How do i stop my cat waking me up at 4am?

by Ann
(Wisconsin)

My 14 year old cat has gotten fed every morning at 7am for many years. Over the last few months, he does everything to get us up earlier and earlier to get fed. Lately it's been at 4am. How do I change this behavior?

Reply
Ah how i know what you are going through. My cats are the same. As soon as the sun comes up and the birds start to sing they want up and breakfast and then to be let out. Or course during the summer months this is worse as the sun comes up much earlier.

To be honest with you i have never found any method that actually stops them wanting to do this. So i have to make a decision, to either get up at 4am and feed them and let them out or I have to shut them in a room over night with their litter, bed water etc.

Of course the other option is to have acat flap put in the kitchen door and shut the cats in the kitchen over night so they have access to the outside.

every cat owner i know has a similar problem, cats simply do not follow our own time keeping and so we have to make boundaries and decisions to fit around them.

Sorry, if there was a magic wand for this i would be a very rich person.

best wishes kate

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