At night, my cat gets crazy. She’s about 2 years old and just a regular cat. But sometimes at night, Cassie goes all over the house attacking things. She’s knocked over a couple of my potted plants. She comes into the bedroom and wakes me up. I shut the door but she sits outside and meows. Is this nighttime craziness normal? Can we do anything?
Cats sleep or catnap up to 17 hours a day and normally are most active in the early evening and morning hours, but young ones like Cassie often get crazy, as you say, in the middle of the night.
Most of the time, a cat’s nocturnal hijinks are linked to a lack of physical and mental stimulation during the day and can be curbed simply by providing her with more activity, according to Complete Guide to Cats.
Set aside specific times of the day for play sessions with Cassie. You can use a teaser toy, which is like a little fishing pole with a toy attached to a string, to get her to run and leap. Some cats also like chasing a catsize ball or catnip-filled toy.
Make time after you get home from work to play with Cassie, but avoid giving her a catnip toy close to your bedtime. That could rev her up right when you want her winding down.
In addition to more play time, change her feeding schedule so that she eats near your bedtime. That allows you to take advantage of the natural drowsiness that results from a full belly.
If you want her to stay out of your bedroom so you can sleep in peace, keep the door closed and simply ignore her. By responding to scratching or meowing, even to tell her to hush, you encourage her behavior. Of course, ignoring an insistent cat isn’t easy. You may need to wear earplugs so you can’t hear her.
Another tactic is to set Cassie up with her own room for her night-time activities. Put a litter box, water dish, a bed and some toys in a spare room or bathroom (as long as it’s big enough to give her room to move around). You could even add a carpet-covered cat tree to give her something to climb or perch upon.
Keeping her active when you’re not home or can’t play with her yourself can also help her burn off some of her youthful energy. Consider interactive toys (available online and at pet stores) such as Cat Amazing or SmartCat Peek and Play. With Cat Amazing, which has three levels of difficulty, a cat has to fish out hidden food treats (these could be a portion of her regular kibble). SmartCat is a wooden box that contains three balls that a cat has to try to remove through the holes in the sides and top. You can make it more enticing by putting a couple of her favorite toys in the box.
Another interactive option is the Bergan Turbo Track, which looks like a toy car track but contains a ball that your cat can chase in circles. One Turbo track has four segments that can be taken apart and added to a second (or even a third) track to create different configurations.
Keep Cassie moving while you’re awake and she should be less active at night. Sweet dreams.
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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or e-mail [email protected]
Family, Pages 36 on 05/08/2013