Thwarting the Alarm Clock Cat

Yet another article I found on the net. :)

Thwarting the Alarm Clock Cat by: Dr. Nicholas Dodman

Do not respond (in any way) to your cat’s dawn-time demands ... ever.Contrary to popular belief, cats are not nocturnal. The term “nocturnal” refers to the lifestyle of being awake at night instead of during the day, and that isn’t what cats do. They sleep at night as we do, just not quite as long. Cats are “crepuscular,” which means they are most active at dawn and dusk. This is because their ancestors’ prey was most active at these times, so it made sense for them to adjust to that schedule. No creature in his or her right mind ran about during the heat of the day or in the middle of night when it was pitch black. Though cats’ night vision is very good, they can’t see without light. Instead, they sleep.

And herein lies the problem of the chronic “alarm clock” cat. Two things combine to make this phenomenon possible:

1. Nature. Your cat’s internal clock and crepuscular nature tells her that it’s time to get up at around dawn. Depending on the time of sunrise, cats will become active sooner or later. In the land of the midnight sun, 4 a.m. may bear little significance. During the long, dark, sunless winters of the Antarctic, any cat unlucky enough to find herself there would probably sleep till lunchtime everyday.

2. Training. This is where the cat’s owner comes in. Let’s say your cat becomes active first thing in the morning. She quickly becomes bored because there’s nothing going on. If you so much as look at this cat, rewarding her with your attention, you may well get more of the same in the days to come. Worse still, if you assume that your cat is pacing around and scratching your furniture because she’s hungry, and you get up and feed her, then you have really made your own bed – or unmade it, as the case may be.

At this stage of things, pretending to be asleep, yelling at the cat, rolling over, and other forms of stubborn resistance do not usually work. The cat continues her (no doubt) occasionally successful quest. And remember, occasional reward is a more powerful reinforcer than continuous reward, to which fact the popularity of the slot machines in Las Vegas testify. Some of the things you do may even amuse and entertain the bored cat and act as reinforcers in their own right. In effect, you become a big squeaky toy for your cat. Here are some suggestions to prevent early awakenings:

Highly Recommended
*   Understand your cat and don’t blame her for the way that nature designed her. Have some patience and forbearance as you try to realign her habits.
*   Fit thick, lightproof curtains in your bedroom and hallways so that your whole sleeping area is totally dark at night.
*   Do not respond (in any way) to your cat’s dawn-time demands ... ever.
*   Feed your cat twice daily on a set schedule, but do not feed her first thing in the morning.
*   Keep the cat occupied during the day (exercise, games, toys, bring her to your place of work, etc.)

Things That Might Help
*   Feed your cat her last meal of the day at bedtime, which may make her want to sleep later in the morning.
*   Get a cat for your cat so that you are no longer her sole source of entertainment.
*   Give your cat the internal-clock-resetting-hormone, melatonin at night to induce a lengthier period of sleep. Consult your veterinarian before giving this or any other medication.

The most important things to remember about “early morning syndrome” is that it is a natural tendency for cats to rise and become active at dawn, and that owners can inadvertently feed into this tendency by responding with attention or food. If you are not careful, a cat that you feed at 6 a.m. will start jumping up on your bed at 5:45 a.m., trying to get a jump on her day. If you respond to your cat’s demands, next you will find yourself being woken up at 5:30 a.m., then 5:15 a.m., and so on, until eventually you find yourself being woken up in the wee hours.

Because most cats are keen to bend the rules, especially where food is concerned, and are naturally quick studies, it is important to make acceptable house rules and stick to them. If you cave in under pressure, you will get more of whatever behavior you have just rewarded. That is to say, you can inadvertently train a cat to wake you up. The old proverb “making your own bed and having to lie in it” applies here, except that you won’t be doing much lying. If you do have a problem of this nature, you should make any early morning activity unrewarding for the cat. It may take weeks to accomplish what you set out to do but it will finally dawn on the cat that sunrise doesn’t signal anything worth waking you for and then you’ll be off the hook.

Randi, thanks for the article. Although I said something quite similar about Fister's AM activity, this article is more instructive. It is just so true how quickly cats get a new habit developed.

I took Graemer out twice last week, in the snow. So today, as I was headed for the door, he was sitting there, meowing, waiting for his turn. It took only two visit outside and now he thinks it is going to happen each day. Cats are quick studies!

Thanks again - regards to John and the Fister man ! I am so glad he pulled through his surgery so nicely. I was not one who thought it was a good idea, but I was wrong. I know now that if I have to decided one way or the other, I will seriously consider the operation. Did Fister's meow go up an octave? Just kidding:eek:

Randi, thanks for posting the article, you have given me something to think about and work from for when Ebby finally gets to roam the house at will at night/earlymorning.
She does seem to be a `night owl` though, since I had her I seem to be getting to bed later and later, she seems to like to get active after 11.30pm and most of the time I don`t have the heart to shut the door on her! Also, in the morning she is always waiting by the door ready for a bit of fuss, a bite or two of her food and then back and to between rooms to look through the windows. So I guess that, were she was free to do, so she would become a kitty alarm clock too!

Although Edwina does get a morning treat (turkey) she is not a pest. She is content (alright...maybe not content but willing) to wait until one of us gets up. During the week she is curled up with me but springs up when she hears my husband's alarm go off at 5:10. He however, does not spring up so she sits and waits patiently until he actually gets out of bed at 5:30. Then she trots downstairs with him for coffee and turkey.

