How can I stop my kitten from jumping on our bed in the middle of the night?

Question

We've had her two days and she 9 weeks old. I haven't slept through the night since we got her cuz she keeps attacking my feet. I try to hide under the covers but she gets me. I locked her out of our room but she whines by the door and wakes us up again. Any helpful hints? a spray bottle maybe? is it okay to crate her? suggestions PLEASE

Answer 1

First, she is young, so you will somewhat have to deal with it. Second, in addition to the spray bottle technique, I have fun pissing my cats off by doing something they don't like when they misbehave, like pick them up. If you can, simply snatch the kitten, put her up near your head and pet her whenever she comes in. This way she learns that she gets more attention at the other end. Another trick is to put her in a spare room with all her toys and necessities at night, so she isn't bored and can't wine at the door. Mine SCREAMS and HOWLS when he can't get to me, and when he can he yells at me to wake up so I will pet him. We get into arguments a lot over that, but he just ignores me and starts the 454 motor. You try to sleep with a purring loving cat talking in your ear.

My dads sister had a cat that would pounce on her toes at night (my aunt always wriggled her toes as she fell asleep) and then the cat would get thrown out, so she would go sleep with dad. That could be why you are having troubles though, your kitten thinks your toes are a play toy trapped under the blankets.

Whenever my cat attempts to bite my feet (the other one, 15 months) I remind him that that's MOMMY he is attempting to bite. He gets the hint and runs like h**l, much to the amusement of my older cat. A good tap to the nose and NO usually does the trick too. With the kitten I simply snap my fingers at him and move like I might catch him, and he gets down, stops, basically ceases the bad behavior, for fear of my wrath. It helps if you are the ALPHA of the house.

Answer 2

You can train it.  My kitten now sleeps at night when we sleep.  Keep her active during the day and she will sleep at night.  It takes time to teach her what you want.  Be patient and try not to move your feet!  Good luck.

Answer 3

CAts are not meant to be crate/kennel trained you will probably make your kitten more crazy if you do that. I have had many kittens in my life. I have 3 grown cats now. Cats like to be awake at night. A spray bottle would be a good idea...unless you have a cat like mine that just plays with the stream of water :0) but it works well on my other 2, and with most normal cats. Just keep it right next to your bed and give your kitty a good blast with it whenever she is being a pest. SHe'll get the point and hopefully wind down.  

Answer 4

you adopted a cat, not a stuffed animal.

either bring this one back and get an adult cat, get this one a playmate, (same age gender and size), give her a lot more things to play with, (string tied to door k***s, boxes, paper bags things that roll, things to chew on small stuffed animals), or, learn to love a playful kitten.

Answer 5

Spray bottles rarely work. Most cats view it as a way of you playing with them.

First realize that you cannot make a cat sleep when you do, but you can change their behavior. Many times in the morning they will meow like crazy because you get up and feed him, (hoping that will make him shut up) and go back to bed. They meow, then you get up and feed them, pet them or play--whatever you think they want. This is why they meow again later, because they know they will get a reaction from you. This is called conditioning.  So, you need to stop reacting; just ignore it.

More info:

Felines are nocturnal, (naturally more active at night or early morning hours).  They sleep a lot, (16 hours) mostly during the day.  When dusk or dawn sets in, their instinct tells them to hunt.  It is also the most productive time of the day to catch prey.

When you compare the cats sleeping habits and human sleeping habits, it’s actually no wonder when some felines are perfectly happy to wake us up at 3 am and ask for food or for entertainment.  We probably don't appreciate it as much and it can become quite a strain when those early wake-ups happen regularly.

• Schedule a vigorous play session, (at least 15 minutes) before you go to sleep, then feed the cat.  A cat that is all worn out from playing, and has a full belly will be less likely to bother you when you're asleep.

• Don't be tempted to get up and play with your cat in the middle of the night when it demands it.  If you do, your cat will make a habit of it and won't understand when you suddenly refuse. Remember, consistance in your behavior will be more effective in changing their behavior.

• Don't feed your cat when it wakes you up, ignore it

• If ignoring doesn't work, invest in an automatic feeder that opens at the requested early time, the cat will help itself and won't bother you as much, or, if you're feeding dry food, fill up the bowl just before you go to bed, so that there is still plenty left for the morning

• Keep your bedroom door shut, so that your cat can't physically wake you up

• If it starts meowing and scratches the door, try to ignore it and don't react, after a while your cat will figure out that meowing doesn't help and it will retire

• Be aware that any reaction of you, positive or negative, will actually encourage your cat to go on with the attention seeking behavior

• Be strict!