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Talker
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 Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:39 pm Post subject: Cat waking us up |
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Twitch is a 3 year old foundling. She was an outside cat who adopted us
over more than a year long procedure. She started out showing up
occasionally, then every day. We fed her because she looked starved.
She wouldn't let us near her, but for a while she hung out. She lived
out outside and allowed us to feed her and build her a cat house to live
in. After several months she allowed us to pet her and sit with her.
She didn't exhibit any signs of wanting to come in, until winter. Even
then she prefered her heated bed. We worked on getting her to come in
until finally during the coldest part of the winter she starting come
in.
Finally, last winter we coaxed her into coming inside at night and
staying outside during the day. Now mostly she stays inside even when
we go to work and just goes out for periodic quick trips of an hour or
so. During the night she tends to sleep quietly on one of her trusty
perches and doesn't bother us until we get up. She waits to be fed and
then goes out for a while. Normally she comes back in after a few
minutes to an hour. When we leave for work she used to go out and stay
but as I said now she mostly just curls up and sleeps till we get home,
though there are days when she goes out and disappears. When we come
home she is waiting in one of the deck chairs and comes in. Sometimes
she might go back out for a while or she may stay in. But she has
gotten where she always stays in for the night.
Over the weekend, things changed. About 3AM to 5AM she gets very
insistent to go out. VERY INSISTENT. The problem is as soon as you let
her out she wants right back in. If you let her in she wants right back
out. When she does go out she stands on the doorstep and cry out like
she wants back in, but if you open the door she runs down to the bottom
of the steps and waits till you close the door then runs back up to the
top and cries. If you go out she runs up like she is happen to see you.
If you pick her up shes wants back down. Then she runs away alternating
between running away and rubbibg your legs. She acts sometimes like she
wants you yo follow her.
Finally, she comes back in for a while and up until we go to work she
runs through this routine several times. When we leave for work she is
INSISTENT about staying outside instead of inside. Then when we come
home she goes back to being her old self until the next morning.
She just had her physical and was in excellent heath. She is fixed (we
think). The vet says she has the scar and of course the fact she hasn't
shown up pregnant in almost two years as evidence. Anyway, it's not
like she's in heat.
We are at our wits end which is NOT being helped b the lack of a good
nights sleep. Anyone have any suggestions.
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Upscale
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| Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 3:58 pm Post subject: Re: Cat waking us up |
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"Talker" <hsprayberry@lexcominc.net> wrote in message
| Quote: | She just had her physical and was in excellent heath. She is fixed (we
think). The vet says she has the scar and of course the fact she hasn't
shown up pregnant in almost two years as evidence. Anyway, it's not
like she's in heat.
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Any other changes? Does she use an indoor litterbox and if so, is her use
the same as it was before? Anything like blood in the urine box, diahrrea,
or something else different? Any accidents outside the litter box? Any
hairballs appearing more than usual?
You say you let her in and out. Does she have a cat door or is can she get
in or out on her own? |
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Talker
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| Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 1:49 am Post subject: Re: Cat waking us up |
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"Upscale" <upscale@teksavvy.com> wrote in
news:dd0b$49004ab6$cef88bc5$27458@TEKSAVVY.COM:
| Quote: |
"Talker" <hsprayberry@lexcominc.net> wrote in message
She just had her physical and was in excellent heath. She is fixed
(we think). The vet says she has the scar and of course the fact she
hasn't shown up pregnant in almost two years as evidence. Anyway,
it's not like she's in heat.
Any other changes? Does she use an indoor litterbox and if so, is her
use the same as it was before? Anything like blood in the urine box,
diahrrea, or something else different? Any accidents outside the
litter box? Any hairballs appearing more than usual?
You say you let her in and out. Does she have a cat door or is can she
get in or out on her own?
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For those who asked:
Twitch has dry food available for grazing even at night, so she's not
hungry.
I do play with her at night with her lazer pointer and her bird, the
same as always.
She does use a litter box and I haven't noticed any changes there. No
increase / decrease, blood, etc.
We rent, so she does not have a cat door to get in or leave on her own.
I'm pretty sure she doesn't have kittens out there. She never put on
weight, except the normal fat pads, and never had any development in
the nipples, and I haven't noticed any increase in the nesting instinct.
Someone suggested she may have found a kitten which I suppose is
possible.
If she had a litter or adopted one why would she act this way only in
the morning. At night when I get home she's exactly the way she has
always been right up to going to bed. The change in attitude in only
EARLY in the morning.
I did try following her to see if she really wanted to show me something
but she doesn't actually go anywhere in particular. She just sort or
wanders around.
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studio
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| Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 4:32 am Post subject: Re: Cat waking us up |
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On Oct 23, 4:39 am, Talker <hspraybe...@lexcominc.net> wrote:
| Quote: | Over the weekend, things changed. About 3AM to 5AM she gets very
insistent to go out. VERY INSISTENT. The problem is as soon as you let
her out she wants right back in. If you let her in she wants right back
out. When she does go out she stands on the doorstep and cry out like
she wants back in, but if you open the door she runs down to the bottom
of the steps and waits till you close the door then runs back up to the
top and cries. If you go out she runs up like she is happen to see you..
If you pick her up shes wants back down. Then she runs away alternating
between running away and rubbibg your legs. She acts sometimes like she
wants you yo follow her.
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My Big Mama cat does something similar...
btw: she was a stray cat who lived outside in her younger years.
Anyway, she wakes me early to go outside so she can use the bathroom.
It takes her about 5-15 minutes until she wants back inside for her
second
wave of sleep.
The point is; she learned to take care of her business, then come back
inside
when the weather is cold...otherwise she stays outside in summer
months.
When I was working, she would have to stay outside.
Now she wakes me up; when I worked, I woke her up.
If you leave Twitch outside, she will cry, but also learn that she
isn't coming
back inside again until you come home.
If you don't let her out before you go to work, make sure she has a
bathroom
to go in.
It's one of two undesirable things...
1. you keep doing her routine
2. you make the routine
Now, try to understand what may be happening...
When you leave for work, in Twitch's mind, you're going away to hunt.
Twitch wants you to begin hunting earlier...on her schedule, not
yours.
(She wants to know where you find all that food (?)).
Or, possibly, she wants you to stay outside while she finds a suitable
place to
use the bathroom...so someone is "watching her back" (protection).
3-5am can be a good hunting time, or bathroom time for a cat...
it's hard to say what's going on, and why the change of times.
But her choice should be;
inside/outside light/dark.
Might help if we knew what climate you lived in...
Just some thoughts anyway. |
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Talker
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| Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 5:46 am Post subject: Re: Cat waking us up-Follow up |
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BATS!!! Bats have moved into the neighborhood, coming out early in the
morning flying around the street lights eating the insects. Cats can hear
the bats and LOVE bats. Twitch especially loves bats. Figured it out when
it rained and she let us sleep thru the night. Rain, no insects in the
lights, no bats. Rain stops, bats come back out. Its a temporary problem
as the bats will move on to better grounds shortly.
This of course brings out another problem. Twitch wants to bring them home
to us, usually alive. She brings home LOTS of things alive for us to play
with. In the past year, I can't tell you how many ground squirrels, tree
squirrels, field mice, and snakes she has brought home for us. If we are
home she tries to give them to us alive. If we are gone, we find them on
the doorstep after she has finished playing with them. There is nothing
like having her dump a live something in your lap. "I haz skerl - naw u
haz skerl" Not looking forward to a bat!
Thanks to everyone who responded with suggestions.
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