First LONG night with Brodie!

[christa]

I know some of you all sleep with your cats, so you can relate & advise me!

Josie never would sleep with us, so I've never had to deal with a cat sleeping on me all night. We've been isolating Brodie in OUR ROOM, so . . . it was a long night, needless to say.

Our Night in a Nutshell:

First of all, he's still alittle scared, so he cried and cried all night. Unless he was touching me or hubby, he cried. I tried to get him to sleep in his bed beside our bed on the floor, but he just wouldn't stop crying & trying to get up on the bed with us . . . sooooo, He laid inbetween us from 12-2 . . . woke up, wanted to play, pooped in his litter box . . . got back in bed with us . . . I then realized that he has stepped in his poopy litter . . . had to get up and scrub his back foot and clean the bed off . . . got him back to sleep at 3 until 4:30 . . . wanted to play . . . got him back to sleep at 5 . . . he slept until 6:30 when the alarm went off . . . I'M SO TIRED!!! I don't feel like I slept at all!

I don't know what to do with him though. Our room is the only room he can stay in right now. And when we're with him, he HAS to be touching us constantly. I'm not used to that, so I just don't know what to do. I'm afraid I'll roll over and crush him and I'm even more afraid that hubby will crush him! So I'm not sleeping for watching out for the both of us.

I'm sleepy . . . hubby's gone to work . . . I think I'm gonna lay on the couch for awhile & take a nap.

[catnapper]

I don't mean to laugh at your horrible night, but LOL LOL LOL... I SO relate. We sleep in a double bed - not even a queen - and every night have at least two cats, if not three or four. A few weeks ago, hubby decided that he wanted to take two double mattresses and lay them side by side on the floor as our bed, then MAYBE he'd get some room in bed and sleep at night!

He'll settle down tonight or tomorrow... remember this is all new to him and he's confused and scared. But chances are he'll want to sleep in bed with you. Its getting cold at night, and bed with two humans is MUCh warmer and cozier than a cat bed on the floor.

[catlover4ever]

The only advise I can give is to play with him just before going to bed...try to tucker him out. This works for Gracie and Gabe...we played for 5 hours last night before they finally settled down at 8:30 pm.

As for the touchy-ness and the sleeping in bed....I can not help. I have not had a good nights sleep in 11 years.

[Barbara]

When we got Tigris and Filou I said the cats will never come in my bed. I said napping with a cat on the sofa is ok but please, no cats in bed. My husband said cats in his bed are ok.

We have separate bedrooms because my husband usually reads until 1 a.m. and then falls asleep with light on- and I sleep earlier The weekends we sleep in the same bed because then I stay up much longer and we don't have that timing problem.

Ok, little Tigris arrived one day earlier than Filou. We felt so sorry for him because he had to leave mom and dad and auntie and brother and now he was alone with us. So we decided to sleep the first night in my husbands bed ( we have two queens ) and to allow Tigris in the bedroom as he would anyway be sleeping with his dad. First he didn't come but then he settled down on the cover purring contently.

The rest is history: my husband has not had a single night of uninterrupted sleep in the last 9 years and the weekends both cats sleep in our bed

I agree: Brodie will feel better in a day or so. And play with him before bedtime as hard as you can. It's not easy to wear a kitten out but I wish you a good success with it.

[Laura's Babies]

I would LOVE a kitty like that and I am heartbroken if mine do not sleep with me in the bed! I think you are LUCKY to have one like Brodie. (Chester slept on my pillow until he got to big to get there anymore)

You have to understand, he is use to having someone to snuggle up to, the warmth and closeness of someone being there so having to be alone, it is understandable that he cries and cries.

Once he and Josie become friends, he can sleep and cuddle with her and that will help a lot. Can you put a heating pad in his bed with a stuffed animal and try that for warmth and cuddeling until he can sleep with Josie?

Don't worry about rolling over on him, they are quick to get out of spots like that. I have slept with every kitten I have ever had and never had a problem...

One cat I had, came from a pound and she HAD to sleep on my pillow where she could feel me breathing on her all night. I LOVED it!

