New cat wakes us up at night, any ideas? 30 November 2020 at 10:25AM in Pets & pet care 20 replies 981 views

HM2020

Hi all,
Wondering if this is a common problem.
We've had our cat for 2 weeks, she is such a dear little thing and it's been going well. 
Our only issue is she will wake us up 2 or 3 times a night coming into the bedroom and scratching/miaowing to get us up. I go downstairs with her to see if she wants something but all she does is walk back and forth between the living room window and dining room window - she waits to see if I'm following her and then she'll spend a few minutes at each window just staring outside. I've tried opening the windows to see if she wants to go out but she rarely does.
I'm wondering if she's patrolling the perimeter and thinks she needs back up or maybe she's just a bit lonely and wants some company?
We've tried tiring her out by playing with her before bed but had no luck 
Is this something other cat owners have had and are there any solutions?
Thank you!

elsien

How old is she? 

Savvy_Sue

A cat expects the staff to be on call 24/7/365.

But age is important, and did she do this in her previous home?

HM2020

Hi both, she is about 4 and has had 2 previous owners that we know of, both gave her on to neighbours prior to moving away. Her previous owners said they used to keep her in the living room at night so she wouldn't bother them so she must have done the same with them! 
Our downstairs is open plan though so not an option for us 

bap98189

Close the bedroom door. 

Silvertabby

Poor little mite is checking to make sure that she hasn't been abandoned again.  Hopefully, she will settle down in time.

Robin9

It must be time for a photo?

HM2020

There you go - she is honestly the sweetest little cat in the world

donnac2558

If she is wandering window to window and checking you are there.   Could it be an animal outside a fox etc stressing her?

SaintJudy

You could try getting her a plug-in heated cat bed, I found that anything that keeps them warm makes them less likely to want to get up!

Fuzzy_Duck

My cat did a lot of night time meowing when we first got her, but settled down within a couple of weeks. As well as your play sessions I'd try giving her some supper before bed as food will encourage her to sit down, groom and go to sleep. It does sound like something outside might be stressing her out. The next few times she goes out I would accompany her- if there's another animal around that's unsettling her having human backup may make her feel a bit braver and less bothered about their presence. Ideally though, you need to stop getting out of bed so she sees no point in disturbing you in future. It could be she just wants reassurance from you in which case your voice may be enough to calm her. I also have an open plan living room and we had a large room divider we used to keep our cat downstairs (she was elderly though so no chance of her jumping over it!) Fingers crossed she will settle down soon. Two weeks isn't a long time, especially with all the changes she'd had in her short life.