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Old 07-16-2015, 03:35 PM
 
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Maybe she needs more exercise/interaction during the day?

Jackson Galaxy's site may have some suggestions. Learn | Jackson Galaxy
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Old 07-16-2015, 06:04 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
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One thing cats hate, hate, hate are closed doors. I think they see them as a challenge. I think it is a good idea to find some books on the subject as has been suggested here like Jackson Galaxy's book on cat behavior as well as other good cat behavior books you can find.

Your vet might have some ideas as well. I have a cat sitter who has given me great ideas about my cat's behavior.

Don't give up, but realize that cats are very clever, stubborn little creatures. They know what they want and they are often just one paw ahead of us. Never underestimate the cunning of a determined cat. Sometimes I think there is a correlation between cat lovers who, like cats, love a challenge which is why they love cats.
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Old 07-24-2015, 07:36 AM
 
Location: Central NY
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I adopted my kitty just under a month ago. My other kitty had to be put down, cardiac problems and had a stroke.

This new kitty is giving me a run for my money. She is really sweet and already has a big piece of my heart. But she gets the zoomies around 4 a.m. that go for at least three hours!! I do not have to get up early for any reason (I'm retired) and I go to bed pretty late at night. So the 4 a.m. zoomies are not a "happy" time for me. She is like a rocket. I don't think I've ever seen a cat run so fast. And if I don't react she starts scratching on the mattress side which really gets my attention.

Any suggestions on calming this girl down?
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Old 07-24-2015, 10:15 AM
 
Location: Des Moines Metro
5,103 posts, read 8,542,423 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NYgal2NC View Post
Any suggestions on calming this girl down?
How old is she? By about 2.5 years or so, they have generally calmed down quite a bit, although 4 am zoomies (albeit shorter ones) can continue for awhile!

Playing with her right before bed can help. Try the laser light and pounce games. I tie a bit of newspaper to a long string (leave the ends unwrapped so they crunch) and pull that around corners.

For me, some bitter apple spray on my box spring stops the scratching. Bitter apple is used to keep puppies from chewing and is available in the pet stores. I don't mind the smell. If that's not an option and spraying her with water works, keep the spray bottle by your bed. When she scratches, yell NO and then squirt her, if you are awake enough to get on the floor and do it. I think bitter apple works better.

Lastly, my current cat doesn't have the 4 am problem -- she gets up at 6:30 (LOL) -- but I make sure to leave some kibble in her bowl (she gets mainly wet food) and leave out a ping pong ball or one of the soft toys in the living room. That gives her something to eat and do while I'm trying to sleep.

Eventually, cats do learn the house routine. They may not adhere to it 100% because they are cats! But as they get older, they do sleep more, and after about age 5 or so, if one gets me up at night, I start investigating other causes. I had a Siamese that once got me up at 2 am, and I found an idiot trying to break into my car, which I had parked next to the back door, instead of the garage.
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Old 07-24-2015, 10:27 AM
 
Location: Central NY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Meemur View Post
How old is she? By about 2.5 years or so, they have generally calmed down quite a bit, although 4 am zoomies (albeit shorter ones) can continue for awhile!

Playing with her right before bed can help. Try the laser light and pounce games. I tie a bit of newspaper to a long string (leave the ends unwrapped so they crunch) and pull that around corners.

For me, some bitter apple spray on my box spring stops the scratching. Bitter apple is used to keep puppies from chewing and is available in the pet stores. I don't mind the smell. If that's not an option and spraying her with water works, keep the spray bottle by your bed. When she scratches, yell NO and then squirt her, if you are awake enough to get on the floor and do it. I think bitter apple works better.

Lastly, my current cat doesn't have the 4 am problem -- she gets up at 6:30 (LOL) -- but I make sure to leave some kibble in her bowl (she gets mainly wet food) and leave out a ping pong ball or one of the soft toys in the living room. That gives her something to eat and do while I'm trying to sleep.

Eventually, cats do learn the house routine. They may not adhere to it 100% because they are cats! But as they get older, they do sleep more, and after about age 5 or so, if one gets me up at night, I start investigating other causes. I had a Siamese that once got me up at 2 am, and I found an idiot trying to break into my car, which I had parked next to the back door, instead of the garage.
I really enjoyed reading your post, thank you.

Wendy is supposedly between 1 and 2 (I think that's what the SPCA says about all of them except when they've been given a definite birth date). When I got her home I thought, no she has to be younger. Her body looked younger and her playfulness was pretty funny and vigorous. I had a cat previously and all of the toys are still in living-room and available 24/7. Always has a small amount of kibble in her dish for grazing purposes. And she gets wet food for her main diet. I guess I'm just used to an older cat who had some health problems who only displayed playfulness occasionally. She was more of an affection cat.... liked getting her head kissed, liked a minute or two of snuggles, but not a lap cat. I'm happy that Wendy is a lap cat. Or she sits very close to me on the couch so that her body lays a little on my leg.

Good idea about playing with her before bed. She is a sleepy head through the day but didn't know how to switch the "clock" in her head.
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Old 07-24-2015, 11:30 AM
bUU
 
Location: Florida
12,077 posts, read 10,647,810 times
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Our almost-four year olds are still waking us up at 4-something AM. They live a natural life based on natural cycles - we don't. Many years ago (with a different set of cats, actually) we learned that there's no sense in trying to change them - better to try to change ourselves so that we also live life based on natural cycles.
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Old 07-24-2015, 11:58 AM
 
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One thing that seems to help with the scratching is some rubber mats that I bought at the hardware store for about $9 ea.

They're kind of ugly, but she doesn't even want to step on them. Still, she's taken the spots by the door as designated scratch spots, so if the door is open, I have to cover those spots entirely with the mats.

But she's taken to waking up the other people in the house (and still meows by my room)

I think I need some extra tape, too, since when she's desperate enough to stand on the mats, she's a bit higher up than before.

Maybe she'll calm down.
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