Cat Advice? Because I'm running out of earplugs...

[skyrocketneko]

You need to feed her earlier or play with her much more before bed. I know if I don't play with my bengals, I have a number of wake up calls throughout the middle of the night.

[Kitkumi]

This is all some really good advice, and has given me a lot of new possibilities to work with. The only thing we can't do is move her feeding time back; we used to feed her at 7pm and then she would appear between 3 and 4am ;; Which is why she now gets fed later. It gives us a little bit more time to sleep.

She normally gets playtime before bed, but we will start really giving her a run around to see if we can wear her little fuzzy butt down lol. I'm reluctant to lock her up anywhere though because our bedroom is her safe room. It's where we kept her when we first moved her in and where her bed is and also if it storms is where she hides.

A giant hamster wheel also sounds awesome for a cat. Go kitty go!

[TwoMore]

I have the same problem. Except our Athena wakes me up at 5am sharp. 4:45 if she is really hungry. She starts with meowing, then moves on to 'kitty bombing' the bed. Then she lays on my chest. And as a last resort she will come nose to nose with my face and stare at me, then lay on my face. She dosent bother my boyfriend because he sleeps more heavily and is harder to wake up. According to our vet, you either have to train them or they train you.

She won.

But I can go right back to sleep after feeding her.

We do have an auto feeder that lasts three days. It goes off with a message that we record ourselves. When we are constantly using that she wont bug me. Her feeder is in the room next to ours so she can hear it when she is on our bed. The only problem we have with it is ants in the summer.

[Bergamot]

Our cat never bothers us for food. I chalk it up to this:

1) Her food bowl is usually full (I know this isn't always doable! It depends on the cat and its individual eating habits! I get that yours eats all the food.)

2) I think this is the biggest thing: We fill her bowl at different times of day. Her bowl is never filled before the authorities wake up and complete their morning routines.

Maybe you can break her routine?

[LadySiha]

I dunno if this would help, since your cat is a bit older and possibly set in her ways, but when we were training our cats not to wake us up for food we'd feed them at 9am and 9pm, unless for some reason we got up late.  Then we'd wait at least a 1/2 hour before feeding, no matter how persistent they were being.  That way, I figure, that I broke them of the idea that us waking up = them getting fed.

[Dragonflitter]

That way, I figure, that I broke them of the idea that us waking up = them getting fed.

This for sure! If you feed her at all after getting woken up, you're in for trouble. Cats are quick learners and slow forgetters. If something works even once, it will take them quite a while to be convinced not to do it.

I have one cat who, as a kitten, got into the habit of peeing on a plastic bag if I left it on the floor (like if I just brought home groceries from the store). So every time I heard a bag rustle, even in the middle of the night, I would wake up and jump out of bed, thinking he was walking across a bag getting ready to pee on it. Well it only took two times of that happening for him to figure out that if he wants me to get out of bed in the middle of the night, all he has to do is find a plastic bag and walk across it!

He's ten years old now, and even though he hasn't had peeing problems in years, he still finds a plastic bag or any plastic material in the room and walks on it if he ever wants me to get up out of bed, no matter what time it is. Cats are clever creatures with long memories!

I like TwoMore's idea, it sounds like there exists an automatic feeder where you can record a message that will play at a certain time? If you record yourself calling to her when the food dispenses, maybe she will come investigate and figure out there is food in there, so she won't come wake you up?

[Galactica]

I don't agree that more food is a solution unless your cat is skinny.  More food, even healthy food- will make your cat fat.

My wife's cats have this problem.  The only long term solution has been earplugs and a sound machine.  When we moved to a bigger place, we gave them their own "pad" in the basement- and now they still sing for dinner, but are far far away and I can't hear them.

