I need some sleep!

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Red wine lady
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I need some sleep!

Post by Red wine lady »

Morning all, once again I’m asking for some help to keep me sane (get a cat they said, it will be fun they said!!)

We moved house just after new year, to a move rural location and we all love it. Oscar has gone from an indoor fat lad, to an outside fat lad...he just stays in the back garden, as it turns out our big large boy is in fact...a scaredy cat! Best of all his outside litter peeing has stopped (touching wood)....I am convinced that was all down to cats outside the house and Oscar being inside.

Oscar has the run of the house of a night and often comes in our bedroom and cuddles up on the bed...no problem. However since we moved he comes in at 4am gets on the bed purrs and licks the duvet none stop...it sounds like nothing, but believe me when I say...it’s so bloody noisy and very wet! We have not slept in weeks. I’ve tried locking him out but he just throws himself at our bedroom door. Not sure why? He seems so content here.

Any tips ?
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fjm
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Re: I need some sleep!

Post by fjm »

I sympathise - Pippin went through a phase of walking across my head at 5am every morning in hopes of an early breakfast...

I'm not sure what you can do - happy, relaxed self soothing is very rewarding in itself, so as it is something very enjoyable for him he is going to want to continue. Is it a new duvet cover? Perhaps a different texture throw over the bed would be less appealing, and a piece of similar fabric to the duvet in a warm cat bed somewhere out of earshot might encourage him to settle there. Or earplugs for you, and an easily washable throw to protect the bedding? Pippin settled when I started feeding him a snack late at night - that one was much easier to resolve!
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bobbys girl
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Re: I need some sleep!

Post by bobbys girl »

If you find an answer - LET ME KNOW! :shock: :? Bob and Willow can both open the bedroom door and Gracie just scratches until you do as you are told and let her in/out. That's OK, they all have some manners, but they let in the kittens who have no manners whatsoever. They think it's fine to wrestle on the bed at 2AM and try to sit on your face. :roll: (at the moment the plants in the window are in danger and Billy has just run up the curtain)

We DO have a washable throw on the bed and wouldn't be without it. Dunelm do a good range of washable throws/blankets. There is nothing worse than seeing a nice throw and finding out it is 'dry clean only'. Everything in this house has to be washable! Good luck.
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Lilith
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Re: I need some sleep!

Post by Lilith »

Trust him!

I always did say you'd got a right one there - loads of cattitude :lol:

I too have had this problem, but as an insomniac stay-at-home and single too, I was able to sort of arrange my schedule round the cats. Apart from breeding queens going into labour in my bed, bringing me kittens to sleep in the bed etc I think the worst time was when the ferals moved in and started wall-of-deathing round the bedroom at three o'clock in the morning. So I'd get up, go downstairs, open the cellar window and let them out for playtime. In my sleep. Mind you there was also the time when Molly woke me up at 4 in the morning, chirruping and trampolining, heavily, but I couldn't let her out and about; I had to groan and bear it ... and even now I find it best to get up at 3 or 4 to do trays and put breakfast down, otherwise when I'm fast asleep at 7 someone will start bawling about being hungry ... I wish Molly would lick the duvet ... she plucks it. Not kneading or paddling you understand, not like a normal cat. My shabby chic rosy duvet covers are now shaggy chic ... there's a difference.

Sorry, this isn't really getting us anywhere, is it? And I do sympathise about the lack of sleep - if it happens to me, I'm EVIL.

I'm so glad he's settled in so well and is enjoying his new home. Do you think a snack when he comes in would send him off to sleep? You could leave a bowl in the bedroom for him to find when he arrives in the early hours.

It's very hard to deter a cat from the bed - I once did it unintentionally when I bought a duck feather duvet and Molly was scared of it because it was crunchy ... just for a few days. The advice about a protective throw is good, but you might not be able to escape the licking ...

Oh he is a bad lad - please give him a kiss from his admiring Aunty Lil though - and do hope you manage to find a solution to this :)
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Ruth B
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Re: I need some sleep!

Post by Ruth B »

When I got a house of my own and decide to have cats I made a decision, they would not be allowed in the bedroom at night, and so far i have managed to keep the rule. There have been a few times when the meowing and the scratching almost made me give in but i have managed so far to bury my head under a pillow until they gave in. It also means I only have to watch what I step on on the landing, not what is dropped on the bed beside me.

I do sympathise and I do hope you find a solution.
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Red wine lady
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Re: I need some sleep!

Post by Red wine lady »

Firstly ladies, can I say...the above were ALL the wrong answers! I wanted one of you to say, give him this pill and have a lovely sleep. :D

Oscar actually slept all last night on my husband, this worked for me. The fact my hubby still can not feel his left arm is (in my opinion) a minor issue!

Ruth - Damn you, I wish I had thought of that!
Lilith - You are a bloody saint sweetheart
Bobby Girl - the simple answer is I have found is WINE...must be drunk by the bucket full (for me, not Oscar)
FJM - The walking over your head, made me laugh...sorry.

