# 5am wake up call from 6 month kitten pls help!



## meow meow18 (Jan 25, 2014)

Hi I'm after some advise.
I am new to this forum and this is my first kitten, he is the cutest thing if ever known I adore him. He is now 6 months old and been neurted, he is well behaved all time and extremely playful. However recently he has got into the habit jumping on my bed around 4-6am and taps me, purrs on my head, then if ignored starts pouncing on me. At first I thought ahhh he loves me how sweet but actually now I just need to sleep past 5am. Before I go to bed I leave some dry food down and water soI know he doesn't want food I guess he does want company. I have read loads of different things to try but I don't want to be cruel to my new best friend. I have done the whole calmly putting him down and ignoring him but three hours of this is exhausting ! If ignorednhe just then starts climbing the curtain, I have shut him out but he the. Meows and cries for hours and that seemed more destressing for all involed . anyone any advise please? 

Tiered and loving new kiiten mum


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## My5Kitties (Jan 19, 2014)

Hi Meow Meow18,

Congratulations on becoming 'Kitty Staff', best job in the world. 

Kittens unfortunately can't tell the time and if they want to have a mad half hour they will. 

You need to get into some kind of routine, cats are very clever and will soon learn. If you want him to have the full run of the house then you're going to have some sleepless nights while he settles down now he's be neutered.

I would say though try not to physically stop him because he will think 'oh great she wants to play' and see this is ok and it will continue.

What do you do when you try to correct him from doing something wrong or that might harm him??

Try saying 'No' gently but firmly and then don't engage him so he's not confused by your intentions. (on the flip side make sure you give lots of cuddles when he's good so he learns the difference).

I use 'No', 'Play Nicely' and clap my hands these all work with my pride.

Whatever command you use stick to it so he understands what it means.

Good luck and hopefully you'll all be sleeping peacefully very soon.

Rachel.


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## meow meow18 (Jan 25, 2014)

Thanks Rachel 
I think I will try telling him no and not physically put him down, not sure if this will work. I tried today to ignore him but he then clawed my face, very hard to ignore this one haha. I have used the clapping before when he has started to sctrach the carpet so maybe that will help. I dont want him to hate me though, he does have lots attention all day. My partner says I'm too soft with him but he is so god dam cute! But now I'm stuggling with the early wake up call.
So I'll try your advise tomorrow morning to be clear you would just say no and clap when he jumps on the bed ?
Then ignore him? 

Thank you for your advise, I have been goggling Like crazy to get a sensible answer.


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## My5Kitties (Jan 19, 2014)

Just use one command to start with. I find it's a lot easier to say 'No' when you're half asleep than clapping your hands. 

So a gentle but firm 'No' and then ignore.

Don't expect miracles it's probably going to take a few goes and more sleepless nights yet, I know it's hard when you're tired but you need to be patient.

He won't hate you, he just needs guidance on what's acceptable behaviour. 

I do feel your pain, I have 5 kitties, 2 are 6 month old Maine Coons so I'm currently going through the early hours wake up call.

Cersei comes over for face rubs, kisses & licks all lovely until she nips...keep getting up to new marks/scratches on my face. Her brother Tyri has the loudest call / purr I have ever heard and he makes his presence felt at 5.30am...not really a problem as I get up at 6am and they get fed.

Rachel


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## ForeverHome (Jan 14, 2014)

Controversial again but these are my thoughts.

Pretend to be asleep. Don't react. Don't speak or move - just play dead. When you are ready to wake up, if he is still pestering, stay "dead" until he leaves you alone, then wait a few minutes, then get up. Or if he goes away and comes back at a good time, then reward him - cats have an excellent body clock and will quickly learn what time you want to be woken up.

The very worst thing you can do is to ignore-ignore-ignore then give in - he will learn that persistence pays and you will never get a peaceful night. 

Have a play session before bed, then end the play session, reward, and go to bed with some kind of ritual, maybe say "Come on, bedtime!" and firmly walk away to bed. Try to avoid playing in your bedroom, so that the bedroom is a quiet no-play place. 

It will take a while of being disturbed but it's well worth the investment for a peaceful life!

My mother comes to look after my two whenever I'm away for work and although I've never had a peep of trouble Bobby played hell with her, waking her at 4 and 5 and 6, and she would get up and play. I gave her exactly the instructions above and now he is good as gold, it only took one 2 night visit for him to get that she was not to be messed around.


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## ForeverHome (Jan 14, 2014)

The cat is not, as some people will say, a nocturnal animal. They are what's called crepuscular (like a fox) in that their peak activity times are dawn and dusk. So it's entirely natural for them to wake up this early, it just takes a little bit of adjusting to be more sociable 

Re the face clawing - cats are very resourceful and intelligent and will find the one thing you cannot resist/sleep through etc. Henry inserts one single claw into my ex's nostril and barely tickles. With me he used to pounce and land will all 4 feet on my bladder, and this is a 12 lb cat. Impossible to sleep through - you just have to play them at their own game.


