Just for Kids: Is Your Cat a Night Owl?

Maybe he doesn’t hoot like an owl, but does your cat love to be awake at night, walking across your back or attacking your toes? Or maybe your cat explodes into action across the bed or the dresser, knocking things over in the process. If this is the case, then you probably aren’t having as much fun as he is.

Some cats love to be awake at night and are raring to go very early in the morning. Usually these cats are left alone all day. And when cats are alone and have nothing to do and nobody to play with, guess what they do? They sleep.

Cats sleep about 18 hours a day – that’s a lot of sleep. But if they do all of that sleeping in the daytime, they won’t feel much like sleeping at night.

Some owners make the mistake of getting up and feeding the cat to calm him down. Or they may talk to him and give him some attention. That is probably not a good thing to do. Cats learn very quickly how to get someone to feed or play with them. If pouncing on your toes works once, then your kitty will figure that it will probably work again.

What You Can Do

The best thing to do is play with him during the day. You should also play with him for 15 to 20 minutes before you go to sleep at night, even if you’re tired. You can also feed him. That way he’ll be tired and his tummy will be full and he will probably sleep all night.

If your kitty has to be left alone during the day, you can do the following to make his day more exciting:

• Give him new and interesting toys. Just leave one or two out at a time and rotate them every day or so and he won’t get bored.
• Leave a radio or television on.
• Make him a nice window perch so he can find something interesting to watch.