| Cat Cause Sleepless Nights |
| Dear Deborah: We have a one year old cat, Chili, who has been trying to wake us up at 5 a.m. for the past two weeks. We have tried shouting, spraying with water, shaking a can of pennies and even kenneling her. She gets in the kennel and purrs like she's content. Sleepless in Vancouver |
|
Dear Sleepless: Is your cat spayed? If not, then
you may be experiencing her first adult heat. Contact your
vet. If she is spayed, then I can't guess at the cause of her
strange prowling at dawn but I can give you some tips for solving the
problem. Make sure she gets no attention for trying to wake you up at 5 a.m. Even bad attention is better than none at all to a needy cat, so ignore her. Kennel her at night for two weeks. Decide on a routine time in the morning that works for everyone in your household. Go to the kennel at that time (8a.m., for example) and make a huge fuss over Chili. Spend at least 15 minutes with her before continuing with your day. Never go to her for this spoiling before 8 a.m. After two weeks of kenneling, try leaving her loose one night. Make sure the kennel is in the same place so she can sleep inside if she chooses. If she still bugs you at 5 a.m., ignore her and kennel her for at least a month before you try her loose again. Eventually she'll learn that she gets all she needs at 8 a.m. and nothing at 5a.m. |
| For more tips, get Deborah's
book, Good Dog! from your local book store. Deborah also writes for the Family Dog Magazine. Available at Save-On Foods, London Drugs, and in Free boxes everywhere. Send your pet questions to: Fax 604- 732-2088 |