# My cat won’t sleep in his cage.



## Kimberley caygill (Mar 1, 2020)

Yet again another sleepless night!! Ever since having my two kittens Rosee and Mac they have been crated on a night and have been fab with it. There in a routine of being fed around 11am then 4.30pm and then again 3am (my partner works back shift). We used to crate the kittens when we were out to however have gained there trust to leave the crate door open and they can run around and play etc. Recently they have slept very little and Mac seems to meow and try and open the cage door. They get food as soon as we are home and play time for and hour or so before bed. Going to bed they are both fine and settle down quickly. They have access to food, water and a litter tray in the cage aswell as a nice comfy bed. Last night I put them to bed at 3.45am and not even 7am Mac was meowing very loudly. I’m not letting them have there own way and come out the cage as I used to do that and they’d sleep next to me but now they just get up to mischief! Is there anything I can do to help?


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Cats should not be caged imo.

Except when requiring cage rest after an op/injury.

The fact you used to let them sleep with you and now have them in a cage, I’m not surprised they’re miserable and unsettled tbh.

Better to give them a room to sleep in where they can at least roam around should they choose.


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## moomoowawa (May 19, 2019)

I've never heard of caging cats! Isnt that a dog thing?! How much food do they get?


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## Maurey (Nov 18, 2019)

Caging a kitten doesn't seem like a good idea, especially since, by the sounds of it, they're forced into a small space right around the time in the morning when they instinctually want to be active and get excess energy out. How much do you play with them during the day? Do they have toys that they're able to ineract with? Do they have places to safely climb and explore? If you absolutely must enclose them somewhere overnight, do it in a room that you've kittenproofed. Forcing two small cats into a relatively small space every night for hours on end isn't a good idea. For all that cats sleep a lot, it's generally against their nature to sleep fully through the night.

Honestly, though, no wonder they get up to mischief if they have no opportunity to be kittens! They need upwards of half an hour of interactive play a day to get them tuckered out. Enrichment is also a must.


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

I've put ''new'' fosters (kittens and adults) in a spare bedroom, but never a crate, just until they were settled and OK with the other cats. Kittens have so much energy - an unbelievable amount - that I think it would be quite upsetting for them to be caged; I also think it would have quite a negative effect on their developing personalities to be honest.


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## Kimberley caygill (Mar 1, 2020)

I always knew crating them wouldn’t be the best however they have been in the same routine ever since we’ve had them and had no issues, always had happy purring cats when they woke up but Mac seems to just be a pain. However they have been let out had a daft hour and then some food are are now cuddling sleeping in the crate. I think with Mac it’s maybe an attention thing as Rosee doesn’t seem too bothered and he’s always been a mammys boy


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## moomoowawa (May 19, 2019)

How old are they exactly and how much do they eat?


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Can I ask who suggested crating kittens/cats was a good idea ? Who ever it was has no clue .
I have a hard enough time getting my head around the reasons behind crating puppies ,it was never "a thing" when I had puppies ,but to crate kittens is just cruel.
If you don't want them disturbing your sleep put them in a different room with all they need to keep them happy overnight ,Food/water /toys/litter trays and warm beds .
I would also suggest that you look at your feeding routine ,from what I can see they are not being fed often enough 11am/4pm and then nothing until 3am.
What kind of food are you feeding them .wet or dry and how much


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## oliviarussian (Sep 2, 2010)

Cats are by nature crepuscular, they are most active during the twilight hours of dawn and dusk ... you can’t change that and by locking them in cages is horribly cruel in my opinion


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Kimberley caygill - I might be incorrect but from reading your posts it sounds as though you may have had the kittens for a while, e.g. for at least a few weeks, possibly longer?

I know of people crating young kittens (e.g. at say 8 weeks old) for a few nights after they arrive in their new home. This can be reassuring to the kittens and give them a feeling of security. In the daytime when the crate door is open all the time the kittens may regard the crate as their "go-to" safe place when they want to rest or sleep during the day.

