# Cat only friendly at night?



## wblastyn (Jun 8, 2016)

During the day my cat hides most of the time, and tolerates some petting but runs away after a while. 

In the evening it's a completely different story. He comes over meowing to get petted, rolls around and plays. Any idea why he's like this and is there anything I can do to make him more friendly during the day?


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

I would recommend you just let him be who he is. 

The only change you might make is his diet. If you are feeding a dry diet, stop,and get him onto wet, or even better, raw. Diet plays a bigger role in temperament than most people realize. If you are already feeding wet or raw, good for you!


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## Jesthar (May 16, 2011)

wblastyn said:


> During the day my cat hides most of the time, and tolerates some petting but runs away after a while.
> 
> In the evening it's a completely different story. He comes over meowing to get petted, rolls around and plays. Any idea why he's like this and is there anything I can do to make him more friendly during the day?


Cats are crepuscular, not diurnal or nocturnal - i.e. they are most active at dawn and dusk when they can see better than their prey in the twilight, so that may well explain why he perks up in the evening. Just let him interact on his terms - trying to force the issue will only make him more likely to avoid you during the day


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@wblastyn - is your cat allowed access to outdoors during the night? If so then he is probably active all night and wants to be left alone to sleep or rest all day, only wanting to socialise with you once the evening comes. Years ago I had a cat who was like this.


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## Shrike (Jun 25, 2015)

Touching on diet again - when we first got our family cat he had just two big meals a day, but as that meant he spent most of the day sleeping it off, mum switched him to four smaller meals. She said she'd rather he was active and interacting with the family than whacked out most of the time.


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## wblastyn (Jun 8, 2016)

lorilu said:


> I would recommend you just let him be who he is.
> 
> The only change you might make is his diet. If you are feeding a dry diet, stop,and get him onto wet, or even better, raw. Diet plays a bigger role in temperament than most people realize. If you are already feeding wet or raw, good for you!


I'm in the process of switching him from dry to wet. I got him a sample of MACS from Happy Kitty Company and so far he seems to like it.



chillminx said:


> @wblastyn - is your cat allowed access to outdoors during the night? If so then he is probably active all night and wants to be left alone to sleep or rest all day, only wanting to socialise with you once the evening comes. Years ago I had a cat who was like this.


No, he's an indoor only cat. I hear him running around at night though, while I'm in bed.


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## ALR (Apr 16, 2014)

He's probably got a routine of sleeping during the day and be awake at night which is normal for cats in general. It's sounds he's not a very confident cat. I'd say have a routine of playing with him especially at night but also in the morning becfore breakfast if he'd play. My new rescue is a scaredy cat but her confidence changes so much after play and she goes exploring.

Depending on whether he's a bird catcher or mouse catcher (try both to find out) I'd get the flying frenzy and the mouse catcher toy.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I agree with ALR, your cat is probably used to sleeping all day and therefore being awake and active at night. This can sometimes happen with cats if they have been used to being alone all day, particularly if they are shut indoors all the time. Without human companionship and no access to outdoors to find things to watch, there is nothing for them to do to, so they just sleep. Then the weekend comes, the humans are at home in the daytime and want the cat's company, but as far as the cat is concerned his routine is the same, sleep all day, be active at night.

Cats who sleep all day usually start to wake up at dusk (being crepuscular by nature they are at their most active at dawn and dusk). At this time of year in the summer (in the UK) they will become active before dusk. Do you find your cat is more approachable then, more willing to interact with you, and play in the evenings?


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

My inside cats are home all day, but they don't sleep all day, nor are they up all night. They sleep with me. They have windows to look out of, and I come home to their toys all over the place, indicating their activity while I am away. I play with them in the morning and when I get home from work and sometimes a third session before bed time.

The more the human interacts with the cat, the more active the cat will be on his or her own.

But going back to the @wblastyn OP's cat, you may find he is more active and social when you've gotten him on the better diet, especially because scheduled meal times are lovely bonding times. : )

What's his history? How old is he?


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## wblastyn (Jun 8, 2016)

chillminx said:


> I agree with ALR, your cat is probably used to sleeping all day and therefore being awake and active at night. This can sometimes happen with cats if they have been used to being alone all day, particularly if they are shut indoors all the time. Without human companionship and no access to outdoors to find things to watch, there is nothing for them to do to, so they just sleep. Then the weekend comes, the humans are at home in the daytime and want the cat's company, but as far as the cat is concerned his routine is the same, sleep all day, be active at night.
> 
> Cats who sleep all day usually start to wake up at dusk (being crepuscular by nature they are at their most active at dawn and dusk). At this time of year in the summer (in the UK) they will become active before dusk. Do you find your cat is more approachable then, more willing to interact with you, and play in the evenings?


This morning I was able to coax him out with Da Bird, which he loves, and played for a while but still wasn't very cuddley.

About 4.30pm I was able to get him to come over for head rubs before leaving for work.

I came home from work tonight at 10pm and he's been following me around all night wanting to get petted.

So it seems like playing with him more during the day might be the key. Coaxing him out from behind the curtains with Da Bird seemed to help make him more willing to interact.


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## wblastyn (Jun 8, 2016)

lorilu said:


> My inside cats are home all day, but they don't sleep all day, nor are they up all night. They sleep with me. They have windows to look out of, and I come home to their toys all over the place, indicating their activity while I am away. I play with them in the morning and when I get home from work and sometimes a third session before bed time.
> 
> The more the human interacts with the cat, the more active the cat will be on his or her own.
> 
> ...


He was a rescue cat. He was a welfare case, his previous owner was a cat hoarder with over 20 cats and wasn't looking after them. He'd been in the shelter for a few months. He's 1 year old.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

wblastyn said:


> He was a rescue cat. He was a welfare case, his previous owner was a cat hoarder with over 20 cats and wasn't looking after them. He'd been in the shelter for a few months. He's 1 year old.


Aw, so he's only just learning about how wonderful it is to have a loving forever home. He's probably never had anyone play with him or love him before you! You have many years of lovely bonds to forge. xx No rush. : )


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## wblastyn (Jun 8, 2016)

lorilu said:


> Aw, so he's only just learning about how wonderful it is to have a loving forever home. He's probably never had anyone play with him or love him before you! You have many years of lovely bonds to forge. xx No rush. : )


Yeah that's true. He is very timid, he'd run and hide any time someone came into his room at the shelter, so no one really played with him except one of the staff members. But she had all the other cats to look after too. He shared a room with kittens, so most people picked them over him. I wanted an adult cat and they wanted him to go to a quiet home with no children, so they said I was perfect for him.

I was a bit worried he'd always be timid and aloof but within the second night he started being affectionate. Ive only had him for just over a week and he even came out to greet me when I came home from work tonight.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

If you've only had him just over a week that is no time at all and he is making good progress. He just needs time to trust you and gain confidence and then I am sure he will be a great companion to you. Lots of play time is good for a one year old cat, and Da Bird is brilliant!. 

Please let us know how things go.


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## MontyMaude (Feb 23, 2012)

Is your cat a bit stressy? It's just my stress headed cat like to hide or keep to her self during the day, she usually takes to our bed under the duvet or hides under a blanket on a chair but then 5pm rolls around and she comes out screeching and wailing demanding fusses and then hangs out all evening with us and will play and amuse herself thought the night, it's the way she has always been and we just leave her be during the day.


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