middle of the night visit from cat

by john

My 11 year old female recently began bringing an old toy that she had not played with for months to our bedroom at all hours of the night and making a throaty sound. She leaves the toy and repeats the act the next night. This has been going on for two weeks. Any ideas?

Answer by Kate
Hi
well behaviour issues like this are often very difficult if not impossible to work out why they have started.

it may be that as she is getting older she is feeling a little more insecure at night time. And the carrying the toy to your room may be comforting to her.

the other theory is that she is acting out hunting behaviour 9this is a normal instinct) and the toy is the prey and the noise is the noise cats make when they are excited about hunting or are imagining an aggressive situation.

cats will often act out their instincts in this way and it is perfectly normal behaviour. However why it has started up out of the blue is anyone's guess. it may that your cat senses another cat in the area and this has rekindled some instincts in her.

Night time is the natural time for cats to be most active and so it is no surprise that this is the time she is choosing to carry out this behaviour.

All i can say is, as long as you do not notice any other changes in behaviour which could suggest some possible illness, then I would not worry too much. You may just have to consider keeping your door closed at night if you don't want to be disturbed. :)

best wishes Kate

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