Any cat owners here?

Ah well done for adopting

We got our two from our local cats protection 3 years ago now. For the first few months we had to lock them away at night in the kitchen. They were just so crazy at night, running around, scratching, crying basically anything that meant we would not get a good nights sleep. We put beds in the kitchen for them and chose that room as it was furthest away from us so we wouldn't hear them throughout the night.

After a while we would forget to lock them in at night, and things have improved. They initially wanted to be fed at 4am every morning but now they just sit at the end of the bed from 4am (when they want food) until 7am (when I will give them food) so they have learnt our routine.

I think that's what it is to be honest, they need to get in a routine. Obviously at these adoption places they must have been having crazy parties each night!

I have two cats who are both very affectionate and needy. They will follow us around the house and sit in whatever room we are in. At night we don't let them sleep in the bedroom because they chase each other around, eat random stuff and pounce on each other on the bed. We just can't sleep. This means we close off the door to our bedroom at night. It wasn't long before we realised they were digging to get into the bedroom. Massive hole in the carpet now! ☹️ We've put a rug down they can dig at without damaging the carpet and we build a pillow fortress by the door at night so they can sleep by the door. They aren't so bad now that they are a bit older, but they will still do it occasionally.

I think some cats are just really affectionate and prefer being wherever you are.

Mine were rescued from a house near us where the family couldn't afford to feed the accidental kittens and were threatening to throw them out to the street. We had to take them at just 7 weeks old. I think part of their issue is down to this.

We didn't adopt our cat from a shelter, but we took her off a neighbour's hands who weren't giving her the love she needed. She was about 4 at the time so not a kitten - not sure if yours is so our experiences might be different.

Anyway, our cat was SO noisy for the first few nights. We were thinking that as soon as she was settled, she would have to go out all night so we could get some sleep. After about a week though, she started to understand that we weren't going to pay her attention at night and she settled right down. Now she will stay in all night and be totally quiet, sometimes sleeping on our bed and sometimes she'll wander off in the night, but she never wakes us up any more. She's still very chatty during the day but she just seems to know that if we're in bed, she needs to be quiet.

I would give it a little while longer and see if anything changes. We found her to be a totally different cat for the first week or so, compared to how she is now.

Daisymoo, I thought about keeping her in one room overnight, but the layout of our house (bungalow) means that we'd have to move her litter tray as well, which I don't want to do as she has got the hang of using a new one in a new place really quickly! Short of putting in a door there's not much we can do. It's good to hear that your cats have settled down. My parents' cats have always been really low maintenance, which I think is what I was expecting to happen here!

CornishBride, your poor cats! Sounds like they didn't have a great start in life. I don't understand how people could just abandon animals when there are places like the Cats Protection League. As far as I know our Emily cat came from an ok home - the shelter just said that they didn't want her anymore (due to sleepless nights perhaps?!?!).

She will be on her own in the house for a few hours this evening as we're going out, which will be a new experience for her.

Laurafish, that's extremely reassuring, thank you! She is 3 years and 2 months, so not far off how old yours was. I think we will just have to continue ignoring her at night, and Mr C might have to be introduced to the joys of ear plugs!

My cat is now 5 years old but as a kitten he kept meowing at night so we let him in the bedroom. We had a few nights of him being a pain in the bum but he soon settled down. Now he races us to the bed at night but once were in bed he wonders off and come in early morning to lay on my oh as his warm and doesn't throw him off. I think they just want to know where you are but I guess every cat is different so there is no right or wrong way to deal with them. I have found radiator cat beds keep him off my bed as much and comfort him though

We have 2 cats and they are both total opposites. Our older one who is 4 now cried at night when we first got her and she didn't do it again until 4 years later when we moved into the new house, I think maybe they just need time to adjust sometimes.

On the other hand...our kitten is awake alllll night, you can hear her running around trying to chase the other one or just randomly sprinting around. We had to keep her out the bedroom for a week or so at first, just so she could used to the fact that we didn't want to be jumped on all night.

I'm sure once she gets into a routine and finds little places where she likes to sleep she will settle xx

We also adopted 2 cats on Saturday, although ours are kittens. I agree with what others have said - you need to give her time to settle in and get used to your routine. She is probably just wondering where you are, and why nighttime is the only time she doesn't see you.

Is there a reason you don't want her in the bedroom? The first night, ours were very unsure about the bedroom (we'd kept the door closed during the day so they weren't familiar with it). The next morning, though, they woke us up at about 5am hurtling about the bed, and I was dreading the next day! But the next night, it was the opposite - they hurtled about when we first went to bed, then quieted down when the lights went off and were laying at the bottom of the bed quietly when the alarm went off next morning. That's been the case 2 nights in a row now. Cats learn quickly but if yours is having separation anxiety, then you might be better off just letting her in the bedroom and giving her a couple of nights to settle down into your routine.

If you don't want her in the room with you and she's very active at night, it might be worth investing in some toys so she can amuse herself, and maybe leaving the radio on very low so that she has "company" but it doesn't disturb your sleep.

Our Cat was exactly like that. We found she settled after a couple of nights in our room in her own bed on the floor next to our bed, although she does burst onto the bed as soon as my alarm goes off. Shutting her out didn't work as she never stopped whining and trying to dig under our door to get to us. Despite being a cat, she seems to need attention. Hopefully your puss will clam down soon.

We've had her for over a week now and she has settled down a bit. She still meows at night sometimes but no where near as much as the first couple of nights. The next challenge will be letting her roam around outside! I've carried her outside a couple of times to let her sniff the air, and she has had a sniff about on the front doorstep and front path, but that's going to be it for another week or two. I'm going to be a wreck when she goes out properly for the first few times!

Great news that she's settling! It will only get better

Awww it's great that she seems happier! ?

Mine are kept as house/garden cats due to living by a main road, but I can understand your worry about letting yours out. I worry when mine are just out in the garden. It will definitely get easier as she gets used to it and you do too!

We live in quite a rural area so it would be a shame not to let her roam around outside, although she will have to have a stand-off with next door's cat who treats our garden as his territory! She has been spending a bit more time sitting on the windowsill and watching the birds so I think she is getting quite interested in the idea. Mr C keeps saying 'maybe we should keep her as an indoor cat' but I know he just doesn't want the stress of worrying about where she is!

Our cats were like that when we first got them. Eventually they have worked out when it's dark then it's sleepy time and we weren't going to play with them! Glad to hear things are settling down

I've been in Spain for the last six weeks and agreed to foster a stray cat between being neutered and a friend who already has cats finding him a permanent home.

he was a nightmare at night the first couple of nights. Nudging me etc all night and standing on me. If we shut the bedroom door he would scratch at the door. By night three h2b put him outside on the porch chair about 3am and after that he took himself off at night before bed. He preferred to be out.

Land slept on the window sill or on the bed all day.

New home found after two weeks.

Some prefer to be in and some prefer to be out. I think a routine that suits you and the cat will present itself.

I always shut my cat downstairs, have done so since she was a kitten and she's used to it now. Otherwise she's just so annoying! She's a very good cat, is very quiet and sleeps a lot but if I let her have the run of the house she'll always run up and down the stairs, come into the bedroom and bang around, scratch at the door.

If you don't want to have sleepless nights I'd just say to shut her downstairs and she will get used to it. Also, night time is the most dangerous time for a cat to be outside. They love it but they're more likely to get hit by a car or in a cat fight. I'd let your kitty out in the day when she's really settled in (give it a few months not just weeks) and shut her downstairs and lock the catflap at night.