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## itty (Jan 22, 2014)

You can try to exhaust him before going to sleep. Like that he will be all tired and sleep (and let u sleep) all night long 

This is how I play with my cat every night. I call it the hunting game 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZEke1RGF0A


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## meow meow18 (Jan 25, 2014)

Thanks everyone for replying, I thought I was going mad. As he is so good all the rest of the time I was thinking maybe this is his thing and it's not as ba a some behavioural problems iv read about. 

So today I tried the playing dead. Before bed he always has a play and I have been saying ok 'bedtime' and he settles fine. 
I left a little food down for him, and at 6 he came and jump on my head, I did not move he was nudging me and purring so load. I ignored him and kept thinking don't give in! 
I didnt give in he was on and off the bed a bit but I had no claws today. He did knock everything off the side table including the lamp. Which I actually found quite funny. 
I layed perfectly still untill 8! Amazing. So I'm gonna keep that up and see what happens. 

Thank you for the advise, it's nice to know that it is normal for kittens to do this. 
Hopefully he will grow out of it.


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## ForeverHome (Jan 14, 2014)

meow meow18 said:


> Thanks everyone for replying, I thought I was going mad. As he is so good all the rest of the time I was thinking maybe this is his thing and it's not as ba a some behavioural problems iv read about.
> 
> So today I tried the playing dead. Before bed he always has a play and I have been saying ok 'bedtime' and he settles fine.
> I left a little food down for him, and at 6 he came and jump on my head, I did not move he was nudging me and purring so load. I ignored him and kept thinking don't give in!
> ...


By next weekend you'll be having a lie-in, it's so hard isn't it but keep at it, it won't take long. Like how he tried other things though cheeky wee monkey! You are teaching him out of it - take the credit!


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

ForeverHome said:


> By next weekend you'll be having a lie-in,


 . Good luck with that one.

I went to bed last night with one cat on one side and the other on the otherside, me lying straight down the by 4am I was lying corner to corner as Cookie had turned 90 degrees and was now facing the middle of the bed. 

At 6am I get a tap on the nose with a paw, try playing dead through that. :biggrin:


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## jill3 (Feb 18, 2009)

Cookieandme said:


> . Good luck with that one.
> 
> I went to bed last night with one cat on one side and the other on the otherside, me lying straight down the by 4am I was lying corner to corner as Cookie had turned 90 degrees and was now facing the middle of the bed.
> 
> At 6am I get a tap on the nose with a paw, try playing dead through that. :biggrin:


Sounds just like our house only we have 3 in or on the Bed
Sometimes there isn't any room for my legs and they dangle out the side of the bed.


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## jaycee05 (Sep 24, 2012)

Sounds very familiar, 3 ,sometimes 4 sleep on my bed, 2 actually get in, and wake up all over the place,


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## Jaguar01 (May 6, 2013)

i have had this since march this year with my Princess. even down to with 1 claw very gently lifting one eyelid then to be greeted with a kiss on the nose lol.

i have given up trying to train her now. during the week 5am is fine as i get up at 5.30-6 am. but Saturdays and Sundays are annoying to say the least. i have found to get some peace is to have a 15 minute love session then give her breakfast and go back to bed. until the paper boy delivers the Sunday paper she attacks the letterbox to let me know he has arrived


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## Cazzer (Feb 1, 2010)

Ginger likes his breakfast early. He will never give up. This morning I thought i would ignore him. At one point the gentle paw on the face became a little more insistent. Unfortunately at this point I moved. I'm now fetching a livid red scratch on my face :mad5:


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## ForeverHome (Jan 14, 2014)

Cookieandme said:


> . Good luck with that one.
> 
> I went to bed last night with one cat on one side and the other on the otherside, me lying straight down the by 4am I was lying corner to corner as Cookie had turned 90 degrees and was now facing the middle of the bed.
> 
> At 6am I get a tap on the nose with a paw, try playing dead through that. :biggrin:


Sounds fab!

My ex gets a single claw inserted into his nostril, I'd struggle with that one.

I have decided to work with Molly not against her, I have found the noise she makes on the headboard to wake is making little nicks in the imitation leather, so as of tonight a big scratching post will be strapped in place. She can still wake me by scratching at 8.15 but she won't be hurting my bed. Wish me luck.


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## nightkitten (Jun 15, 2012)

All of mine are perfectly well behaved - all apart from Wilbur. I do think they have all made a pact and send Wilbur in to wake me up.

He is the oldest and heaviest but he doesn't even use his weight. 
He comes in to the bedroom shouting his head off and then sits right beside me. I ignore him. 
Then he starts nudging me with his wet nose and purrs into my ear. I ignore him.
The next step is to bite my nose, cheek or forehead. I don't ignore him - it hurts! :lol:

I did try and ignore him even through the biting but the biting just gets harder and harder and he has even drawn blood. He is very stubborn, my old Wilbur :001_tt2:


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## muffin789 (Jan 28, 2013)

I have a v fetching scratch right across my top lip from where I tried to ignore Libby and have a lie-in this weekend.  No rest in this house either!


