Cats are wonderful pets that bring joy to many people’s lives. But despite their cuddly appearances, they can be quite mischievous creatures. They love to play pranks on us, and they always seem to find ways to ruin our sleep. This post will show you why your cat might not let you sleep at night and what can be done about it.
So, why won’t my cat let me sleep at night? Likely reasons why your cat won’t let you sleep at night are that it has separation anxiety, it is naturally more energetic at night, injury or illness or a problem with the room it sleeps in.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your cat doesn’t let you sleep and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Why won’t my cat let me sleep at night?
Below are likely causes and what would make them more likely.
Separation anxiety
The reason why it has been doing it might be due to having some separation anxiety. This would be more likely if you do not let it sleep with you, if it has started being noisy at night since you stopped letting it sleep with you or if it starts getting anxious when you are about to go to bed.
It’s hungry
A possible reason why it won’t let you sleep at night is that it is hungry. It might be the case that it has not been eating enough or it might be having to wait for too long between meals. If it currently is only getting fed in the mornings, it might help to feed it less in the mornings but to feed it in the evenings as well instead.
Nature
In the wild, cats are often nocturnal animals. Even though your kitty might spend a lot of its time sleeping or lounging around during the day, its internal “clock” tells it when to be active, and night is the prime time for it to be on the prowl. The reason why your cat doesn’t let you sleep at night is most likely to be that it naturally has a lot more energy at that time and naturally wants to hunt things.
Injury or illness
The cause might also be that something has been causing it to be in pain at night. This would be more likely if it has started behaving differently at night suddenly and if it has been showing signs of discomfort during the day. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.
A problem with the room it sleeps in
The reason might also be that there is an issue with the room that it has to sleep in. It might be too hot, too loud, too bright, too noisy or there might not be enough space for it to lay down comfortably. It might also be the case that there is another pet in there that it does not like.
Things to consider
Below are things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your cat has not been letting you sleep at night.
If your cat has always stopped you from sleeping at night
If your cat has not always stopped you from sleeping at night, it would help to consider what else happened when your cat first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it would make it more likely to be due to things such as a change in its diet, a change in its sleeping environment, illness, or injury.
What is different when your cat does let you sleep at night
If your cat does go to sleep quickly on some nights, it would also help to consider what is different on the nights that it goes to sleep. For example, if it does not sleep quickly on nights when it does not eat certain food, it could be the case that there is an issue with what it has been eating.
What to do about your cat not letting you sleep at night
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Make sure its sleeping environment is ideal
It would help to make sure that the room it sleeps in is not too hot, bright, loud and that it does not have to sleep with other pets that it does not like.
Get help
If your cat has been being very anxious at night, it could also help to take it to the vet for a check up. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular cat and to rule out the possibility of it being due to illness or injury.
Get it to stay in another room
If your cat currently sleeps in the same room as you, another option would be to try to get it to stay in a different room while you are going to sleep.
Give it the right diet
It might be the case that there is an issue with its diet. It would help to make sure that it has been getting the right diet, that no one has been feeding it without you knowing, that it has not got access to things it shouldn’t be eating and to feed it earlier in the evening.