# Ragdoll Kitten = very little sleep!



## SallyofSomerset (Oct 30, 2016)

Hello
Can anyone help? Please!
I am going to admit i am struggling
My ragdoll kitten will not be left alone, which is fine but he sleeps in my bedroom at night. Can't shut the door as he will scratch the carpet up. If you wake up in the night he thinks its play time. And at 6am when my husband goes to work he is up, eats and then comes back upstairs to make as much mischief as possible and wake me up. I have had cats in the past, but never these problems. Please help i am so tired. 
He will be neutered next week. Hope that helps too


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi @SallyofSomerset and welcome 

Your kitten does sound like a lively little fellow with lots of energy!

He also evidently loves your company. Do you and/or your OH play with kitty interactively for several hours every evening and even more at weekends, to help him use up all his energy? Lots of vigorous play, using fishing rod toys, and throwing ping pong balls for him to chase (better still if you can get him running up and down the stairs chasing them) is the secret for tiring out a lively kitten.

Don't expect him to play on his own much. Kittens will play together in pairs, but a kitten on his own looks to his human companions as playmates.

Does the kitten have plenty of opportunities to exhibit normal kitten behaviour e.g. tall cat trees to climb? Lots of scratch posts and scratch pads? Room to race around; places to hide and pounce from? Kittens love tunnels like these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ancol-7031...1477854963&sr=8-1&keywords=ancol+play+tunnels

Buy 3 or 4 of these tunnels and fasten them all together with the toggles at each end, making one long tunnel, and place round your living room. My kittens adored these! Your kitty will too.  (The tunnels can be folded up easily for storage at the end of the day so you are not stuck with them in your living room all the time.)

I also used to put the tunnels up the stairs sometimes.

You can also train your kitten to play hide and seek with you. It is just a matter of being inventive and imaginative. And lots of fun can be had with cardboard boxes and newspaper. 

Cats are crepuscular by nature, (at their most active at dawn and dusk) so it's not surprising your kitten wants to be up and about at 6 am. He's looking for a companion and playmate to join him in starting the day so he wants you to wake up, and therefore he's mischievous. He sounds a real little character, bless him 

If you can't get any sleep at night it would be better if he doesn't sleep in your bedroom. There is no reason why he has to. You must decide what is best for _you - _there is no need for you to sacrifice your sleep. But you can't just shut the door on kitty or naturally he will scratch the carpet or the door for you to let him in. He has to be settled properly every night in one room, with his food, water, litter trays, cat bed, toys etc, and the door closed. The room should be warm enough for him, especially with the cold weather coming, and the cat bed should be off the floor as cats prefer.

There needs to be a regular bedtime routine which he can get used to. At first until he is used to being put to bed in a separate room, you should do as follows: after tiring him out with lots of play through the evening, feed him a tasty wet food supper at bedtime in his night room. Sit quietly with him, with the door closed, whilst he eats. Then stay quietly whilst he grooms and settles for sleep. Don't speak to him, perhaps sit reading or listening to quiet music. When he is settled for sleep you can softly leave the room and close the door. Maybe leave a radio on low on a soothing classical music station as cats often like that. Then go to bed and close your bedroom door so there are two doors between you.

Once he has learnt the routine (a couple of weeks at most) you will be able to put him in his room with his things and always a tasty wet food supper, and then close the door and leave him until morning.

If you hear him when you get up in the night, ignore him and go back to bed. He will be fine.

In the morning when your OH gets up, let him feed the kitten his brekkie in his night room, and then close the door until you get up to let him out. Perhaps OH could sit and have his own breakfast with the kitten to keep him company. Kitten once fed will probably snooze again until you get up.

Neutering might calm him down a bit once his hormone levels have dropped (from about 4 to 6 weeks after the op). But a lot of his boisterous behaviour is due to him being a very lively and energetic kitten. It will soon pass as he matures into adulthood, so enjoy it while you can, whilst at the same time getting your sleep.


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## SallyofSomerset (Oct 30, 2016)

Thank you all your advice! Very helpful.


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## Ragdoll90 (Mar 1, 2016)

I agree with everything @chillminx had to say there. I've got two rags of my own and the biggest thing that helps it the routine of it all they will eventually get there, your boy is just an energetic kitten just now! A play before bed then a nice pack of wet food! My two will only get up in the morning as soon as they hear the kitchen door opening and will usually return to bed to cuddle with me or OH if we are in arent working. Occasionally they have mad mornings still but there isn't a peep during the night. I'm not expert on cats behaviours (unlike a lot of members on here) but i had seen this advice before and decided to try it and it worked a treat, if you keep having a play and then food before bed he will eventually get it! Persistence is key!


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