Some cats are active at night, or are awake and ‘raring to go’ very early in the morning. Since many owners are out at work or school during the day, the cat may spend the daytime hours in rest and relaxation and sleeping, especially if it is the only pet in the household. The cat’s day then begins when the owner arrives home to provide the cat with feeding, play and social interaction. Show Night time is also the most natural time for cats to be active since they normally are most active in exploration at dusk and dawn (this is known as crepuscular behaviour). Night time activity is quite a common issue for some cat owners and can include cats that nibble or pounce on the owner’s ears or toes in bed, walk across the sleeping owners, night time vocalisation, or highly energetic play sessions across the furniture and/or owners during the night or early morning. Management tipsRule out medical causesTalk to your vet as it’s important to rule out any underlying medical causes for the nocturnal activity prior to addressing any behavioural causes including pain and glandular issues like thyroid disease. Try changing the cat’s schedule gradually To manage night time activity cat owners can try to gradually alter the cat’s schedule by encouraging play time and feeding during the daytime and earlier evening hours, so that the cat’s schedule more closely matches that of the humans in the household. This is a behavioural modification technique and can help to shift the time when the cat is active. FeedingAdjusting the timing of feeding may also help to alter the cat’s sleep schedule. For example, by offering smaller but more frequent meals and by feeding the evening meals at a different time. Owners can feed a meal earlier in the evening and then another meal closer to bed time. This way the cat is less likely to wake their owners for a meal during the night. Cats naturally roam and hunt for their food, so finding it in the same place at the same time everyday is quite unnatural. One way of improving your cats quality of life and curtailing its night time antics is to hide food around the house – on windowsills, bookshelves, mantle pieces, hidden inside paper bags, toilet rolls etc. This way your cat needs to expend energy to find its food, and one of its natural biological behaviours is fulfilled. Often you need to show your cat how to find the food at first, but after a few sessions they usually become highly attuned at finding it themselves. Another alternative feeding option is to buy an automatic timed feeder to provide food in the middle of the night. You can set the time of the feeder to correspond with when the cat naturally becomes more active, but as with the above method, you will need to teach your cat during the day time that this device is responsible for providing food. There are also a variety of puzzle feeding devices which require the cat to do a little work to get their food and which provide both mental and physical stimulation. Daily play time attention and interaction with ownerSince night time activity may be a form of social play and attention seeking behaviour, the first consideration is whether the cat is getting sufficient amounts of social interaction and social play during the daytime and earlier evening. This may be particularly problematic for an only cat in the household and an owner who works all day. Offering several social play sessions in the afternoon/earlier evening will help to expend some of their energy and meet some of the cat’s social and behavioural needs earlier on in the day. Owners may also provide a variety of safe cat toys. Ensure all toys are safe for cats and avoid string toys or smaller objects that may be swallowed as these can become an intestinal obstruction, which can be fatal. Play time using safe cat toys is a great way to provide daily exercise and to positively enhance the relationship between pet and owner. Cats often have different preferences – i.e. some will like toy birds while others prefer toy lizards – it is important to remember this when buying toys. Buy a few different varieties and see which ones your cat likes the best. Remember novelty is the key, so its best if you have 10 toys then only have a few out at a time then rotate them every few days. Providing company and plenty of attention to the cat throughout the afternoon and earlier evening can help to reduce night time activity. Cats are creatures of routine and form habits quite quickly, so it’s a great idea to have these play and social sessions structured around the same time every day – that way the cat will start to anticipate high activity times and adjust their body clocks around that. If an owner happens to be at home for the day, playing and interacting with the cat (provided the cat is naturally awake and interested in playing) should also help to expend some of that energy. Young catsKittens and younger cats may be more likely to display late night activity as they generally have more energy and play interest than older cats. This is good news as it means with a little time and patience as the cat grows older they are likely to start sleeping more throughout the night. Enriching the environmentEnriching the cat’s environment can help to keep the cat active and prevent boredom during the day which may also help to reduce activity at night time. Tips for enriching the environment:
