Super-manic cat, advice needed

[Betty88]

We love our cat dearly, but have a major behavioral problem with him that has my poor sleep-deprived partner on the edge.

The cat: Male, three years old, Siamese (half blue and half lilac).

The environment: Two middle aged "Mommies," one 15 year old brother and one five year old sister. Although he has his moments with both of the other cats, he generally gets along with them. He lives in a nice apartment with lots of comfortable cat places and seemingly wants for nothing.

The problem: He wakes up at 3 a.m., clatters the wooden blinds, rings the bells on the windows, and if my partner is still awake after that ruckus, meows in her ear, then "pets" her, then slaps her on the face until she wakes up.

My partner has to get up for work at 5:45 a.m. I usually sleep through the noise.

She has tried closing the bedroom door. He paws the door and meows. She puts him in the bathroom. He meows at the top of his lungs.

This is a very athletic cat who likes nothing more than to play with a feather on a stick. He can do it for hours if you have enough energy.

Because he often brings this stick to my partner at 3 a.m., smashing it on the floor along the way and ringing the bell attached on it, we believe he wants a dead of the night playing session.

Has anybody experienced anything like this? Do you have any advice to give us? My partner is the steadiest person in the world, but if she doesn't start sleeping soon, she's going to be a zombie.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. You can try some food and active playing before you go to bed..

Cats are nocturnal animals. It would seem the answer might be to tire him out and make sure he is full before you go to bed.
Maybe get a bunch of new toys, and give him one each night for a while, right before you go to bed...
and close the bedroom door, of course :D

Some "Rescue Remedy" might help too. It is available in health food stores.

[Eurobabe]

2. Try some Bach's Rescue Remedy

at bedtime, (for the cat not your partner) see if that calms him down. Good luck, I know how frustrating this can be...:hi:

[Betty88]

3. Thank you both

I'll buy some Rescue Remedy this weekend and see if it helps. Also perhaps a few bell free toys..

[mak3cats]

4. And if all else fails, maybe a little laughter will help...

This is priceless, if you haven't seen it already.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0ffwDYo00Q

[Sanity Claws]

5. How long has this been going on?

My male cat started to do something like that a few weeks ago; he just waited until the crack of dawn and then meowed his head off, like a rooster greeting the morning.
I think it has to do with spring time. I think our cats are feeling frisky after the long winter and will calm down once they're used to having nice weather again.
BTW, I had a heart to heart talk with my little rooster-cat and told him that he shouldn't wake mommy like that. Mommy needs her sleep at night so that she work well during the day and keep the house going. He seemed to understand and stopped his rooster imitation. You might as well try it -- can't hurt.

[Betty88]

6. He has always been our "alarm clock"

First let me clear something up, the OP was really Jumptheshadow, my partner, she just forgot to log in as herself. Betty88, thats me, is the sleep deprived one. Another way to tell us apart is my much more creative use of spelling and total disregard for proper punctuation.

But anyway.
Manny (the cat in question..) has, for the longest time, woken me about 15min before the alarm clock. In fact a couple of times, he has saved me from being late for work, when I have forgotten to set the thing. Having said that, the extra early craziness has been going on for a few weeks now. It seems to last a few days then he chills out for a few. I wonder how much of the chill factor has to do with being locked in the bathroom for an hour or two.

I have spoken to him, but he is acting just like a typical spoiled Park Slope teen, I'm thinking military school.

[Sanity Claws]

7. Park Slope?

I had to check your profile. Can you see me waving from across the river? :hi:
I went to high school in Brooklyn but that was in a different century. Back then, teens in Brooklyn could be accused of being loud, sullen, and a whole host of other things but certainly not spoiled. How things have changed.

[Betty88]

10. /wave ;)

We joke about how if he were a human kid, he would be just like the horde of scooter riding ill behaved children that has taken over the slope in the last 10 years or so. Where did we go wrong.....

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

13. Too funny! Sounds exactly like our little madman!

We have a Russian blue - Eddie - who does almost all the same behavior described - dragging in his stick to play with, or a mouse toy he will jump on the bed with. Then comes the poking and the gentle pats on the face. He has always acted like a faithful alarm clock for us as we usually get up around five. Lately, he's been a little off and then it struck both of us - DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME! At this point he has made the adjustment, maybe your guy just needs a little more time to readjust his internal clock.

[demnan]

8. My Siamese Pad Thai is a lilac-point too

He has always had behavior issues but I love him so much I overlook them. I did find that walking him on a leash at least helped him release some of his curiosity and energy. Now he is 9 years old, still very active compared to a regular cat, but has slowed down some. He will always be demanding and have some bad habits. He has a much younger play partner who is an easy going orange tom and that helps. Siamese take a little understanding and getting use to.

[Betty88]

9. Walk him on a leash................

Oh dear god that is all I need. Manny with a leash in his mouth at 3am wanting to go for a walk.

We had a Siamese before, she loved to sleep with us all night long, what a good quiet cat...

I got him some new toys this weekend and we are trying to make more time for him. I think I am seeing a pattern between when we are both out of the apartment and the nights that he goes crazy. He likes to have at least one of the mommies home all day, Jumptheshadow will just have to start working form home more.

[jumptheshadow]

11. LOL

My boss will love that one.

[jumptheshadow]

12. The Siamese personality

I am a big fan of the eccentric personalities of Siamese cats while Betty prefers the stubby-legged, more populist charms of the Brooklyn strays. Every Siamese that has owned me has been intelligent and each has had a savant-like streak of brilliance in one particular area. Manny's talents lie in direct communication.

I've told Betty the legends about the Siamese who were housed in temples and treated like gods, with monks as servants. It was thought that Siamese were reborn humans.

None of this seems to matter at 3 a.m. though.