The Nocturnal Cat
So, why does your cat want to play at night? Cats are nocturnal. The nocturnal cat has special adaptations for the night life. This mastery of the night is associated with the mystery and lore of cats. Their unique anatomy gives them superior nighttime hunting ability. Most of these unique abilities lie in their keen senses which I will cover in the next link. Many other animals are also nocturnal like skunks and raccoons and most desert animals are nocturnal. So it is normal for your Siamese to be active at night? If you find this type of nocturnal behavior annoying, rather than punishing your cat for following her natural activity schedule, train her to switch shifts. This is actually quite easy. Cats are smart and easily adapt to their human’s pattern of activity and sleep at night. Just remember that in training your cat, who’s training who? If your kitty wakes you up at night, and you feed, or pet, or play with her, than you are reinforcing that behavior. I have a great big tom cat who liked to knead on me in the middle of the night; rubbing and petting on him only encourage this behavior. So I gently nudged him off the bed, rolled over, and ignored him. He stopped soon after. The nocturnal cat being a social creature will easily adapt from their nocturnal behavior. Pet, play, feed, give him lots of attention during the day. If your Siamese exhibits annoying habits at night, squirt him with a water gun, he will learn rather quickly, just be patient. I have also been told by several veterinarians that night lights placed within your home will calm your cat and make him more apt to sleep at night.
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