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How to Stop My Cat Waking Me Up At 4am

Help! My cat wakes me up at 4 am every morning. Can you relate? You probably love your cat but not when she wakes you up at the crack of dawn. You may wonder what you did to deserve this kind of treatment. Why is your cat waking you up so early? Here we have the answer and solution! 

Help! My cat wakes me up! Sorry, but it could be your fault

If you can pinpoint a time where you let your cat wake you up early and then gave her some food, that could be the start of this problem. Cats learn quickly, and if your cat learned that she could wake you up whenever she wants some food, then she is going to keep doing that until you teach her otherwise. It is always harder to make your cat unlearn a behavior than to learn one, so it will take a while to get her to stop waking you, but you can make it happen. You just have to be consistent and firm. Of course, you want to make sure you don’t make the same mistake again and inadvertently reward your cat for bad behavior. 

Related: 10 Common House Bugs and Natural Remedies

Your cat may be hungry

If you’re thinking, “Hmmm, my cat wakes my up every day”, you may need to reassess her nutrition plan.  If your cat is awake at odd hours and meowing in the way you know means that she is hungry, then she could very well be in need of some food. You can try to ignore it, but she might not let you keep sleeping until you meet her needs. Think about whether you fed her properly the night before. Did you feed her too early or feed her too little? Did she have a very active day that required a bigger meal than normal but you didn’t feed her appropriately? Have you started making homemade cat food recently or switched her onto a new diet? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you know why your cat is behaving this way. 

Your cat may be suffering from a nutritional deficiency if you’ve switched up her diet or have gone homemade or raw, or she may simply be hungry. Make sure you keep to her feeding schedule as much as possible, if you want to get a good night’s sleep. 

cat on bed

 

cat puzzles on amazon

Set out food puzzles for your cat

It’s not a bad idea to have your cat work for her food sometimes. You can put out what are known as food puzzles for your cat the night before and that can keep your cat occupied for a while trying to get to her food. Your cat may enjoy the challenge of playing with the puzzle to get the food out.

That process can stimulate her mind and keep her mentally sharp while engaging her motivation to go for the food hidden within the puzzle. There are lots of different puzzle toys and interactive feeders available that you can try to give your cat a little activity with her feeding. 

 

Use an automatic feeder

One way to help regulate mealtimes and ensure that your cat is being fed at the same time every day is to buy an automatic feeder. This can be very helpful if you can’t always be at home at a consistent time. Maybe your job keeps you back late sometimes or you have plans to go out with your friends. You don’t have to change up your schedule if you get an automatic feeder. Just be sure to fill the feeder as necessary and ensure it is set to give your cat food at the same time each day.

Your cat will quickly learn where to go for feeding and when to expect the food to come out of the feeder. This way your cat can get on a consistent schedule and hopefully not bother you at 4 in the morning. 

automatic cat feeder with alexa on amazon

Set the feeder for an earlier time

If you are still having trouble with your cat waking you up early, then you may want to set the feeder to distribute food earlier than normal. Keep adjusting the feeder each day until you find a time that works for your cat and that lets you sleep until you need to wake up. This may take some trial and error, but eventually, you will get it right. 

Set the feeder for later

Alternatively, you can set the cat’s feeder to distribute food at a later time. This can help your cat to sleep in as you do and not get up as early. Once your cat is used to when the feeder is going to give her food, she will be able to get on that same schedule as you and leave you alone. 

Just having the feeder there to give food will help a lot, though. The cat will know to go to the feeder instead of you for mealtimes, and that can give you the opportunity to sleep some more. 

Get some rest

Once you have made some adjustments to the way your cat eats and when she eats, you can get back to sleeping soundly through the night without her disturbances. If you are tired of feeling so tired all the time, try to put a few of these methods into practice – your work and family will thank you! 

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Laureetta Williams

Lauretta Williams is a web-addicted blogger. She loves spending her time listening to music, playing with her dog and writing blogs from her computer. We all want our dog not to run from home. But sometimes, they still might get lost. Don't worry, we have your back. Report your lost with PawMaw, we can help you find your missing pet.

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