (I've no choice) as he is either up trying to get under the covers, walking over my face or playing (noisily!!).

The last 2 nights he's also decided to play just as I am trying to go to sleep (which is usually late enough thanks to having a Wii!). You could say I'm starting to feel a bit tired. Any tips on how to get the wee guy into a routine where he will sleep when I will? Or is it a case of me hiding the toys and going to bed early? He's an indoor cat although he gets out for his walks (on his lease) every day and I spend a lot of time playing with him in the evenings. You'd think he's be tired, although he did always sleep less than Ollie.

I am trying to get him into a routine now that Ollie has gone and really don't want to have to have him sleeping in the living room on his own with the door closed. I feel guilty even at the thoughts of it!

Any tips anyone?

carwash_2006

I was very sorry to hear about Ollie. It is devastating to lose a cherished pet in such a way.

Don't let Ollie sleep in the evenings if you prevent it. Keep him playing as much as you can, invest in a few wand toys or perhaps a laser mouse. Then give him a bit of a supper just before you want to go to bed. If he does wake you up when you want to sleep, don't react, try to ignore him and only get up when you want to.

Lastly, it takes 6 weeks to change a cats behavior, so whatever you try, make sure you give it at least that long before you give up.

hadook

I'm really sorry to hear about Ollie.

Here's the
lasermouse recommended by Carwash2006.

Lily, the demon kitty, recommends the following:

catnip duckie - ideal for playing with, loving, washing and sleeping on. Unsuspecting owners who try to remove duckie to wash it will also become toys.

monster thing on a stick

catch the mouse

door frame toy This one goes down a treat - the cats adore it and, if left to their own devices, tug it off the door and murder it. :rolleyes:

n.catenthusiast

Very sad to hear about the poor kitten:(

On the other hand, cats aren't like people. They don't mourn or experience lonilyness to anything near the same extent as we do. So if the cat is bothering you in your bedroom, put it outside, and don't feel guilty about it.

It might winge a bit for the first night or two, but it'll get used to it very quickly-cats don't have the same need for companionship that we do

carwash_2006

On the other hand, cats aren't like people. They don't mourn or experience lonilyness to anything near the same extent as we do. So if the cat is bothering you in your bedroom, put it outside, and don't feel guilty about it.

It might winge a bit for the first night or two, but it'll get used to it very quickly-cats don't have the same need for companionship that we do

One thing to bear in mind in this case though, is that this is a burmese cat. They are not ordinary cats and get much more attached than most cats. Yes the cat may get used to being on it's own, but it will be much harder on it.

I would also say from personal experience of this kind of loss that the owner feels the need to have the other cat near

MurrayMint

That's great - thanks.. You're not going to believe this - I have all the toys you mentioned and then some! The one that hangs from the door is particularly good although it goes away at nighttime as it's too noisy! I even have interconnecting tunnels for them in the living room which Murray loves - yes, very spoilt kitties!

Thanks for the tips, I'll try and keep him awake in the evenings and knacker him from playing. I wasn't sure how long it takes to change their habits, so it's good to know that hopefully if I stick with it after 6 weeks we should be in a good routine.

Thanks so much !

hadook

He obviously likes his toys then Have you got a daBird?

We have 3 daBirds with all of the different head attachments and it's amazing to watch. It really does sound like a bird when in use and the cats adore it.

I know what you mean about spoilt - my house is pretty much fully adapted for the cats needs above my own. My cats even have their own pet fish and gerbils (in a tank for watching and stalking, but not for eating )

hadook

And this is further proof of my life revolving around my cats :rolleyes:

Have you been introduced to Mollys.ie? The link is to Lily's favourite banana Those catnip toys are seriously the best I've ever come across.

Here's Lily with her banana.

cotton

He could be grieving Murraymint.

http://www.messybeast.com/cat-grief.htm

MurrayMint

I think I'll have to get my hands on one of the dabird toys to see what he thinks. I had a toy which was a stick with feathers on the end and if you twirled it, it made a fluttering noise like birds feathers that he liked before. By the way I got tunnels in Ikea (Belfast) which were way cheaper than if I had got them online.

Murray doesn't seem to be grieving that much so far except for being a bit more clingy and I'm getting more cuddles. It used to be Ollie who got most of the cuddles from him so now he's having to make do with me (see attached photo - Murray is the guy with the darker markings). There are times where looks about as if to say "something is missing" though ... The last 2 weeks when I knew Ollie wasn't going to get better I had started doing things separately with them so that Murray would get used to doing things on his own and also to give Ollie a break.

The reason I didn't let them both sleep in much before was because of Murray's antics. Ollie was always as good as gold and would sleep on the bed all night. It was always Murray who's be waking me up - so there is no change there!

It's good to see that I'm not only the only one who's life revolves around their kitties... what's the saying dogs have masters, cats have servants.... v true!

lubie76

hadook wrote: »

He obviously likes his toys then Have you got a daBird?

+1 for da bird. It just drives them daft! I get mine on 'pets palace' on ebay and you can buy the refills for really cheap (and believe me if they get their mitts on da bird for any length of time you will need to replace it).

mydarkstar

hadook wrote: »

He obviously likes his toys then Have you got a daBird?

Hopefully lots of toys will keep Murray occupied & tired out so you can get a lie-in.

The "customer review" photos on the link to daBird are hilarious...those cats are going crazy for it!!!

beolight

i wonder how your neighbours feel?