I have two beautiful cats since few months. I love them and it is just adorable to have two furry balls at my place. They are both 1 years old. Lately, however, they are driving me nuts at night. I am a PhD candidate, finishing my studies, so this is a particularly hard problem i need to solve if i don't want to blew up my face in a lab because i fall asleep while doing dangerous experiments.
I couldn't find a solution yet, so i ask you for opinions. From around midnight up to 5 AM they play a lot in my room, jumping on the bed or kicking continuously things while running.
I tried for two solid months the classic solution "play and feed before bedtime": i play with them for a solid 1 h, sometimes 2 h, with cardio activity (around 22:00 in the night). Throwing balls and mice on furnitures, up and below stairs, so they run a lot. After that, the biggest meal is served. I go to bed at midnight. The cats stars to play again as soon as I fall asleep. There is seriously no way to make them tired before bedtime.
So i have decided to close my door when I go to sleep. Brilliant, because they seems to be fine and they even play downstairs (i have an indoor webcam i use to check). This worked fine until what i call "the trap". At 5 AM they both start meowing outside the door. They do not stop for even a second. Seriously, i hope i am making a point here. They DO NOT stop meowing and scratching the door, for more than 1 h. And here's the catch: the best thing would be to just ignore the behavior. Never open the door. I know well. But i have to go to work, so eventually i will have to open the door while they're meowing (because they don't stop for hours). So, i am reinforcing the behavior and i cannot do anything about it.
Vet said they're both ok, no health issue.
So, what do you suggest? This is starting to play a huge toll on me. I cannot rest, i cannot focus during the day and i cannot find any way to let them stop with this behavior. If you have any suggestion, about some positive reinforcement, automatic toys with timer, or any other product, please let me know.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/p0uuh4/no_solution_yet_to_my_cats_waking_me_up_at_night/
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