Saturday I get up first and she goes down with me for her treat -- but not until 6:30!

As a alarm clock -- she's a failure!

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Originally posted by Randi
Yet another article I found on the net. :)

Thwarting the Alarm Clock Cat by: Dr. Nicholas Dodman

Do not respond (in any way) to your cat’s dawn-time demands ... ever.

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I find that hard to do when Chester has both his sharp front feet poking into my kidneys and yelling his head off in my ear. The more I ignore him, the louder he gets. He has been known to jump on my tender parts harder if ignored. OUCH!!!!!:eek: :D

Randi,
Yet again, another interesting article. I, too, am lucky that my cats are not pesty or persistent in the am. I usually have three in bed with me, and they seem content to wait. Tex can be the exception. He does do a food dance on rare occasions...jump on me, howl, run away to the kitchen...(I am always hopeful on these times that he has the coffee going by the time I get in there). Georgia will stay in bed until I get out of the shower some times:eek: :eek: .

I think I would fail any test that judged me by my giving in to pressure. I am afraid I am the low cat on the pole here....by choice, I assure you, by choice.

Johanna

P.S...with your research skills, could I interest you in some of my research projects??? :D :D :D

Interesting article. I'm sure John will find it quite helpful when he gets back. ;) :)

I think having older cats helps, because the only time Tubby is a pest is on Saturdays - and that's because Terry has "taught" him that he gets out in the garage on Saturday mornings, and he gets milk (Cat Sip now) on Saturday mornings. But he will only start complaining once we actually get up. And usually while Tubby and Terry are exuding testosterone in the garage, Peanut will come in bed with me, and us girls sleep in for awhile. ;) :)

I will copy this, though, and send it to my mom. Her Cranker is somewhat like Fister in that he doesn't give up until she figures she may as well get up because there's no way she's going to get back to sleep. She normally lets him outside right away in the morning (which he likes) so I'm sure that is what turned him into an alarm clock. ;) :D

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As an alarm clock - she's a failure

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Poor Edwina, she'll find her calling one of these days. :D

Thanks Randi :) Our monsters don't hassle us directly, but rise at 5am, play like demons for an hour and then come back to bed. Which would be fine if the playing didn't sound like a marching band coming through the house :rolleyes: There's some good advice in the article, thanks.

Thanks for the article. Sunny is my little alarm clock. He loves to meow very loudly in my ear. I don't get up but I will start petting him and sometimes he'll even settle down and go back to sleep. If I sleep too late then Storm will also try to wake me up by either nipping me lightly or by staring at me until I can't stand it any more. :) Pepper has never bothered me. Since Storm has gotten older he does tend to sleep in longer than Sunny and Pepper. :)

That was an interesting article. I'm do feed my cats as soon as I get up though. That is because my alarm goes off at 5:45 a.m. and I catch the 6:15 bus.

My furkids usually sleep with me on the bed, however I get up early, usually between 3:00 and 4:30 AM, and there is no alarm clock. I always leave food out for them at night, as I have found that their eating habits and the amount they eat varies from day to day. After I have a first cup of coffee, I will feed my pride, by placing a small can of meaty cat food in their dry food pan, sort of mixing it in. Last night there were 8 furkids on my bed, all curled up and enjoying the electric blanket. When getting up that early, they seldom play or make noise after eating, yet they will begin to play at dawn. In fact, now (04:00) all 10 of them are in the computer room sleeping.

Tiger is the only one of my pride that will make me get up if she is exceptionally hungry, but never does she wake me up. Her eating habits are different than the others. I do not know what her problem is, but she must be fed separate from the others, because of them liking her food better. Normally, I will feed her some canned food with dry kitten chow in a pan. She is eating constantly, but never a lot at one time. Perhaps many of you remember last year at this time, how she used to barf up the regular food that is fed to the rest of the pride. It is only after I am awake whether I move around or not, that she begins her "dance" on me.:D

........wayne

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Originally posted by sasvermont
Cats are quick studies!

I am so glad he pulled through his surgery so nicely. Did Fister's meow go up an octave? Just kidding:eek:

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Yes, they certainly are!! ;)

We're relieved his Sir Juri was a success although I was prepared to cancel it and try more things first - and no, his miaw didn't go up an octave! :D :D

Reading all of your posts, I realize, we're rather luky with Fister. He does not bother us in the morning - unless he's hungry. I'm giving him food in the evening just before bedtime and again in the morning, but not immediately! I take a shower, get dressed, and then the habit is that I open the window, so he can sit there looking out while I make the breakfast. After that, he usually goes to lay on John for a while until he gets up.

His racing around time is late evenings.

We've really "trained" him well, don't you think! :D

I know that the message works because when I'm a weekend alone with the cats I train them not to wake me during the night by just ignoring them. But the Big SkinCat that lives with me is a night walker anyway, gets up and eats bananas, feeds the cats, doesn't have a sound sleep, so whenever the cats try to wake him for a snack they succeed. He curses and then gets up and feeds them. This is why we have the most spoiled cats of all:rolleyes:

doctor dodman does not have a shelf with books and an alarm
clock above his head.

(sound of a paperback book thumping my cranium.........)

do not respond-hahahah hohohoho hehehehehehee:) :)