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I have a cat about 4 years old. I've had her for almost 2 years, I took her in from a family friend who couldn't keep her anymore.
I feed her twice a day, once in the evening and once in the morning. I giver her 1/4 cup of light cat food each time (vet said this was appropriate given my cat's size).
It's very inconsistent when my cat wakes me up for breakfast in the morning. Sometimes she's really good and holds off until 5:30 (this has been about the latest she'll wait, I'm perfectly fine getting up at this time) but then other times she'll wake me up as early as 3am, or anything in between.
Is there any way to help make this wake-up call more consistent (and at 5:30)? When she wakes me earlier than 5:30, I refuse to feed her. I don't want her thinking she can do that any time she wants and get rewarded. I also think I need to try to keep it as routine as possible. The downside? My sleep is disturbed. She will climb all over me, knead me or the mattress or pillows by me, sniff my face, occasionally nibble my face or hair, and purr. Non-stop. From whatever time she wakes up until I feed her at 5:30. I toss and turn, cover my head with pillows or blankets, continuously push her away, but nothing deters her.
I typically feed her dinner in the evening at 5:30. I try to be as consistent as I can. Should I push dinner later? That's the only solution I can think of.
I won't give her more food (either for dinner or breakfast) because since I've had her, she has gained a little weight and vet said I shouldn't give her any more than what I currently do.
Any suggestions for how to help would be SO appreciated! I love my fur baby, but I also love my sleep.
I have a cat about 4 years old. I've had her for almost 2 years, I took her in from a family friend who couldn't keep her anymore.
I feed her twice a day, once in the evening and once in the morning. I giver her 1/4 cup of light cat food each time (vet said this was appropriate given my cat's size).
It's very inconsistent when my cat wakes me up for breakfast in the morning. Sometimes she's really good and holds off until 5:30 (this has been about the latest she'll wait, I'm perfectly fine getting up at this time) but then other times she'll wake me up as early as 3am, or anything in between.
Is there any way to help make this wake-up call more consistent (and at 5:30)? When she wakes me earlier than 5:30, I refuse to feed her. I don't want her thinking she can do that any time she wants and get rewarded. I also think I need to try to keep it as routine as possible. The downside? My sleep is disturbed. She will climb all over me, knead me or the mattress or pillows by me, sniff my face, occasionally nibble my face or hair, and purr. Non-stop. From whatever time she wakes up until I feed her at 5:30. I toss and turn, cover my head with pillows or blankets, continuously push her away, but nothing deters her.
I typically feed her dinner in the evening at 5:30. I try to be as consistent as I can. Should I push dinner later? That's the only solution I can think of.
I won't give her more food (either for dinner or breakfast) because since I've had her, she has gained a little weight and vet said I shouldn't give her any more than what I currently do.
Any suggestions for how to help would be SO appreciated! I love my fur baby, but I also love my sleep.
Yes. Feed her closer to your bedtime. You're asking her to go a full 12 hours between feeding, and that's a bit long IMO. A good play session before retiring for the night wouldn't hurt either.
Yes. Feed her closer to your bedtime. You're asking her to go a full 12 hours between feeding, and that's a bit long IMO. A good play session before retiring for the night wouldn't hurt either.
She doesn't eat the full bowl right away at either feeding. She eats MOST of it (which is why I can't just give her the full 1/2 cup at a time once during the day) but she does go back and nibble a bit throughout the day. So although she is going 12 hours, she has a little to tide her over throughout the day.
But wouldn't she be going LONGER than the 12 hours if I feed her closer to my bedtime? The time between dinner and breakfast would be shorter than 12 hours, but then from breakfast to dinner would be way longer. I wake up for work at 6:30 so even if I hold off a bit for breakfast, feeding her close to 9 or 10 pm would still be longer than 12 hours.
Should I ease her into the later nighttime feeding? Make her wait a little longer each night? Or jut start at the later time right away? Maybe it doesn't matter. Just curious.
