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It's half past seven in the morning. Where is your cute cat? Perhaps he sits next to the bed and yells good obscenities at the top of his small lungs. He requires food, play and attention. He is, of course, very nice. But you are on the verge of despair.
It's time to figure out why and why cats wake up their owners - in order to understand how to wean them from this habit.
Why do cats wake you up early in the morning?
Contrary to popular belief, cats are not nocturnal animals. Their peak activity occurs between dusk and dawn. Have you noticed how after sunset the cat starts rushing around the apartment like a crazy parkour athlete?
The experience of millions of years of evolution in the wild tells him to go hunting after sunset and at dawn to get food for himself.
And the experience of living next to a person makes its own adjustments. During the day, while you are not at home, the cat mostly naps in a cozy place. During these hours, nothing interesting happens in his life. The fun starts when everyone is home. Because when everyone is home, that’s when everyone eats!
According to cat logic, the active presence of the owners is a guarantee that there will be food in the bowl. And a sleeping owner is the same as an absent one, it’s never interesting to be with him, he’s of no use. Especially when it's time to go hunting! Therefore, the person must be awakened.
Give your cat enough attention
Lack of attention may also be the cause of loud screaming in the morning. Be sure to caress your pet and scratch the places he exposes to you. Do not refuse the communication that he so needs. If a cat jumps onto your lap, don't shoo it away. Show her a little care and warmth, even if you have a lot of other things to do. In the morning, a cat may scream because it feels lonely. It is enough to take her to your bed, scratch her belly, back or neck. As a rule, this is enough for the animal to calm down and begin to purr loudly. When your pet gets tired of lying next to you, he will silently leave and will not wake you up again. Because the cat will receive what it so needed - attention and affection.
How to stop your cat from waking you up in the morning?
First, stop feeding your cat “just for the sake of it.” Having food in a bowl 24/7 disrupts a cat's biological clock. Food must be associated with a specific time and place, otherwise the cat's normal instincts lose logic and meaning. In general, food is the key to building a relationship with a cat. Cats don’t owe anyone anything in life and, unlike dogs, they don’t try to please you. To achieve anything from a cat, it must be strongly motivated. What motivates her most? Food.
Teach your cat to eat three times a day: breakfast in the morning, lunch when you return from work, and finally, an hour before you go to bed, dinner. A meal schedule is the key to your sound sleep. And don't leave bowls with uneaten food. Remove them immediately after your cat has eaten.
Secondly, get into the habit of playing with your cat before dinner. Don’t just throw a candy wrapper at her or wave a teasing rod at her for five minutes, but actually play – at least for twenty minutes. In its natural environment, a cat first hunts, then eats, then washes itself, and then settles down to sleep - and so on in a circle. Playing before dinner will help her align her natural habits with yours.
And finally, thirdly: learn to ignore the cat in the morning. It will be difficult. The cat knows that if he screams long enough and shrilly, jumps on the bed, bites your heels, then sooner or later you will give up. So: don't give up! Don't get up and feed the cat. Don't throw a pillow or slipper at it. Don't even say his name! Be patient. Pretend to be asleep until it is YOUR time to get up.
You will have to endure at least a week, maximum two. In the process, everything can become even worse - the cat will test you “weakly”. Don't give in! And your patience will be rewarded. You will begin to get enough sleep, and the cat will learn to endure.
Believe me, it works! You can check it yourself.
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Reasons for cats crying in the morning
Vocal exercises are not always a result of hunger or a desire for attention. The reasons for cat screams are varied - from the most harmless need to communicate with the owner to serious pathologies. Therefore, it is advisable for the owner of a vocal cat to monitor not only the fact of screams, but also their frequency, the conditions in which the screamer manifests itself, and so on. The most common reasons for cat arias are presented below.