I think Oscar just loves us, wants to be with us and frankly does not care about the finer details of sleep, work and mortgages to pay.

We are now trying to tire him out of an evening!!
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Red wine lady
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Re: I need some sleep!

Post by Red wine lady »

Lilith wrote:Trust him!

I always did say you'd got a right one there - loads of cattitude :lol:

I too have had this problem, but as an insomniac stay-at-home and single too, I was able to sort of arrange my schedule round the cats. Apart from breeding queens going into labour in my bed, bringing me kittens to sleep in the bed etc I think the worst time was when the ferals moved in and started wall-of-deathing round the bedroom at three o'clock in the morning. So I'd get up, go downstairs, open the cellar window and let them out for playtime. In my sleep. Mind you there was also the time when Molly woke me up at 4 in the morning, chirruping and trampolining, heavily, but I couldn't let her out and about; I had to groan and bear it ... and even now I find it best to get up at 3 or 4 to do trays and put breakfast down, otherwise when I'm fast asleep at 7 someone will start bawling about being hungry ... I wish Molly would lick the duvet ... she plucks it. Not kneading or paddling you understand, not like a normal cat. My shabby chic rosy duvet covers are now shaggy chic ... there's a difference.

Sorry, this isn't really getting us anywhere, is it? And I do sympathise about the lack of sleep - if it happens to me, I'm EVIL.

I'm so glad he's settled in so well and is enjoying his new home. Do you think a snack when he comes in would send him off to sleep? You could leave a bowl in the bedroom for him to find when he arrives in the early hours.

It's very hard to deter a cat from the bed - I once did it unintentionally when I bought a duck feather duvet and Molly was scared of it because it was crunchy ... just for a few days. The advice about a protective throw is good, but you might not be able to escape the licking ...

Oh he is a bad lad - please give him a kiss from his admiring Aunty Lil though - and do hope you manage to find a solution to this :)
How many furry babies do you have ??
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Lilith
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Re: I need some sleep!

Post by Lilith »

Only 3 now - 20 years ago I had 10 - wall to wall cats! :D

Oh just seen your previous post - thanks but truly - I ain't no saint! :lol:

Oh ps - sorry - pc's been playing up - may Oscar go on sleeping now and letting you guys sleep ... ahh I second the wine ... beer in my case, errm by the case :oops: :D
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Re: I need some sleep!

Post by lilynmitz »

Just wanted to say your post of 13.2.18 made me laugh out loud! I do sympathise, my old girl Lily was a noisy bed-sharer, so I exiled her to the kitchen/diner every night eventually (it was nice and comfy, with access to food, litter etc). Shutting her in another room did at least stop her destroying the carpet outside the bedroom door. The kitchen floor was finished with vinyl, so she couldn't do much damage to that, so she would settle down for the night in there quite happily. In fact, she got so used to the routine she used to put herself to bed in there. I felt mean for Mitz though - he was so polite sharing the bed, I never knew he was there, and he loved sleeping with us, but I couldn't shut one out without the other, so he got shut away as well. He used to try to sneak up without us noticing as we were getting ready for bed, dear old lad, and I felt soooo mean carrying him back down into the kitchen :-(
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Red wine lady
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Re: I need some sleep!

Post by Red wine lady »

Ruth B wrote:When I got a house of my own and decide to have cats I made a decision, they would not be allowed in the bedroom at night, and so far i have managed to keep the rule. There have been a few times when the meowing and the scratching almost made me give in but i have managed so far to bury my head under a pillow until they gave in. It also means I only have to watch what I step on on the landing, not what is dropped on the bed beside me.

I do sympathise and I do hope you find a solution.
You win!!

I took your advice and we locked him out of a night...he scratched a couple of times, however WE have slept right through for the last 3 nights. WHOOP WHOOP!!!!!

I love our furry little man and he does have the rest of the house to rule of a night...but 4am was an hour too early for me.

Thank you all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Re: I need some sleep!

Post by Lilith »

Ah congrats, glad you've worked out an agreement with him - and are getting your rightful sleep ... oh, sleep, even doctors can't lecture you about indulging in sleep - AND it's free - I love it :D

Fusses to Oscar - you know he looks just like a highwayman, bless him :D
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Ruth B
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Re: I need some sleep!

Post by Ruth B »

Congratulations.

You just have to stay strong now and not give in when he decides he wants in.
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Red wine lady
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Re: I need some sleep!

Post by Red wine lady »

I admit I have now succumbed to Oscar coming back into the bedroom. However, in my defence, it has been very cold and his little ears get very chilly !!

I have put him back on Cystophan and he has stopped licking the covers. I have read that it could be a sign of anxiety and Cystophan has always worked for him. Anyhow, we are back to 3 in a bed again (don't judge me!!) xxxx
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