# How to get kitten to sleep at night or be better behaved??



## Catloverxxx54 (Jan 9, 2018)

Hi everyone
I have had my 9 week old kitten for a week, and I have not slept properly since I got him. . I love him but he terrorises me at night by playing. Slithers down the side of my bed and tries to get under my covers, climbs over my face and head and when he does go to sleep, he sleeps next to me instead of the box I've provided for him, so I can't turn over or move

I don't want to shut him out my room as this might encourage him to bite the wires in the hallway. He also cries if he's left on his own too long

How do I get him to settle at night? feeling exhausted x
Thanks everyone


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## Bertie'sMum (Mar 27, 2017)

@Catloverxxx54 I'm afraid you're going to have to harden your heart a little !

Cats are crepuscular (most active at dusk and dawn) so your kitten's play behaviour at night is quite natural; he's also quite young to be away from his Mum and probably misses his litter mates which is why wants to be close to you.

I suggest you give him his 'own' room at night (spare bedroom etc) with litter tray, food bowl, water, comfy bed and some toys.When you go to bed he goes into his room and you shut the door. He'll probably miaow and scratch at the door for the first couple of nights but you mustn't give in - he will soon realise that night time is sleep time. You could also try leaving a radio on low in his room - classical music seems to do the trick with cats 

Alternatively, if you haven't got a spare room, you could use a large dog crate in your bedroom - you'll need one big enough to take a litter tray, food & water bowls and a comfy bed); then at bedtime he goes in the crate - he should get the idea after a couple of nights, although I'd probably recommend you invest in some ear plugs as he'll try miaowing to get your attention !!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Excellent advice from Bertie's Mum.


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## Pinkdon (Sep 15, 2017)

Yup, I agree with all advice given! Always had cats, now have my first kitten and it’s a super steep learning curve! They require so much more attention and care, feels like a full time job sometimes. Such a joy, but so much more hard work, I would never have believed it until I got my own. He will cry, I still can’t go to the toilet with the door shut, he will bite all wires he can chomp on, nothing is safe - he’s a baby and it’s up to you to protect him - that’s what you take on when you take home a furrbaby!


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## ZoeM (Jul 16, 2015)

People defintely don't realise or forget how much hard work kittens can be, especially at first. They are just babies at that age and need cuddles and comfort and sooo much attention. Some friends of mine cat sat two kittens for me for a couple of nights, and they were exhausted at the end of it, as they kept getting up to check on the kittens and woke them up - so it was play time!

Have you played quite vigorously before you go to bed? Play time, some good food and a cuddle before bed - maybe a soft blanket at the end of your bed, with a hot water bottle in to simulate some body warmth would encourage him to sleep at the bottom of the bed, rather than in your face.

Saying that, some cats will always be clingy and want to sleep on/in your face even grown up. 

If it helps though, you will start to sleep through the unwanted attention..... I can pretty much sleep through anything my cats do now.

Good luck - and please can we have pics? 

Z


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

I'm saddened to see members suggesting that a 9 week old kitten should be shut in its own room for a minimum of 8 hours a night, with no company. It's too young to be away from its mum and littermates, and this is the crucial socialisation period, so as much human contact as possible is needed, particularly as he's just been ripped away from his mum and litter. I'd be cuddling him in when I rolled over instead of expecting him to sleep in a box. It's like expecting your baby to put itself in its cot. It's just not going to happen when there's another warm body there with a reassuring heartbeat to cuddle with. If you want to shut him out, do it at 13 weeks when he's more socially robust and settled in your house, and I'm afraid my view is learn to sleep through it, put him on the floor if he's trying to play on/in the bed, cuddle him when he wants it, and blame yourself for your exhaustion for not doing your research and getting a kitten at the proper age of 12-16 weeks for leaving mum. You're just going to have to be mum until then whether you like it or not.


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## ChaosCat (Dec 7, 2017)

I absolutely agree to carly87. I wouldn’t even think of shutting out an older single cat over night. So many hours alone at night and normally also during the day while the humans are at work. What a sad solitary life.


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## Catloverxxx54 (Jan 9, 2018)

carly87 said:


> I'm saddened to see members suggesting that a 9 week old kitten should be shut in its own room for a minimum of 8 hours a night, with no company. It's too young to be away from its mum and littermates, and this is the crucial socialisation period, so as much human contact as possible is needed, particularly as he's just been ripped away from his mum and litter. I'd be cuddling him in when I rolled over instead of expecting him to sleep in a box. It's like expecting your baby to put itself in its cot. It's just not going to happen when there's another warm body there with a reassuring heartbeat to cuddle with. If you want to shut him out, do it at 13 weeks when he's more socially robust and settled in your house, and I'm afraid my view is learn to sleep through it, put him on the floor if he's trying to play on/in the bed, cuddle him when he wants it, and blame yourself for your exhaustion for not doing your research and getting a kitten at the proper age of 12-16 weeks for leaving mum. You're just going to have to be mum until then whether you like it or not.