Table 1. Causes of morning cat crying
| Cause | Description |
Hormonal background | Hormones have a particular effect on uncastrated individuals. Changes in behavior accompanied by a prolonged loud meow may be associated with the onset of sexual heat in females. The calls of females are an important ritual for attracting males for the purpose of having offspring. Males prefer marking corners to acoustic manifestations of sexual need. This problem can only be solved by timely castration, since no educational influences can lull the sexual instinct in a pet. However, it is worth considering that residual elements of sexual heat may remain even when the reproductive organs are removed |
Disease | Some diseases worsen at night and in the pre-dawn hours, which sometimes makes their identification difficult. A seemingly healthy cat during the day begins to scream at night, as if possessed. Diseases that manifest themselves fully under the cover of darkness include all kinds of parasitic diseases, urolithiasis, arthritis and arthrosis. If a previously calm cat begins to stage concerts, you should carefully examine him, or, even better, entrust the examination to a veterinarian. Excluding physical pathologies in advance will simplify the education process and will not allow the disease to quietly become chronic. |
Intense experiences | Increased anxiety may occur in a cat when the environment changes or any change in the usual rhythm of life. Moving, the arrival of new people or pets in the house, renovations - all this is acutely felt by pets and affects their internal sense of comfort. Moreover, cats never remain indifferent to the psychological climate in the family. There are cases when, after the owner's quarrels, the cat did not find a place for itself for a long time. Anxiety and nervousness are common to varying degrees in both people and their pets. At such moments, trying to suppress the meowing of a distressed cat will only worsen the situation. |
Territorial issue | This reason applies to a greater extent to small apartments in which the cat shares a common room with the owners. However, in spacious houses a similar problem sometimes appears. The fact is that a cat needs its own “corner” - both in the wild and in domestic conditions, the distribution of boundaries is very important for cats. In their absence, pets' behavior may change for the worse. Cats wake up for various reasons, since they are sensitive to the slightest rustle due to their developed hearing. If they have their own territory, where they can hunt for flies and look out the window, then they will not come to visit someone else’s |
Excess energy | Cats, sleeping 16-20 hours a day, just like other living organisms, need to relax. If your pet's short waking hours occur in the pre-dawn hours, prepare for surprises. Not only screaming will be used, but also the famous running along the corridors, climbing through closets and extreme descents from curtains - depending on the physical inclinations of the cat. Owl cats are prone to hunting at night, trying to catch flying flies or spiders running under the baseboard. |
To attract attention | Despite the fact that cats rarely seek a human reaction for the sake of the reaction itself, there are individuals who want to occupy all the owner’s time with themselves. Keep in mind that there are breeds that require increased attention due to their temperament. These breeds include Siamese cats, Ukrainian Levkoys, Orientals, etc. More often, such behavior has very specific utilitarian goals, which the pet hints at. The reason for the scream is not always a whim - the cat can convey information about a dirty tray or empty bowls of food or drink. To avoid such situations, leave food and fresh litter for the cat overnight. |
Mental pathologies | Some cats have an unstable psyche and react violently even to situations that do not involve such behavior. Since educational measures in this case are of little use, only a veterinarian can help. There are special sedatives for cats that help pets come into harmony with themselves. However, they are prescribed only when necessary and are taken under the close supervision of a doctor. |
Many owners lose sight of the likely painful underlying cause of cat cries and recognize pathologies in the later stages. To avoid such situations, it is advisable for cat owners to have basic knowledge about common ailments among their pets. You can find out more about the main cat diseases and their symptoms on our portal.
The biological clock
In the usual sense for a person - no, but they, of course, have a biological clock, that is, a sense of time and its intervals. Wild cats know exactly what time of day small animals leave their burrows and when it is best to watch for a bird.
Stray cats living in cities hide from the eyes of people or, conversely, come out of their hiding places at certain times of the day when they can feel most safe or expect food.
However, unlike people, cats do not attach any abstract meaning to hours and minutes, but associate them exclusively with some specific action. Therefore, those sufferers whom the cat wakes up in the morning at five o’clock to be fed are themselves to blame for their torment.
Don't use aggressive parenting methods
Don't yell at the animal or hit it. Severe stress will negatively affect his health. Mental illness can also lead to physical illness. Gradually accustom your cat to her sleeping place if you do not want her to sleep with you. The incentive method is quite suitable for this. For every correct action, give the animal a treat. For pranks, you can be deprived of a treat, but not the main food. It is best to start training if your pet has problems with discipline.
