When you are at office all day, your cat is probably sleeping at home. And who can blame the little feline, after all, cats are nocturnal by nature. Their ancestors used to hunt during the night, which is why cats are more active late at night and early mornings. In fact, did you know, cats can see a sixth of the light as compared to us humans?
But of course, their schedule does not quite match with our hours. We need to get sound sleep during the night so that we can go to office in the mornings and earn money to get cat nip.
So how can you keep your cat quiet at night? First, understand them.
Understand your cats
Making your cat quiet and sleep during the night can be a bit of a struggle for some pet owners, but it starts with understanding your cat.
While you are slugging your way in the office, your cats are getting bored at home, which leads to them sleeping most part of the day. So, by the time you come back home, all tired, they are all charged up to play with you.
The solution is hidden in the problem itself—you need to get your cats tired by your bed time, so they can sleep through the night too. How, you ask? Well, there are many ways to tire your cat out and keep your cat quiet at night.
Toys, and more toys
Engaging your cats with lots of toys is the best way to keep them busy all day. But you shouldn’t be giving them all the toys at once. Instead, rotate the toys daily. This is because, cats, just like humans, can get bored of monotony and we need to keep them interested.
Even if you just have 2-3 toys, you can rotate them every day, and dip them in catnip, so your cat will think those toys are brand new.
Paper bags can go a long way
In case giving your cats toys isn’t working, try paper bags. Yes, open paper bags make cats curious and they can play with these paper bags for hours. A fun way to keep them more engaged would be to put a spoonful of catnip at the bottom of the bag, so the smell will make the cats dig until they have finally got their hands on the catnip.
Set a timer for TV
If your cats like gazing at the TV, then you can set a timer for it. Make sure you put an interactive and soothing video on instead of people fighting on a reality show, because that can quickly take a bad turn.
Battery operated toys
There are many battery operated cat toys in the market that can be triggered every 15 minutes to swing balls at varying speeds. You can activate it when you leave the house and it will go on for hours.
Put a bird feeder outside your window
Now here is a great, inexpensive idea that will also earn you karma points. Putting a bird feeder outside your window means your cat will see birds in action all day long. It can take a few days for birds to locate the feeder, but once they do, you can expect all kinds of birds. Make sure the bird feeder is clearly visible from the inside, and keep the windows closed, just to make sure the cat doesn’t try to attack birds or vice versa.
Heavy meals only during the night
Cats cannot get proper sleep unless they have had a proper meal. You can start by giving your cat small meals during the day, and a heavy meal only during the night.
If your cat has a habit of getting up during the night and roaming around for food, then the first thing you need to do is close your door when you go to sleep. Put up an automatic feeder outside, which can dispense food according to a timer. So your cat will know to wait next to the feeder for food, instead of waking you up.
If your cat is wandering restlessly in the night even after eating, then you should go to the vet to make sure there aren’t any underlying medical issues.
Spend time with your cat
Some days can be tiring, when all you want to do is get to your bed and sleep. But your life changed when you got a pet cat, and now they are your responsibility. So, spend some time with them daily, and play with them. You don’t have to play with them for hours, just half an hour or so.
