How to Get Your Cat to Sleep at Night

Kittens are wonderful fluffy balls of fun that keep us laughing. ...until bedtime. Most young kittens sleep a lot, but as they start to grow, so does their ability to keep active. Cats are naturally nocturnal animals, so we humans have to help our feline friends cultivate the habit of nighttime sleep. Or we won't get any either!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. We need to train our cats to be active in the day time so they will sleep at night. This doesn't come naturally to most cats.

2. Find games, projects and activities to keep your cat busy during the day. If he or she sleeps the day away, you probably won't get much sleep at night.

3. If you catch your kitten or cat taking long naps in the day, wake 'em up. You cat wouldn't think twice about doing the same to you at night. Kittens need a lot of sleep as they grow. Older cats can sleep days and nights for long periods. Only wake up the cat that bothers you at night and is really indulging in serious periods of daytime sleep.

4. Play with your cat at least an hour before you go to bed. If you play with your feline just before you want to sleep, he or she will then be all revved up rather than sleepy.

5. If your cat harasses you at night, try a squirt bottle of water or a can of stones (to throw near NOT AT the cat). A sudden surprise done just a few times is usually enough to discourage repetition of the offensive behavior.

6. Don't reward your cat unintentionally for behaviors you don't want. For example, chasing after your cat when you're angry may be interpreted as a fun game. Yelling and screaming may make the cat feel he or she is getting great results. And feeding treats to distract from an unwanted behavior is actually rewarding and encouraging it!

7. Like all training, persistence and consistence are the vital words. If you allow the unwanted behavior sometimes because it is inconvenient to deal with it -- like not wanting to get up and spray that water at a yowling cat in the middle of the night -- your cat will keep trying for those times he or she can get away with it.

8. The younger you can teach your cat to sleep nights (or any other training) the faster and easier the training is likely to be. At a young age, kittens will not have built up a lot of habits. So this would be the best time to get your kitten used to sleeping nights and playing days.

9. Don't get discouraged. It won't take all that long to train you cat to sleep nights instead of days. And once the habit is in place, you'll get your training time back. And you'll sleep uninterrupted at night!

Resources

• Cat hairballs
• Help cats lose weight
• Grow cat grass
• Groom a cat

[melissalewis]

on 8/1/2009 I'm so lucky my cat is old and lazy. At night, all he wants to do is sleep with me! I've been through this before, though - these are great tips! 5*

[movielover]

on 8/1/2009 Great tips. I will try playing with my cat an hour before bed like you mentioned. Thank you!

[kaseysviewblog]

on 10/4/2008 Good tips.
Cat's can be a real at night.

[Cateeto]

on 10/4/2008 This is very needed advice!!!

[thesquirrelymom]

on 10/4/2008 I should start working on my kittens soon.