It seems like it might be a little experimenting as to what time at night gives the best results for her not waking me so early.
You've got to change her diet. She is eating a food full of fillers and carbohydrates.
Not only will this NOT cause weight loss, it causes her to be hungry all the time because she is not getting what she needs. Cats are strict obligate carnivores. They need meat and moisture in their diet, not only for health, but to feel satisfied.
Get her on a good pate canned diet. Feed three meals a day. Measure out the food, keeping track of how much you are feeding her. Get a baby scale and weigh her once a week or every two weeks. She should lose about an ounce a week. No more than that. If she isn't losing, cut back slightly on quantity. If she's loosing too quickly, add a little.
When she gets to the healthy weight she should be at, continue the weigh-ins until you establish what the optimal amount of food is for her.
Put a tablespoon of warm water into each meal. this will help her feel full, and slow her down.
Here's a good site on feline nutrition written by a vet who specializes
Any suggestions for how to help would be SO appreciated! I love my fur baby, but I also love my sleep.
I feed canned food, and feed Fiona about every 6 hours. I try to keep this to 6 & 12, twice in 24 hours. And she's generally satisfied with this timing.
I'd started on 6 am, 2 pm, and 10 pm, but she was wasn't that happy with it, which is why I went to the 6 hr feedings. This is with staying with the total amount per day recommendation, but changing the amount given.
And Fiona used to come in and do the 'wake up' frolicking, but I've learned to ignore her and she's learned to let it go, after a while. The annoying time is getting shorter and shorter, and sometimes not at all!
I hope you find the strategy you need. And.....now I think you should post a picture of your fur baby.
She doesn't eat the full bowl right away at either feeding. She eats MOST of it (which is why I can't just give her the full 1/2 cup at a time once during the day) but she does go back and nibble a bit throughout the day. So although she is going 12 hours, she has a little to tide her over throughout the day.
But wouldn't she be going LONGER than the 12 hours if I feed her closer to my bedtime? The time between dinner and breakfast would be shorter than 12 hours, but then from breakfast to dinner would be way longer. I wake up for work at 6:30 so even if I hold off a bit for breakfast, feeding her close to 9 or 10 pm would still be longer than 12 hours.
Should I ease her into the later nighttime feeding? Make her wait a little longer each night? Or jut start at the later time right away? Maybe it doesn't matter. Just curious.
It seems like it might be a little experimenting as to what time at night gives the best results for her not waking me so early.
I would rather have a shorter time between meals during the night than during the day. Although domestic cats have somewhat adapted to our way of life (meaning we're awake when the sun is up and asleep when it's dark), felines are by nature nocturnal animals. I can't say for sure, but I'll bet their physiology is still geared for being active during the night meaning their appetites might be bigger during the night (thus why your kitty can't seem to make it until later in the morning) and not as much during the day. I would experiment with a later dinner time and do breakfast when you get up.
You've got to change her diet. She is eating a food full of fillers and carbohydrates.
Not only will this NOT cause weight loss, it causes her to be hungry all the time because she is not getting what she needs. Cats are strict obligate carnivores. They need meat and moisture in their diet, not only for health, but to feel satisfied.
I can speak from experience here. Years ago I put our Tucker on "weight loss" food. Not only was he begging all of the time, he GAINED weight too. It was a nightmare.
It took some effort (he was a dry-food addict), but I switched him to a grain-free wet food and it made a huge difference. He (slowly) lost weight and stopped bothering me for food. The website cats mom suggested is excellent and I highly recommend you check it out.
BTW, I also suggest playing with your cat just before bedtime. Use a wand toy and tire her out. The exercise will do her good and it's a great way to bond with your cat too.
I have a cat about 4 years old. I've had her for almost 2 years, I took her in from a family friend who couldn't keep her anymore.
I feed her twice a day, once in the evening and once in the morning. I giver her 1/4 cup of light cat food each time (vet said this was appropriate given my cat's size).
