Kitty cries at night

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  • 26 October, 2011 at 6:50 am #48705
    NalasMom3169
    Participant

    Hi! I’m new here, so I apologize if this question has already been asked and answered. We brought home our 9-week-old kitten Nala last Thursday. (I’ll be sure to post a picture!) Anyway, she cries every night, and I’m not sure what to do. We set up our bathroom as her “safe” room, which is just on the other side of our room. Last night, we decided to give into the crying and let her in bed with us. But all she wanted to do was play, which just won’t work. Tonight, we had an hour-long play session in hopes of tiring her out, but she still cried when I closed the door. It’s nothing excessive- she eventually stops- but it’s the saddest sound I’ve ever heard, lol. Any advice? Will she eventually get used to it? We’re open to her staying in our room, but not if she’s going to pounce all night 🙁 I know cats are pretty much nocturnal…anyway she can adjust to our sleep schedule? Thank you! -Christina

    26 October, 2011 at 7:40 am #701959
    CheetahBoysmommy
    Participant

    She’s probably just lonely – up until now she has had her mama and maybe siblings with her. You can try giving her a small stuffed animal to sleep with.

    Tiring her out is a good idea but after you do, try letting her stay with you. She will eventually adapt to your schedules, plus she’ll grow up and not want to play all night. Even though she’s keeping you up right now, this cute kitten stage is so brief that you might as well enjoy her.

    If you get her tired and take her to bed with you, and she gets up in the middle of the night to play, just lift her down to the floor and toss a toy (mousie, ball, paper wad) for her. She’ll play with it until she’s tired then she’ll either climb back into your bed, or cry for you to pick her up, or snuggle down into her own bed if she has one in your room.

    26 October, 2011 at 7:50 am #701960
    kitten poet
    Participant

    I can’t help but think of Disney’s Lady And The Tramp, when Lady was a puppy who howled herself silly when she was shut out of the family’s bedroom. Lady eventually got her way and ended up regularly sleeping on the bed which was at first was not allowed. From my experience, cats can be very insistent about what they want, so you may end up giving in. If this occurs, rest assured that the pouncing stage will not last. And yes, your kitty will adjust to your schedule. You will most likely end up missing the type of playfulness she exhibits now.

    27 October, 2011 at 3:00 am #701961
    NalasMom3169
    Participant

    Thank you for your responses! I KNOW I will miss this playful phase 🙂

    When we brought her to bed with us, she wouldn’t stop pouncing around. Whenever I put her on the floor, she just climbed back up. This went on and on until we were exhausted, and I had to return her to her “safe” room. Do you think we should try bringing her to bed again or just continue to sleep in separate rooms?

    27 October, 2011 at 4:58 am #701962
    CheetahBoysmommy
    Participant

    Pouncing around like that happens when the kitty is trying to catch “bed mice” – something wiggles and she wants to catch it.

    Keep giving her the chance to sleep with you. Eventually she’ll figure out that she needs to just play a little bit then go to sleep if she wants to stay in bed with you. Or you will learn to hold perfectly still all night long. 😉

    27 October, 2011 at 4:18 pm #701963
    ecbrown
    Participant

    Totally depends on how much you value good sleep vs. sleeping with your pet at night. I wouldn’t keep letting her out unless you are sure you want her in bed with you, because she will really protest if you change your mind. We love our cats a lot but feel good about the decision to shut our bedroom door at night. They have the run of the living area and we rarely hear a peep from them. (Of course we are with them ALL day long, so they get plenty of bonding with us during the day.) She would probably settle down some eventually, but from reading cat forums I know that cats will sometimes continue to disturb your sleep for their whole lives. But some folks value the nighttime snuggles enough to deal with it (and I can certainly see the appeal of nighttime snuggles.)

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