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## meow meow18 (Jan 25, 2014)

Hi me again with the 5 am ginger tom. So I did the ignoring him and it started to kind of work. He would stay off the bed to around 6.30. Now the last week has been awful, I litterally do not know what to do he has got worse. It's really effecting my day to day work life. Also my partner now keeps saying that the kitty must go! Which is not an option for me I love the naughty little sod! 

What he is doing now is waking up and laying on our pillows and purring the loadest purr, then he will climb curtains back of the door and just basically go crazy. Please if anyone has any advise I would be so grateful.

I have thought about setting up the spare room for him at night, he will hate it though as he doesn't even like the bathroom door being closed.


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## Forester (Dec 2, 2012)

Sorry, no advice but wanted to tell you that my Eric used to wake me by "kneading" on my adam's apple. That's impossible to sleep through.


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

I'm a tough mum and shut mine down in the living room at night, they're perfectly content with that.


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## My5Kitties (Jan 19, 2014)

Afternoon Meow Meow18,

Sorry to hear you're still having problems...there is always another solution, although I doubt your other half will be pleased and that's get another kitten to keep your little fella company!!

Rachel


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## meow meow18 (Jan 25, 2014)

So did Eric grow out of it? 

Today he has been up the curtain since 5! Iv got an idea to put something front of the curtain and the put a small scracthing matt next to the bed, thought that might help. With regards to putting him in the spare room its defintly an idea only trouble is my flat is open plan so no doors there, only on my bedroom and bathroom. 

Thank you everyone for trying to help


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## KateLauren (Feb 5, 2014)

Hi Guys,

I have a 7 month old male british short hair who I'm having similar issues. He was neutered 6 weeks ago but it hasn't changed any part of his behaviour in the slightest. 

My other half usually gets up at 6.30, and myself at 7. However Jesse has other ideas and will get up any time ranging from 5 am to 6.30. We've tried ignoring him but he is so persistent  he cries for an hour and a half solid without taking a breath! And when he does stop it lasts for 5 mins and then he starts up again. 
He just doesn't seem to be growing out of it.

His behaviour is really inconsistent too  some weeks he'll only start at 6ish, some weeks 5ish. We live in a terraced house and actually wonder whether he is being disturbed by noises from our neighbours. We're at the point now where he is banging and scratching on the door too, he's a big cat and he's literally throwing his weight at the door. 

We have constantly ignored him but its just not working 

Help!


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## Jesthar (May 16, 2011)

Has he been neutered yet? If not, he really should be very soon, at six months he is more than old enough, and it should calm him down a bit (it does take a few weeks for hormones to subside, though.

Now, what are you feeding him? Cheap dry food is like candy for cats, as it is stuffed full of grains and sugars, which is a recipe for hyperactivity - especially in kittens as they are are mental anyway! 

I only feed grain free wet food and raw food, and my eight month old kitten sleeps through the night in my bedroom quite happily after a good, long, vigorous play session and a big supper. She did also go through a phase of waking me up to play at 4am, but quickly worked out that waking me up just got her pushed off the bed with ever increasing degrees of firmness.


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## nightkitten (Jun 15, 2012)

meow meow18 said:


> Hi me again with the 5 am ginger tom. So I did the ignoring him and it started to kind of work. He would stay off the bed to around 6.30. Now the last week has been awful, I litterally do not know what to do he has got worse. It's really effecting my day to day work life. Also my partner now keeps saying that the kitty must go! Which is not an option for me I love the naughty little sod!
> 
> What he is doing now is waking up and laying on our pillows and purring the loadest purr, then he will climb curtains back of the door and just basically go crazy. Please if anyone has any advise I would be so grateful.
> 
> I have thought about setting up the spare room for him at night, he will hate it though as he doesn't even like the bathroom door being closed.


I am sorry to say that this is normal behaviour. When you start ignoring him he will get worse for a while. He has now noticed that what he was doing to begin with to get attention is not working anymore so now he has thought of worse things to do to get your attention. I know it is very hard but try and stick it out for another 2 weeks and then he should get the message.


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## Kotanushka (Oct 25, 2013)

meow meow18 said:


> Hi me again with the 5 am ginger tom. So I did the ignoring him and it started to kind of work. He would stay off the bed to around 6.30. Now the last week has been awful, I litterally do not know what to do he has got worse. It's really effecting my day to day work life. Also my partner now keeps saying that the kitty must go! Which is not an option for me I love the naughty little sod!
> 
> What he is doing now is waking up and laying on our pillows and purring the loadest purr, then he will climb curtains back of the door and just basically go crazy. Please if anyone has any advise I would be so grateful.
> 
> I have thought about setting up the spare room for him at night, he will hate it though as he doesn't even like the bathroom door being closed.


Sounds like everybody here telling about their naughty cats in fact are secretly loving it! :lol:
But if the kitty is ruining your life - just be firm. Play with him a lot before going to sleep so he gets exhausted, leave him food, water, his bed - everything he needs. And lock him up in another room - the further from your bedroom the better. 
Or get him a playmate - another kitten, and lock them up overnight together. You will probably hear the sound of pounding paws instead of meowing in the morning.


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