08/01/2025
Hate Nighttime & Early Morning wake up calls from your Siberian?
ForestWind has always recommeded an active before bed play session followed by a feeding. It works wonders. Learn how from Pam Johnson-Bennett
If your cat frequently wakes you during the night or in the early morning hours, don’t reinforce this behavior by getting up to feed or engage. Doing so may inadvertently encourage the unwanted behavior. Instead, focus on enriching your cat’s environment throughout the day to ensure mental and physical stimulation.
Incorporate a variety of activities and enrichment tools, such as puzzle feeders, cat tunnels, strategically placed toys for solo play. Also, do at least a couple interactive play sessions, provide vertical territory for climbing and perching, and so on. These elements help fulfill your cat’s natural instincts for play, exploration, and observation.
To encourage your cat to not bother you at night or in the early morning, conduct a state-of-the-art interactive play session right before bedtime. Use a wand toy or fishing pole type toy and mimic prey-like movements to allow your cat to engage in a full hunt sequence of chase, pounce, and capture. Toward the end of the game, gradually slow the activity to help your cat wind down. This will allow your cat to feel satisfied and successful as the mighty hunter. Follow this with a small portion of your cat’s daily food allowance as a post-play snack. Dividing your cat’s daily ration to include a bedtime feeding ensures you’re not adding excess calories. If you free-feed, offer a couple post-game treats.
This sequence of hunt, feast, groom, sleep, mirrors the cat’s natural behavioral rhythm. Cats groom after eating and then typically are ready to settle down for rest.
If your cat continues to seek attention in the early morning hours, consider setting out puzzle feeders before bedtime to encourage independent engagement and discourage those early morning wake-up calls.
