How to Curb Nocturnal Behavior in Cats

Cats are nocturnal creatures by nature. They are biologically designed to hunt at night, and after a 16-hour day of sleeping, they are ready to go once the sun goes down. You, however, are probably not biologically designed to be kept up at night by a hyper cat that wants to play. Luckily, you can train cats to adjust their schedule so when you're asleep, they are too.

Things You'll Need

  • Cat toys
  • Cat bed
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Instructions

    • 1

      Keep your cat awake in the evening. If she doesn't get a late nap, she is more likely to go to sleep when you go to bed.

    • 2

      Play with your cat to tire her out. If your cat uses up all her excess energy chasing toy mice and fuzzy balls, she won't have any energy left to paw at your face when you're trying to sleep. Change up the activities regularly so she doesn't get bored; play fetch one evening, laser mouse the next and feathers on a string after that.

    • 3

      Feed your cat in the evening or in the late afternoon. If you feed your cat in the morning, she will look forward to it and will try to wake you up so she can get her breakfast early.

    • 4

      Lull your cat to sleep with a nice comfortable cat bed. Keep the cat bed far from your bedroom so your cat isn't tempted to get your attention.

    • 5

      Ignore your cat's meows for attention. If she disturbs you and you talk to her or pet her, she learns that meowing or other undesirable behavior gets you out of bed and turns your focus toward her.