My other cat (who fights with the other two so can't get stuck in the basement overnight) also is a complete pain in the neck in the morning- especially in the summer when she's feeling frisky.  SHE is not food motivated though- she just wants me to get UP.  The only thing that gets her to sleep to a sane hour is to completely wear her out the day before (she likes walks, car rides and her giant hamster wheel- so we just have to make sure she has had at least a busy evening)

Giant hamster weel... 0.o that is one weird kitty you have there. Admittenly, mine's a kangaroo-wannabe (used to crawl up in the pouch of my hoodie, now it's the entire sweater that does the trick)

Yeah- she's a bengal so she has more energy than most.

However- for all cats- I think playing with them more is most often the suggestion that the "Cat From Hell" guy recommends when behavior problems develop.  I'm not sure most cats (other than bengals who seem to love running) would use a wheel- but taking your cat for walks or encouraging the cat to vigorous activity for 30 minutes in the evening might help.

If that doesn't work-  I'd again recommend the noise machine. 

[skyrocketneko]

I actually play the "chase me" game with my Bengals at night before bed.  We run around the house together, and we chase each other.  Yes, I'm a nutty cat mommy, but it sure works! I'd love to have one of those wheels, but $300 is a bit steep for a cat toy.  At least this way we all get a workout.

[MiRaja]

Momo is like this.  I've just basically accepted it with her and stumble into the kitchen at 5am to make her food before staggering back to bed.  She's oriental shorthair, so she can make a lot of racket and whines ungodly loud.  She's either too stupid, or too stubborn to realize that she gets shoved into the tent bed for five hours everytime she does this.  Long as she gets that food bowl, she doesn't care. 

I'm going to give a big fat no to feeding an a cat just plain chicken for one of her meals.  I'm all for going back to naturals, but there's a lot of stuff lost that cats need when you're just feeding the plain meats.  Cats need the organ meats in their diet, and then you will need to supplement and mix the food with oil ( salmon oil is best ), bone powder and taurine.  Taurine is most important, cats can't synthesize this amino acid, and if they don't get it, they get very ill.  This is probably the most key reason why you never feed a cat dog food, because it does not have enough taurine in it to supplement their food. 

If I make a cooked dinner for my cats ( which lasts for a couple of days ) I usually use a breast, a thigh, a couple livers, a heart if I have it ( like if I've bought whole chickens to cut down ) and then I add the salmon oil, taurine and bone powder to all of that.  Sometimes I will make 'small meals,' though, and pick up some shrimp or mackerel from the fresh seafood market here for the kitties. 

But that said, GRAIN free kibble is practically a must.  Cats are obligate carnivores, they do not need an carbohydrates in their diet, in fact, they are pretty bad for them actually, especially wheat, rice, and corn.  Cut those out of your cat's diet, as they are bad for her and can cause all sorts of issues later in their lives.  Heart, liver, kitty diabetes, early onset renal failure, etc, etc. 

[GoodyGumdrop]

Ugh, I have one cat like this. She'd gorge if we left out too much food, she'd constantly wake us up and pick fights with our other cats if she wasn't fed when she wanted to be.

Our solution to the problem (after a vet check to make sure she had no physical issues)--she gets locked in her own cage at night with a cat bed, some toys, a litterbox, and an automatic food dispenser and water dish. The cage is at the other end of the house so we can't hear her noise should she decide to complain. Short of booting the cat outside at night (bad idea in my area due to coyotes) it was the ONLY way we could get peace at night and early morning in my house.

[LadySiha]

You know, just because some people mentioned playing with to discourage behavioral problems.  I read a book that suggested (and I know this sounds crazy) talking to your cat/s. 

Believe it or not... it actually seems to work.  I just kinda talk to my cats like you would a toddler.  Tell them no and why or just talk to them about the fact that they are walking around or playing or whatever.  I have to go out of town for a week at a stretch sometimes (for work) and ever since I started telling my cats that I was going to have to go and I'd be back soon, they weren't "upset" with me as long as they used to be when I'd get back.
Honestly, ever since I started talking to my cats more, they seem like more content kitties ^-^