Punk
We have this cat. He was my daughter's gift for her 3rd birthday. Really, he's quite laid-back and the perfect cat to have in the house with two preschoolers--loves the attention of the kids chasing him around and doesn't mind when my dd lugs him about like a sack of potatoes. But nighttime...this is becoming a real problem. He's only about 9 months old and still in kitten "play" mode. He's an indoor cat so I realize he has some energy to get out. Unfortunately his hunting instincts and desire to play generally come through at around 4 a.m., when he wakes my SO up by attacking his feet and legs and, when thrown off our bed, proceeds to go into my daughter's room and attack *her* legs, waking her up, crying, yelling for mama and begging me to get the kitty cat out of her room. ("Mom, close the door as FAR as you can!!!") So anyway, anyone have any suggestions? I am sleep deprived because of this damn cat. Love him to death but the middle-of-the-night attacks are pretty much ruining my whole week.
I am totally aware that this is one of the hazards of having a young animal who is not allowed to fulfill his natural instincts by going outside and hunting. I'm afraid we might need to put him in the basement at night, but I just feel terrible doing that. I'm a real softie when it comes to animals. Can anyone think of anything else that might help?
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I'm sure he has toys but maybe go to a pet store and see what they have specifically for hunting like a motorized something or other? other wise you will probably have to lock him up until he grows out of that.I assume you like to sleep with your door open? my friend had a cat that did that and he was huge and aggressive but we just kept or feet tucked in really well which really didn't work.
Jessica
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind~~Dr.Seuss
Jessica
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind~~Dr.Seuss
I went thru this with a male cat I had several years back except his favorite thing was attacking our heads in the middle of the night. We would try to have a really intense play period with him close to bedtime and the combination of that and having him neutered worked wonders. The only thing that was so funny about it was that he would pee on my FAX's clothes if he left them on the floor. I kind of missed that when he settled down. lol Good luck and I hope something works for you soon so you can get some sleep. **edited** Having him neutered also got rid of the horrible yowling he would do at the windows if there was a female anywhere near our house. Don't know if yours has started this yet but several of my friend's male cats all did this and neutering helped all of them.
You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.
Friedrich Nietzsche
if another cat is an option I would get him a companion to play with. I know 2 cats may not be a good option for ya'll...I had 2 cats for this reason, they get lonely for their own company. When I used to have insomnia I would see my cats playing with each other in the wee hours of the night and running around and stuff. One of our cats died last year and we are getting another cat, as our cat now has started doing stuff like you describe, even though he is not a kitten and can go in and out of the house as he pleases. He goes in and out of our bedrooms and will cry at the door until you let him in. We have been keeping him in our bedroom so he doesn't wake the kids, so I feel your pain.
Maybe putting him in the basement at night is best for right now.
duh 2 cats what a good idea mama.
Jessica
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind~~Dr.Seuss
it may not be a good option for many people, for many reasons, you know? I tried having 2 cats in an apartment once and it was more trouble than it was worth and I ended up having to give one away.
I think that it's a really good idea to get another one, and lock them out at night. That's what we do here. Felines are nocturnal and you can't really break them of that. Anytime I've tried to go against my cats, I've lost...and I think that's pretty common. Getting one cat, when you've had no other animals, requires a pretty hefty lifestyle change...but once you have one, getting two is really not a big difference.
They are social animals, and they do much better with a friend.
"The Universe Molds Itself To Prove Your Beliefs"
"Fundamentally the markswoman aims at herself" DT Suzuki
you know, that's already passed the kitten stage, but that isn't so old that they don't want to be around another cat. Maybe your SO would be more willing if the potty training and stuff wasn't going to be an issue?
"The Universe Molds Itself To Prove Your Beliefs"
we had a similar problem with our kittinish cat, wayne, when we first got him. THEN my stepmom told us about cat pheromones (sp?). there's a product called feliway that you can get at a pet store. it's like kitty drugs-- it has a calming effect. i guess it's recommended for when you introduce a new cat into the household as it lowers feline stress levels.
you can buy it in spray-bottle form or as a plug-in. it's pricey, but it was worth it for us.
so what did SO say about another cat???
Jessica
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind~~Dr.Seuss
I asked him about it, he actually wasn't too opposed to the idea. He wanted a black cat originally but the cat we got for Selah is grey (when we were at the animal shelter, this cat was CLEARLY the cat for our children), so I think he's sort of excited about the idea of being able to get a black cat this time. Of course, he did bring up the possibility that another cat could just mean that we get nighttime attacks by 2 felines as opposed to just 1, but hopefully if we get an older cat the second time around, this wouldn't happen...
Something has to give, though. Damn cat attacked Selah and woke her up AGAIN last night, so I finally gave in and put him in the basement. I actually got better sleep when I had a newborn baby! 
thank you for asking!
My cats are indoor outdoors and hunters. I can only imagine! The the evening the are exhausted. Or, maybe another cat for him to play with? Mine are siblings and they do GREAT!
*Woman benched by life coach!
(The Onion)
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He has toys, although in true cat fashion, his favorite things to pounce on and hunt are generally kids toys, shoelaces, and sweater belts. =) Actually, part of the problem with the doors at night is that we live in a relatively old house and, with several of the doors (our bedroom and Selah's bedroom included), they don't latch completely even if you pull them absolutely as closed as possible. So even when our doors are closed he can still push his way in. The whole feet attacking thing is actually kind of humorous (except when you're the one being attacked)...even when we aren't even necessarily moving our legs, if he gets that wild hair, he will attack anything under the covers that is even relatively warm. We have at least three blankets on our bed (again, old drafty house) but he still somehow manages to bite the shit out of us!!
I know they're nocturnal animals, so really, this is what any pet owner gets. Sigh.