But this crating arrangement should be temporary, as said, for a few nights when the kittens are small. Certainly no kittens [or cats] of any age should ever be crated in the daytime unless they are recovering from a serious injury and need to have their mobility restricted. I am not surprised Mac is crying to be let out and trying to open the cage door! I think he is showing you clearly it is time to fold up the crate and put it away.

The kittens need to be let out to run around, explore, play, climb, and develop their muscles. Keeping them shut in a cage most of the day and all night risks adversely affecting. their physical and emotional development.

As others have said above, if you don't want the kitties having free access to all areas of your home, then give them a decent-sized room (not a bathroom or utility room) of their own at night or when you are out. Set the room up with a couple of tall cat trees, play tunnels, scratch posts, scratch pads, and toys. + 2 open litter trays, + their food and water.

They also need about 3 hours a day of interactive play with you every day, split into several sessions.


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## moomoowawa (May 19, 2019)

Kimberley caygill said:


> Yet again another sleepless night!! Ever since having my two kittens Rosee and Mac they have been crated on a night and have been fab with it. There in a routine of being fed around 11am then 4.30pm and then again 3am (my partner works back shift). We used to crate the kittens when we were out to however have gained there trust to leave the crate door open and they can run around and play etc. Recently they have slept very little and Mac seems to meow and try and open the cage door. They get food as soon as we are home and play time for and hour or so before bed. Going to bed they are both fine and settle down quickly. They have access to food, water and a litter tray in the cage aswell as a nice comfy bed. Last night I put them to bed at 3.45am and not even 7am Mac was meowing very loudly. I'm not letting them have there own way and come out the cage as I used to do that and they'd sleep next to me but now they just get up to mischief! Is there anything I can do to help?


What do you reckon Kimberley? Any way you can shut them in the living room instead of the cage?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I notice the OP (Kimberley) logged in to the forum this afternoon. As she has not replied I really hope and pray the lack of a response doesn't mean she intends to ignore the good advice we have given, and will continue to keep the kittens shut in a crate. The thought is worrying and upsetting.


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## moomoowawa (May 19, 2019)

chillminx said:


> I notice the OP (Kimberley) logged in to the forum this afternoon. As she has not replied I really hope and pray the lack of a response doesn't mean she intends to ignore the good advice we have given, and will continue to keep the kittens shut in a crate. The thought is worrying and upsetting.


Kimberley if you are reading you don't need to worry because we all make mistakes, we're human, nobody will judge you for an error of judgement! But just so you know, as others have said, keeping kittens in a cage is a really bad idea and will harm them psychologically and physically. So try and experiment with shutting them into a living room at night, and post some pictures! This forum is really useful for all sorts of stuff, so dont feel scared off x


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

chillminx said:


> *I notice the OP (Kimberley) logged in to the forum this afternoon*. As she has not replied I really hope and pray the lack of a response doesn't mean she intends to ignore the good advice we have given, and will continue to keep the kittens shut in a crate. The thought is worrying and upsetting.


I hate it when folks do that, it perhaps wasn't what they wanted to read but it would be nice to know that the replies given had been taken on board.


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

It's really sad that Mac is crying and trying to open the cage door. I fostered a mum with seven kittens and kept them separate in the spare room for some time, but this was for the kittens' own safety as they were real little trip hazards; also Mum, Flo, got very angry if the other cats tried to sneak a peek at her family. The door was left open accidentally one day and all hell broke loose!! Flo was a tiny thing but puffed herself up to twice her size (like a porcupine) to sort out one of the boys.




buffie said:


> it perhaps wasn't what they wanted to read


No, I'm thinking maybe you're right . . . that happens quite a lot.


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

chillminx said:


> from reading your posts it sounds as though you may have had the kittens for a while,


Me too: I sort of understood that they have had them since they were babies, but I may have that totally wrong.


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