How to cut down on your feline’s early morning meowing

How to cut down on your feline’s early morning meowing

If you’ve recently adopted a cat, you may start to notice that he will begin waking you up early in the morning with loud howling or scratches at the door, which could make you question why you adopted him in the first place!

Your furbaby’s early morning meowing is a cry for attention. With patience, you can find a balance for both your needs.

Instilling good behavior is one of the hallmarks of animal wellness and is the only way that the two of you can develop a balance that can suit each other’s needs. There are a multitude of ways to cut down on your cat’s morning meowing while improving your overall pet care.

1. Don’t give in! If you sleep in the same room as your cat, you may need to start practicing a bit of behavior modification. When he wakes you up in the morning and starts vocalizing, you should place him outside and only let him back inside when he has stopped meowing. This will help reinforce good behavior and help him associate time with you as being a direct result of him quieting down!
2. Increased playtime. Most of the time, your cat meowing early in the morning is a cry for attention, and his method of trying to release pent-up energy. According to the Seattle Times, you can tire your feline out a bit by playing with toys before bed. A feathery toy attached to a pole is the best choice, and you can have him chase you all around the house and burn off a bit of that extra energy. When he starts to pant a bit, slow down the activity and feed him a good meal. After filling up, he will probably groom himself and take a long nap, leaving you extra time to rest in the morning.
3. Divert his attention. One of the reasons a cat will meow each morning is due to a lack of stimulation in his main play area. Consider placing a cat tree near a window that faces your yard – with all of the birds flying around in the early morning; he will have a perfect vantage point to check them out and focus his attention out of your window.

Breaking your feline of his morning meowing habit will be difficult, but with a bit of patience, and accommodation, he can find better things to do with his time each day.