3am Wake ups

by CJ E
(Lethbridge Ab Canada)

We have 3 cats, 2 females and 1 male. They are all from the same litter, and we have had them for 2 years now. We got them when they were six weeks old. They are all fun cats, and each have their own personalities.

Kiwi (our male) has taken up an annoying habit. At 3am he wakes up and Meows really really loud. It will wake us up on the first meow.
We have tried ignoring him, which makes him louder. I have taken him, and put him in his creat in another room. This makes him a very differnt cat the next day (he isnt as loving) We have tried a water bottle, but he has so much hair that he just doesnt notice being spraayed. I have tried playing him out before bed, but that doesnt seem to help. I cuddled him like crazy, and showed him alot of love in bed, but he still cries at 3am. We have also kept him out of the room at night, but then the cats all play, and keep us up anyways. The two female cats are good at sleeping in our bed, and seem to be perfectly fine with our bedtime routine
Last night, he was doing his thing, and when i went to pick him up, he was shaking so bad. It was like he was terrified of something.
We have not moved, or re-arranged our room, or changed our routine.
This just boggles my mind. The only thing that has changed, is we went away from 5 days, and left the cats at home due to a death in the family.

I just cant figure this.

Any advice will be useful

Answer by Kate
Whenever a cats behavior changes significantly I always like to have them checked over by a vet. Often the only signs of an illness is through behavior change. So maybe this would be an option for you, at least you could rule out any physical illness.

If it is purely behavioral then something has changed for you cat to make him react this way. It may have been the recent period when you went away and perhaps he is still feeling a little insecure.

Night time is the natural time for cats to be awake and hunting etc. i have two 8 month old cats who i just simply can't have in my room at night as this is when they play together. i do hear them running around down stairs together but there is nothing i can do about that, i have learned to tune it out.

You have done all the right things so far, playing with him etc before bedtime and giving him extra attention. i don;t know if you also give them a meal before bedtime or not, this can help them sleep through the night too.

I also assume that he is neutered, if not then this could be a reason for the night time calling.

Perhaps foxes or another animal have come into your area at night and your cat is reacting to that.

Unfortunately you really do only have a few options if it is behavioral rather than a physical illness. Either try and weather the storm and hope that it stops soon, or you will have to keep him out of your room at night time.

I hope things sort themselves out soon for you as i know how frustrating this can be

best wishes Kate

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