Why Does My Cat Wake Me Up?

Many cat owners have experienced a delightful early morning wake-up from their furry feline friend.

If this issue seems familiar, don’t worry you are certainly not alone. Around 11% of owners in the UK say being frequently woken up is one of the behaviours they wish to change about their cat.

As much as we all love our cats, we don’t want to feel their paws and claws tapping on our faces during the night. So, why do they wake us and most importantly what can be done about it?

Why do cats wake up their owners?

As tempting as it is to put this behaviour down to them just being mischievous moggies, it seems that isn't strictly the case. As it turns out our cats disturb our precious sleep for many reasons.

Remember if your kitty is showing sudden changes in behaviour (neediness etc) then a vet visit is worthwhile, as this could be a sign of illness.

1) It is a learnt behaviour.

Our cats are intelligent and have great memories. If your cat wakes you up once and you respond to this by feeding them or giving them attention, they are likely to repeat this behaviour.

Essentially your cat has trained you to get up early…

The trick to stopping this is quite simply ignoring them. I appreciate with cats that can be difficult! However persist with turning away and if necessary, hiding under the duvet. Be patient but doing this consistently should be enough to get your message across.

If your cat is still pulling your hair at night, or not so politely tapping you on the face, there could be another reason for their rude wake-up…

2) They are under-stimulated!

Much like us, our feline friends get bored. They also unfortunately have a very different schedule to ours. Cats are often awake at twilight as this is when their prey is most active.

Cats that are under-stimulated are more likely to exhibit destructive and quite frankly annoying behaviours. Such as waking you up, frequent yowling or vocalising, following you around the home and repeatedly getting into your eye line (for example sitting in front of the TV or walking across your laptop).

Every cat needs the opportunity to exhibit hunting behaviours and shake off some of that excess mental and physical energy. Play with your cat every day (at least once but multiple play sessions are even better!) and allow your kitty to fulfil the hunting stages.

This will keep your cat entertained and reduce the chance of real hunting and boredom behaviour. The best playtime requires the very best toys, shop our cat toy collections.

Looking for a guide on playtime? Watch our Playing with Cats video.

3) They are hungry!

Cats can be experts at acting like they have never been fed. This can be down simply to greed and/or joy at being able to easily manipulate their owners.

Sometimes, however, their food just doesn’t keep them full.

Cats are obligate carnivores that rely on meat and fat in their diet to keep them healthy and satisfied. Lower-quality cat foods are often complete nutritionally. However, to keep your cat’s belly from rumbling you need to feed a LOT. For some “cheaper” wet foods, it can be up to five pouches per day.

Because of this, it is easy for owners to underfeed and leave their moggy wanting more.

So, if your cat frequently interrupts your slumber to beg for food, try slowly switching to a natural high-meat-content diet.

Is your cat always begging? Watch our cat behaviour video for more tips!

By keeping your cat well fed, and playing with them every day you are much more likely to have an undisturbed night’s sleep.

For more tips on keeping your cat content, watch our Happy Cats video.