My cat always cleans while im sleeping

by Melodee
(Nebraska, USA)

Ok I know this may be a weird question, but why does my 1yr old male cat always insist on cleaning himself right before we go to bed. We'll be laying in bed ready for sleep and then he'll start to clean himself. And it can last forever!! He also follows us around meowing acting like hes hungry but has food.

Reply
Hi
What you describe sounds like every other cat i have ever known. I guess it is the same as when we brush our teeth before we go to bed.

Cats are very clean creatures and so grooming is an important part of their routine day and night. It is likely that your cat is just in the habit of cleaning himself before he settles down for the night. My cats does this too.

As for the constant crying for food. this is likely a learned behavior also. I.e it is due to habit only.

My cat will only eat if he thinks I have gone through the routine of filling up his bowl, even if there is food already in it. i have to pick the bowl up make some gestures as if i was filling his bowl and then give it back to him. he will then eat the food that was already there in the first place. All this behavior is simply habit.

Basically you have a choice either give in to his crying or ignore it and hope that eventually he realizes that crying for food dopes not get him anywhere.

If he was crying for food all the time ie seemed constantly hungry then i would suggest that you took him to see a vet in case their was some other underlying problem such as a thyroid issue.
cat-thyroid problems.

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