[rosethecopycat]

Originally posted by christa
[
First of all, he's still alittle scared, so he cried and cried all night. Unless he was touching me or hubby, he cried. I tried to get him to sleep in his bed beside our bed on the floor, but he just wouldn't stop crying & trying to get up on the bed with us . . . sooooo, He laid inbetween us from 12-2 . . . woke up, wanted to play, pooped in his litter box . . . got back in bed with us . . . I then realized that he has stepped in his poopy litter . . . had to get up and scrub his back foot and clean the bed off . . . got him back to sleep at 3 until 4:30 . . . wanted to play . . . got him back to sleep at 5 . . . he slept until 6:30 when the alarm went off . . . I'M SO TIRED!!! I don't feel like I slept at all!

[/B]

Sounds just like an average night.

Around here, just times that night by the number or kittens in the house.

He will fall into a routine, don't worry.

If you don't want him to wake you early, don't play with him. Try putting a special little blanket or cat bed, in the bed with you, so he knows he's got a special place.

Try to wear him out before bedtime.

He looks so young, if her were mine, I'd let him be as close as possible to me.
He is trying to bond.

[catmandu]

The Poor Little Baby,is scared,the first night,with Giant Starngers,in A New Home.That sounds like my first night,with Pouncer,that night,over 20 years ago.Does she attack,your toes?That was a must,for Pouncer,and OUCH

[Lacey]

Oh! That definitely sounds like a typical night! Looks like you've gotten some good advice here, so I really don't have anything much to add beyond saying that there's nothing nicer to wake up to than a kitten curled up against the crook of your neck!

[Craftlady]

Thumper sleeps with us either in middle or my feet.
Skinny on occassion sleeps between us but usually he is on the window/cat seat bed.
Eleanor sleeps on floor next to bed or in doorway. She hasnt gotten pecking order rights yet for the bed on a regular nightly basis. She does however, walk around on the pillows in the morning to my side of the bed and wakes me up. Eleanor than promptly lays beside me on the edge of the bed.

[lizzielou742]

Sounds familiar! It's rare when I get to sleep all the way through a night.

Tito was never a problem, kind of like Josie (unless he wakes me up b/c he's hungry). But Sophie drove me nuts the first few weeks!! I couldn't lay my head down before she was getting into something, making some kind of noise, having litterbox issues, etc. She calmed down soon enough, and hopefullly Brodie will too. Maybe leave some toys out for him, or keep some by the bed that you can give him when he wakes you up. I'm sure he'll stop the crying-when-he's-not-touching-you thing will stop soon enough - he'll figure out it's more fun to explore while you're asleep! So you won't roll on him - maybe put a heating pad at the foot of the bed and try to get him to sleep on that (or on your feet)?

Be glad he used the litterbox already, by the way! Good luck!

[sirrahbed]

Christa - like Rose suggested, how about something like this:

The babies always sleep in here and it keeps them from falling between the mattress and headboard and we also know where they are and don't have to worry about rolling on to them. Once asleep., we can move them around too. After awhile of hard play at bedtime, they have been sleeping all night and now they are older and can come and go on their own.
Worth a try? It is just a $10 carpet condom.

One possible drawback Early morning wakeup!

[christa]

Thanks for all the advice

I might try the carpet condom thing. I tried to get him to sleep on the pillow above my head . . . but he just has to be right up against me, preferably near my face, LOL. I woke up several times from his whiskers tikling my face! He kept sniffing my lips or something . . . not sure what he was doing.

[RedHedd]

I love waking up to a cat sniffing my nose or my eyelids! it tickles but it also feels SO good and waking up to a sweet kitty face sure gets my day started on the right note.

Mishi is my sleep buddy and usually ends up right next to me, near my shoulder or at my side. Mitzi sleeps on her window/pedestal bed.

[christa]

I'm glad to hear that no one has ever crushed their kitties!

I don't mind him sleeping with me . . . I feel like we really bonded just from last night.

I'm just worried about smothering him!

Guess I shouldn't worry though

[kimlovescats]

You won't smother him .... enjoy it!!!!