It's very inconsistent when my cat wakes me up for breakfast in the morning. Sometimes she's really good and holds off until 5:30 (this has been about the latest she'll wait, I'm perfectly fine getting up at this time) but then other times she'll wake me up as early as 3am, or anything in between.
Any suggestions for how to help would be SO appreciated! I love my fur baby, but I also love my sleep.
mmmKay. Barring specific medical issues: How about "shut the door (at night), no cats in the bedroom." Had an ex who over time convinced me of that wisdom, and she was right. Wasn't aware that what a cat "wants" had any bearing on who is actually in charge of the house and pays the rent/mortgage, much like dealing with some spoiled kid or ditzy spouse.
My last dear little queen lasted until 16 and a half, on a diet of high-quality dry food, from an always-available feeder, and squishy from the Costco about twice per week. She went from kidney failure, as many do. Tough call, by me, but I figured most cats should be so lucky to have a good home, end of the day. She saw the vet something like seven times in that sixteen YEAR stretch, including me finding her initially at the pet rescue, being spayed, one flea treatment (caught when she got out for a few days, once) and the last couple trips before Rainbow Bridge. Do the math on that.
She maintained her own weight just fine, in my observation cats will self-regulate if left dry food and plenty of water. Mine (past, present) were/are healthy, active, normal weight, good coat, no more or less neurotic than any other cat. She, and my current kitties, have/had all the fresh water they could want, at all times, from big bowls filled each morning. And they drink plenty, too, though not to excess. What they do in the evenings after my bed time are not my concern since they self-evidently find cozy places to roost, somewhere in the house.
I watched a guy I used to know inadvertently kill off a couple cats by feeding them God knows what squishy food all the time, couple cans/day if I understood properly, until the poor things were morbidly obese and greasy-furred. They seldom lasted past three to five years. That's just stupid, and cruel over the long-term. That guy (owner) wasn't too bright, though. I felt bad for the cats, after the second one went too young.
To current events, my Turkish Angora/American Shorthair mutt-cats (brother, sister) are on the same diet of dry food. Which is always-available, with squishy once or twice per week at-most, and are very healthy and of normal weight and activity level now at three years old. I handle them often, they're sweet cats, and every layman's observation of behavior and general fitness I can bring to bear indicates they're more than fine, they're great. Barring mishap or disease, I'm assuming they'll live good long indoor cat lives, too. Like 99% of cats that are fed from the big bad large bags of Iams and Science Diet from Petsmart and/or Costco.
Yep, read that article linked from Reply #4. Yeeeeah, uh huh. Again, *absent* specific medical concerns, and obvious signs of lethargy, behavior change, or other sickness, I submit that thousands, millions, of cats are fed daily from the "middle of the store" evil dry food and live long and happy lives. Obviously, or they wouldn't be there at the store talking up a fair amount of shelf-space.
Please put her on grain free food, and wet food at that. Cats in the wild eat mice and birds which are water and meat. It.s the carbs/grains in cheaper foods that causes them to be hungry after just eating, and they beg for more, which is what Purina wants. Also it.s the reason many cats get kidney stones, obesity, etc..
Also try to keep kitty from sleeping all day. Lions are nocturnal by nature. When u are home, keep her awake. May not be possible but I found that if I keep my boy out of the bedroom all day and night (which I am leading up to) he is more tired at bedtime and prone to want to sleep on my schedule, not his. He doesn.t get to lye in bed all day while I.m out.
I do not let mine sleep with me. He does the same as yours when i.ve succombed. Pawing, purring, walking, binking me on the nose...
As soon as i wake up, I allow him in bed on weekends when i have time to snuggle with him.
Yes I wish he.d relax at night in bed like other cats i.ve had but he is too high energy, and momma needs her sleep!
I don't mean to make light of your situation, just a bit of comic relief. And I've been in the same boat. Luckily I'm a very heavy sleeper and my boys CAN'T wake me up (I have three alarms) otherwise trust me, they would!
Or in your case, 3:00 in the morning.
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