Do you lose your sleep often just because your cat wakes up too early? This can be disturbing because they will most likely seek your attention when they are awake. How frustrating this can be, especially when you have to wake up when your alarm is still counting. But the truth is that your cat may be trying to reveal something to you but you’re not just listening. So she tends to ignore if this kind of behavior is endearing and keeps waking up early until you fix the problem.
Check out some of the reasons why your cat wakes up too early:
1. Your cat may be hungry
This is one of the most common reasons why cats wake up too early. Yea, she wants some food! Since you’re the only one who provides her meals, she tends to come to you the moment she wakes up in the middle of the night.
This is more reason why you shouldn’t joke with feeding your cat before going to bed. If you forget to feed her the night before, you feed her too early the day before, or you break the regularly scheduled time for feeding, it’s highly likely for your cat to wake up too early. And no doubt, she will come to you to give you signs that you’re breaking the norms.
So to fix this problem, you have to learn to feed your cat on time every day. You can also invest in an automatic feeder to relieve you of the stress of keeping up with the schedule. But always remember that your cat’s stomach works on a schedule and if you miss it, especially before bedtime, your cat will come complaining.
Also, you can choose to set out some food before you go to bed so your cat can eat peacefully if peradventure she wakes up too early due to hunger. You don’t have to keep too much; just a small amount enough to keep her filled till you wake up is enough.
2. Your cat may be lonely
Another reason why cats wake up too early is that they feel lonely and crave social interaction. Although cats tend to be loners, sometimes they need some time with other creatures just like every human does.
So, when your kitty wakes up in the night and comes to you, especially when she is the only pet you have around your house, she may just want to play with you. More so, your cat may not be happy that you ignored her the whole day, or maybe you didn’t do anything engaging or exciting.
One good way to deal with this feeling of loneliness is to give your cat a friend. You can get another pet in the house- maybe you get another cat. This will go a long way to reduce how often your cat bothers you when she feels lonely.
A second way to deal with this is to ensure you play with your cat before going to bed. You’ll have them drain their energy levels and tire out to sleep for longer hours. If you exercise your cat adequately, she won’t have all the energy to get up very early to come to disturb your sleep.
However, you may also decide to allow your furry friend to sleep on the same bed with you. This can be quite comforting, especially for you both, and it keeps her from the feeling of loneliness, making her sleep for longer hours.
3. Your cat may be in discomfort
When your cat is comfortable at night, it tends to wake up too early, especially in the middle of the night. She may meow and wake you up just to tell you she is not all right. So if she persists, you should try to check whether your cat needs urgent attention.
Here are some things to check:
- Is your cat in discomfort or pain due to a health issue? You may check up for some noticeable signs to know if your cat is in pain, and if you can’t figure it out, a vet visit is a good choice to make.
- Is there still water in the bowl? Maybe your cat is thirsty and needs water, or maybe the water is not fresh anymore and she needs you to replace it. That’s more reason why you need to check all these before going to bed.
- Is your cat’s litter box clean? Cats normally will feel discomfort if their litter box is not clean or give out a bad odor. So, maybe you need to check the litter box. However, you should ensure you clean the box at least twice daily — first cleaning in the morning and the second in the evening.
4. Your cat is using learned behavior
Maybe you’re used to feeding your cat whenever they feel peckish just to keep them quiet and satisfied. In such cases, you might have unknowingly trained your cat to behave that way whenever they need food. Cats learn fast, and if they think they would always get food just by waking you up at their whim, they will stick to that behavior.
Hence, you need to be careful of what you train your cat to do, whether intentionally or not. It can be hard to make her unlearn some things you instill in her. And you would have to be prepared to face the fight to get your cat to realize she can’t just wake you up whenever she feels hungry.
You can try keeping your door closed whenever you want to sleep to prevent her from coming in, or feed her more in the evening to keep her filled till the morning.
5. Your cat may be stressed
When cats are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, unsettled, or otherwise scared, they tend to wake up, even in the middle of the night, and come to you for comfort. Remember, they see you as their guardian and protector and not just someone who brings food to them. So when they are experiencing a problem, they will come to you most times.
Maybe other cats distressing her, or some neighbor dogs are running lose in the yard. She will feel somewhat unsettled and seek protection from you. And just like humans, cats also feel depressed, and when they do they tend to come to you to tell you about it.
Other factors like loud noises from thunder or automated machine can startle your cat and send them running to you for help or disappear. If you often notice these sound problems, you may look into smart ways to reduce sound in the cat’s room or get rid of whatever is causing the stress.
You can decide to set automated processes to take place later in the day. Or you can get another pet to work together with your cat in the house. This helps a whole lot to reduce stress in your four-legged friend.
Conclusion
You may feel frustrated that your cat keeps waking up too early, but don’t worry about that! You can solve the problem once you identify what is wrong with your cat or what she wants. The above reasons are the common issues that cats do have that keep them up too early. However, if the problem persists for too long, ensure you contact your vet about it.
Want more tips? Click here and get a free E-Book: 13 SIMPLE WAS TO IMPROVE YOUR CAT’S LIFE