If behavioural modification techniques do not work we recommend that you consult your vet for further advice. In very severe, rare cases and if all other options have failed, vets may prescribe medications to help. There are good and bad points to sharing your sleeping space with your feline companion. Health experts weigh in on what you should consider. Share on Pinterest They say that dogs are man’s best friend, but those who say that have clearly never had solid feline companionship. While every cat is different, they do have some common traits. In addition to being able to scale any object with super-kitty abilities, cats can sneak into our hearts, bringing comfort and joy to anyone they choose to adopt. That can include cuddling up in bed at night. While some cats might not be interested, others want to be as close to their human counterparts as possible. And many humans seem to prefer it that way. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that around 50 percent of pet owners in the United States allow their pet to sleep in bed with them. Bill Fish, cofounder of Tuck.com, says, without question, there are positives to allowing your cat into your bed each night, including giving both of you a sense of security, emotionally and physically. “Having a guest in bed with you also reduces stress as well as brings warmth and comfort,” he said. “As you feel your cat’s rhythmic breathing, it soothes you and helps you get to sleep more quickly.” But whether your cat sleeps calmly through the night is another question. They can interrupt your sleep and bring a number of other health risks into your bed as well. Dr. Steve Weinberg, founder of 911 VETS, said it can feel nice and comfy to have your cat sleep on a bed with you — some literally on your head — potentially calming anxiety and night terrors. “The downside is that cats are nocturnal animals,” he said. “The human sleeper may have their sleep interrupted in the wee hours of the night or be woken up at a very early hour.” Because of this, Weinberg says, sleeping with a cat can be counterproductive to a person’s typical wake-sleep patterns. “Many cats like to play and will scratch at or even bite at the human feet moving around under the covers,” he said. “[There are] other problems, such as allergy to cat dander or, if fleas are not under control, the human may receive flea bites.” Cats may also want to cozy up to babies and infants — taking on their own caregiver roles in the house — but experts say cats shouldn’t spend the night with the littlest ones in your home. Dr. Jennifer Maniet, a staff veterinarian at Petplan Pet Insurance, says it’s not safe for cats to sleep with babies because there’s a risk a cat could unintentionally suffocate a baby by sleeping on its chest or face. “If the cat is startled or frightened, the baby can get bitten, scratched, or trampled on as the cat tries to run or jump away,” she said. “Cat scratches and bites are common ways that the cat can transmit diseases to a baby.” You can consult your veterinarian for ways to keep the cats out of the nursery, Maniet says. Then there’s the issue of whether your cat shares the bed with any other animals besides humans. Some cats won’t care, but others could view them as a threat and that could create some unwanted chaos in the bedroom. “Having your cat in your bed can also promote dominance within the animal,” Fish said. “They begin to feel like it is their territory and could get agitated if anyone else enters the bed.” While some cats are perfectly content with never going outside and reigning supreme over their indoor kingdoms, other cats live duel indoor-outdoor lives. This can pose different threats. Maniet says outdoor cats are exposed to more disease carriers. This includes other outdoor cats, feral cats, prey, worms, fleas, ticks, mosquitos, and a plethora of other insects. “All of these carriers have the potential to transmit diseases such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and many other infections,” Maniet said. “Also important to note is that the litter box of indoor cats can also present a risk of disease for humans in the household.” What kinds of diseases? Gastrointestinal worms, giardiasis, ringworm, toxoplasmosis, plague — yes, that plague — and hantavirus infection, Maniet says. This is on top of typical allergens pet dander can create. During the summer months, when ticks and other parasites are more active, pet professionals recommend regularly checking your cat’s fur and skin for potentially disease-spreading piggy-backers. This is good for both feline and human health. The best way to reduce the risks of contracting these health risks from your cat, the CDC recommends, is for pet owners to regularly take their cats to the vet so they’re up to date on their immunizations. While a cat’s independent nature may make it seem like it will do whatever it wants, many of our furry family members do like a cuddle. Maniet says there are a few things to consider before we do that. The first, again, is the relatively low risk of disease transmission. One way to help mitigate that is to talk to your human doctors, including pediatricians. “Adults and children with a compromised immune system due to certain human diseases may be at a higher risk for contracting diseases from animals,” Maniet said. But, no matter your health status, there are some surefire signs that the cat should be left alone because it may be having its own health issues. “Do not snuggle up to your furry friend if they are showing any signs of illness such as hair loss, skin rashes, sneezing, coughing, lethargy, vomiting, or diarrhea to name a few,” she said. In cases like these, take your cat to the vet and make sure they have a clean bill of health before bringing your pet into the bedroom. “Always have your pet checked as directed by your veterinarian to determine your pet’s overall health status and to make sure they remain disease-free,” Maniet said. Whether they’re indoor or outdoor cats, there are many special moments that can be had with our furry family members. Being aware of the risks that can come from sharing our beds with them can help us avoid health hazards and ensure many more purr-worthy moments with our favorite felines. |