Hi thanks, but I came here to look for helpful advice and tips, not to be told that I should blame myself for not doing research. I also think it's a bad idea to have a kitten next to an owner in bed as it presents a hazard. The last thing I want to do is crush him or injure him if I turn over


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## Catloverxxx54 (Jan 9, 2018)

ZoeM said:


> People defintely don't realise or forget how much hard work kittens can be, especially at first. They are just babies at that age and need cuddles and comfort and sooo much attention. Some friends of mine cat sat two kittens for me for a couple of nights, and they were exhausted at the end of it, as they kept getting up to check on the kittens and woke them up - so it was play time!
> 
> Have you played quite vigorously before you go to bed? Play time, some good food and a cuddle before bed - maybe a soft blanket at the end of your bed, with a hot water bottle in to simulate some body warmth would encourage him to sleep at the bottom of the bed, rather than in your face.
> 
> ...


Thank you, I tried the hot water bottle tip you suggested and so far that has been making progress! x


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## Catloverxxx54 (Jan 9, 2018)

Catloverxxx54 said:


> Hi thanks, but I came here to look for helpful advice and tips, not to be told that I should blame myself for not doing research. I also think it's bad advice for a kitten next to an owner in bed as it presents a hazard . The last thing I want to do is crush him or injure him if I turn over. Thats why new born babys sleep in their own cot, and they manage so Im sure my kitten will. I also play with him all day from the minute I wake up to the moment I go to bed so he is not lacking human interaction either.


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## jasperthecat (Aug 5, 2017)

Catloverxxx54 said:


> Hi everyone
> I have had my 9 week old kitten for a week, and I have not slept properly since I got him. . I love him but he terrorises me at night by playing. Slithers down the side of my bed and tries to get under my covers, climbs over my face and head and when he does go to sleep, he sleeps next to me instead of the box I've provided for him, so I can't turn over or move
> 
> I don't want to shut him out my room as this might encourage him to bite the wires in the hallway. He also cries if he's left on his own too long
> ...


Hello and welcome.
When we brought Jasper home at just 8 weeks old and who is now 8 months old, apart from the first two nights, he was not allowed to stay in our bedroom overnight. He was allowed to sleep on our bed but when we were ready for sleep at night he was placed on his cushion on the landing where he remained until we awoke the following morning and it worked fine. If he awoke during the night there were toys and small scratching post available with which he could play and he had his litter tray and food and drink in the hallway should he need them during the night. I also had a small very low output LED nightlight on the landing for him so that he could see what he was doing on the stairs if he wished.

You are worried about him chewing wires...that is your first step...protect the wires or remove them if possible so that he can't chew them and then you can rest easy and he can stay out of the bedroom at night so you can get your sleep. Remember he's a kitten and kittens like to play so just remove the dangers so he can't get into trouble and let him get on with his own thing.

Jasper soon learned that at night he didn't sleep in the bedroom and to be fair he never mewed to be let in. If you concede and let him in the bedroom every time he whimpers then he will soon learn that if he cries you'll let him in...unless there's a good reason why he should be in then DON'T let him in...simple!
In the past couple of months we've actually left the bedroom door slightly ajar and Jasper has actually been allowed to come and go in our bedroom at night and apart from one or two rare occasions at first, we have never even noticed him in there. At first he slept on top of the duvet at our feet but since I got him his cat barrel, when he's ready for his proper sleep at night he now gets off the bed of his own volition after napping and settles down for the night on his barrel's bed. It's become his bedtime routine and quite funny really.

He does have a habit of coming up to our faces purring loudly to see if we're awake often between the hours of 5.00 and 6.00am and will lick our hands if we respond by stroking him and then go back to sleep but even if we don't respond he'll either go back to sleep at our feet or more than likely go back to his own bed. He has learned that when we're sleeping he isn't allowed to bother us! To be honest, I feel quite a hypocritical as both OH and myself can't seem to let him sleep without stroking him! Poor little fella is always being stroked as he looks so cute when he's sleeping!

So my advice is get him into a routine and be strict about when he is and isn't allowed to be in the bedroom and stick to it! if you make sure he's safe and has his toys and litter tray and food accessible, he'll do just fine and you'll get your sleep. Later when he gets older you can then introduce him to sleeping in the bedroom overnight just as we have done and hopefully both of you will get your sleep without disturbing each other!


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