Cats are mysterious creatures. The way they communicate can seem very odd, even frustrating to their owners at times. Cats also tend to be quite independent and like to do things in their own way. This often means that owners can come home to find their cat has tried to “decorate” the sofa with their fur, or it may not want to do what you want it to do. For example, many people like to roll around under their duvet covers on a Sunday morning, but your cat may prefer to lay on top of you and interrupt your sleep – why do they do this? Well, there are several reasons why your cat may lay on in the morning and this post will show them to you.
So, why does my cat lay on me in the morning? Likely reasons why your cat lays on you in the morning are that it is trying to get you to get up and feed it, it feels safer around you, or that it is just being affectionate.
There are a number of possible reasons why your cat has been doing it and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are things you can do about it.
Reasons why your cat lays on you in the morning
Below are a number of possible reasons why your cat lays on you in the morning and what would make them more likely.
It is waiting for something from you
The reason why your cat lays on you in the morning is most likely to be that it is waiting for you to get up and feed it. This would be more likely if your cat lays on you before you have fed it and it leaves you alone after you have fed it. This would also be more likely if it tends to do it more on the weekend when you feed it later than you do during the week.
Separation anxiety
The cause might also be that it has some separation anxiety. This would be more likely if it does not sleep in the same room as you and if it lays on you after you have opened the door to your room.
In this case, it would help to limit reasons why it might be anxious without you by letting it stay in a safe spot away from other pets that is not too loud or bright at night.
Affection
The cause might also be that it is just showing you affection. This would be more likely if it does it more after you have fed it and if it also does things such as knead and purr while doing it.
It feels safer
The reason why it does it might also be that it feels safer around you. This would be more likely if it tends to also follow you around the house and if it does it after you have fed it.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your cat has been doing it.
If your cat always laid on you in the morning
If your cat did not always lay on you in the morning, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it might be due to things such as a change in the way you interact with it in the morning or because you started feeding it later than normal.
What is different when your cat does not lay on you in the morning
It would also help to consider what is different when your cat does not lay on you in the morning. For example, if it only does it on the weekend, it would be likely that it is expecting you to feed it at the same time as during the week.
What to do about your cat laying on you in the morning
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Give it food and water
If it seems like your cat might be doing it because it is trying to get you to get up and feed it, it would likely help to feed it and give it access to water as soon as you get up instead of making it wait.
Limit reasons why it might be anxious
It would also likely help to limit reasons why it might get anxious when you are not around. Ways to do so could include letting your cat stay in a different room than your dog if you have one or letting your cat stay in a quieter room.
Give it somewhere else to lay
Another option would be to give it another spot to lay down in your room instead of on top of you. One way to do so would be to put a cat bed in your room and to encourage it to go there when it tries to lay on you.
Let it do it
If your cat seems to just be doing it because it is being affectionate in the morning, another option would be to just give it some attention in the morning but to redirect its focus when it seems like it is about to lay on you.