Losing sleep because of your cat?

A cat's nighttime antics can cause their owners to lose precious sleep. Some cats just naturally adjust their sleep schedule to their owners, and you'd think it would be easy to get a good night's sleep, with your cat sleeping or napping up to 20 hours each day. But because of their natural internal clock, most will become more active and want to play or practice their hunting skills around 10:00 pm and again just before dawn.

My cat Jackie sleeps peacefully all night long, but she comes and lays on me promptly at 5:30 every morning- you could set your clock by her. Gidget often prowls around but doesn't cause any problems until around 5:30 when she starts playing with the curtains above our bed. Fritz on the other hand prowls and wants to play at all hours of the night, and also shows up at 5:30 am to antagonize Gidget on the windowsill above our bed. Giving in and feeding them ends the fracas. We have tried closing our door, but Fritz makes such a fuss crying and scratching at the door that we end up letting him back in.

I did some research on the subject and found suggestions that may help any of you also in this predicament. Try playing with your kitty right before bedtime until he or she is ready to quit,usually about 10 minutes. Throwing a ping pong ball around, or interactive toy like Da Bird will use up a lot of your cat's energy. Also several times during the day, if you see your cat sleeping, wake him or her up and encourage them to play for a bit. You can also try feeding a bedtime snack, such as turkey which contains tryptophan. All of these tips should help expend your cat's energy and help him or her sleep through the night. It's can also help to pull the shades so your cat won't automatically wake up when it starts to get light outside.

If the behavior persists, don't yell at your cat when he disturbs your sleep. Chances are he is doing it for your attention, and yelling just gives him what he was after. Experts suggest closing the cat out of your room at night, and you may have to endure a few nights of crying, in which case ear plugs could help you get through it. A final suggestion is a squirt gun or spray bottle with water, aimed at your cat whenever he disturbs your sleep. Chances are the sound of the water will be all that's needed to make him stop acting up.

If you've had this problem, I'd like to hear what methods worked for you and your cat.

Transporting your cat in a carrier

Getting your cat into his carrier may not seem difficult to you if you've never had a little mad-cat like my Fritz.

About 3 weeks ago, we had a vet appointment for him. I hadn't put him in a carrier since I got him neutered at 6 months old, so I wasn't prepared for the amount of resistance that would ensue. He put up such a fight, kicking and scratching, that I had to abort the mission, and substitute my other cat Gidget, since she was due to go next month anyway. A second appointment also came and went without getting him in the carrier, even though my husband got involved with treats. Both times, he sprand up and away and ran to hide who knows where in the basement. I talked it over with my vet, and we decided to give him a mild tranquilizer for the third try. It worked, barely, but he's such a strong-willed little stinker, he fought the drug. As soon as I came toward him towel in hand, he started bouncing around the room about 8 times before he collapsed and I was able to get him into the carrier.

I've always had female cats who were fairly easy to handle, so I didn't know how to handle this wild little boy. Even though the many suggestions the vet's assistants gave me didn't work for Fritz, I thought I'd share them, as they may be helpful to other owners with less rambunctious cats than mine. So here they are:

*use treats to lure him into the carrier
*tip the carrier on end, and drop the cat into the carrier
*put him in a pillowcase first, then gently push him into the carrier
*put him in a pillowcase and bring him in that way
*wrap him in a towel, then ease him into the carrier
*confine him in a small room, so he can't escape, then get him into the carrier
*when all else fails, drug him