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Post by munchkins on Jan 18, 2015 9:22:24 GMT
Hi everyone, This may seem a trivial thing but does anyone have any idea how I can stop munchkin from waking us up every morning at 5.30? We've tried ignoring her but like today for instance she kept miowing in 5 min intervals for half an hour! Now im quiet happy to get up at 5.30 as im normally awake then, but its my partner he works shifts, early one week lates the other, its really disturbing his sleep, Now I don't want to have to shut her up in a room with the door closed again but its getting to that stage Any ideas please???
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Post by spider on Jan 18, 2015 9:39:25 GMT
what does she want at 5.30 food /water or just company/ play
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2015 9:51:35 GMT
If you find a way then let me know Hattie, my elderly foster with hyperthyroidism, is the worst and will wake me whenever she feels hungry by either lightly tapping me on the face with a paw or, if she cannot jump up onto the bed, by licking books and magazines by the side This morning it was 3am and as I had to get up at 4am anyway I decided to ignore her....but lasted 30 seconds before giving in and getting up to quickly give all three their breakfast then went back to bed Lily will walk across me then lie on top of me when she wants fed and Chilli will stomp across my pillow I am ruled by Furry Tyrants!!!
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Post by munchkins on Jan 18, 2015 12:21:36 GMT
i thought it was for food, but she'll eat a little, I think its for company
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2015 12:34:53 GMT
Yes, Hattie and Lily are very loving cats too and I've learnt that when they ask for attention and cuddles it's easier, and quicker, to just give in and stop whatever I'm doing and do what they want That's the only downside to cats.....they're alert during the night and don't allow for us humans needing our beauty sleep!!! If they are awake then WE should be awake too!
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Post by tonib on Jan 22, 2015 0:25:26 GMT
Is there anything triggering the 5:30, e.g. the milkman delivering or is this the normal time when your partner gets up when on early shifts?
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Post by lotsofcats on Jan 22, 2015 11:06:14 GMT
If they are awake then WE should be awake too! You've got it!!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2015 21:08:24 GMT
I'm sure they also play a little game to see who can get Mummy to say the rudest words as well Hattie is well in the lead I think!!! If she's not lick-lick-licking stuff she jumps up onto me and drools!!!!
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Post by munchkins on Jan 27, 2015 17:23:35 GMT
tonib, as far as im aware I don't think there are any outside influences that are waking her up, this past week she is waking us up about half an hour after we've gone to bed, but not mioawing as such it sounds more likes she's talking if that makes scense? my partner has been coming too bed later and playing with her before he comes to bed, we leave biscuits out for her, its getting silly now lol
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2015 11:36:10 GMT
It definitely sounds like she's sussed out it's a way for her to get attention How old is Munchkin? Is she an indoor cat or allowed outside? How much playtime does she get from you and your partner? Do you both work so she's left on her own for the majority of the day? What type of toys does she have? Has she got scratching posts and/or a climbing tree to play on? Do you have one of those fishing rod & feathers toys that Jackson Galaxy promotes so well on his Animal Planet programme My Cat From Hell? These are an absolute godsend for indoor cats (and outdoor - my Lily & Chilli still go nuts for it!) as they stimulate the hunting, stalking and catching behaviour that all cats need. Jackson recommends about 10-15 minutes per day of really letting your cat playing with that toy ~ until they are really panting ~ and then stop and give them some food as that imitates the successful hunt and feeding behaviour Even just a couple of dreamies will do, not necessarily a plate of meat. Most cats will then have a wash and settle down to sleep. Do you read the cat magazines Your Cat and, dare I mention it on here, Cat World? I get both each month and they have a lot of useful information about caring for your cat Jackson Galaxy's own website has lots of good advice and ideas too as regards playing and interacting with your cat and forming that amazing bond. jacksongalaxy.com/learn/ When Lily and Chilli were indoor cats I also scoured the internet for toys and had various ones to imitate hunting and foraging behaviour, had shelves and beds high up so they could be above us if they wished (cats love this!), had tubs of cat grass for them to munch on and fed them small mouse-sized meals 5 or 6 times a day. I never had ALL of their toys out at once though but would change the toys every week so there was always something different for them to explore. And you don't need to spend a fortune on toys either - a simple cardboard box keeps them occupied for ages Some of my girls' favourite toys include these... The Flying Frenzy
www.amazon.co.uk/Flying-Frenzy-Interactive-Feather-Cat/dp/B005VUDFJ2/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1422529946&sr=1-2&keywords=cat+fishing+rods
Cat Dancer
www.amazon.co.uk/Cat-Dancer-201-Compleat/dp/B0002DHV0W/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_32?ie=UTF8&refRID=1RC0JGWJPWSMNTVZ7TZ8
And this one which I've had for years and both old AND young cats have loved it! They bat the ball round and round the track and poke at things through the holes in the top (Lily even drops things in just so she then has the fun of hooking them out with her paw!). I picked it up at Pets At Home for around £5.99 The pic below shows Chilli just half an hour after coming home for the first time in October 2013 Hope you don't mind all the questions....it just helps to build up a clearer picture and we might be able to find a solution for you
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Post by munchkins on Jan 29, 2015 14:26:51 GMT
Hi she's nearly three and indoor only, we have three cat tree's, I only work part time my partner works shifts, so the most she's on her own in about two hours, we try and play with her for ten miniuets twice or three times a day depending on how active she is ( you no what cats are like, they have lazy days ) we already have the cat dancer which she lost interested in after a day, we also have loads of toys which we rotate, like you say she's got me sussed, if my partner gets home before me she just carries on with what she's doing, now when I come home and it doesn't matter what time it is, she'll be whining at me to get fed! im the feeder lol. she's been better these past few days, we had changed her food and I don't think it was filling her up, so we've gone back to her old food and she's ok now, thanks for all the advice
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Post by scallywag on Jan 29, 2015 15:01:14 GMT
this is good news munchkins still keep us posted and feel free to joing in on photo comps and general chit chat, jokes are always welcome too up in the General Board where the lovely photos are posted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2015 15:34:55 GMT
Thanks for all the info....sounds like you were doing everything ok for her right from the start Sounds like it may have been the food issue - they know what they like these cats and soon get us told if we dare to deviate from their choices I was in Morrisons the other day and they had whiskas grilled half price at £2-summik instead of £4.39 (box of 12 sachets) so I got a fishy one and a poultry one. I was patting myself on the back at getting a bargain and when I got home I served up a sardine one to my three girls Lily and Hattie (aka The Gannets) LOVED it but Chilli turned her nose up She prefers the Oh So Fishy variety as they're actual chunks of fish As I didn't have any until the next day when I got paid I opened a tin of sardines from the cupboard and she wolfed those down
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Post by munchkins on Jan 29, 2015 19:19:03 GMT
thanks everyone, our problem is she's a pampered princess! she only likes the good stuff, she's been eating the wainwrights chicken satchets for months with pah advanced biscuits, she decided as cats do that she didn't want that anymore so we always have Encore tins in reserve, as she has to have a tablet in her food everyday we had to give her something, now that's all she'll eat, all the night time problems we've been having with her was when we was giving her whiskas, she'll eat it sometimes. cats are funny things, lol
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2015 12:47:48 GMT
Yeah....there must be something iffy in Whiskas as Chilli often turns her nose up at it too She's been quite fond of the Oh So Fishy range this past week or two but anything else just gets sniffed at and ignored. Lily is a gannet and eats most stuff. Hattie actually PREFERRED the cheaper stuff when she first came to us in October but now that she's sussed out the decent stuff she's developing an appetite for that
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