Diagnosis and prognosis

The primary complaint is feline activity during the night that is not tolerable to the owner. Pouncing, play bites, swatting, vocalization (discussed below), and running over the bed or through the home may be bothersome for the family. The cat is usually young, active, and may not be receiving enough enrichment during the day. Cats that previously slept through the night and then develop vocalization or nighttime activity should be assessed for underlying medical problems, including cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) (see Chapter 13). Other causes of increased nocturnal activity and vocalizing might be outdoor stimuli (cats and wildlife), changes in feeding schedule/hunger, environmental noises (neighbors, garage doors, garbage pickup), as well as any recent change in the household or schedule that might have disrupted the cat’s schedule.

Exuberant play and pouncing behaviors have a much better prognosis in a young playful kitten and are more of a concern if they persist into adulthood. The prognosis for improving an adult cat with increasing nocturnal activity will vary based on the cause of the problem, the temperament of the cat, medical causes and, in some cases, whether it is amenable to drug therapy.

Management

The owner should avoid giving the cat any attention that might reinforce the undesirable behavior. Scolding should be avoided since mild scolding might reinforce the behavior, while harsh scolding may weaken the bond with the pet and cause fear or avoidance. The cat may be more likely to sleep through the night if it is given a daytime enrichment program with increased social and exploratory play, including a session in the evening before the family retires for the night. Physical play can often be best stimulated by chasing prey-type objects. Toys thrown or dragged by the owners and those that can be batted along the ground or dangled work best. A second cat of the same age and temperament might provide another outlet for play behavior.

Once the cat’s day is sufficiently enriched, the focus will need to be on ignoring nighttime activity to ensure it is not reinforced. Restricting the areas accessible to the cat can be helpful. This might include closing the bedroom door or confining the cat to another room or a crate during the night. Booby traps, such as a motion-activated spray, can be used to keep the pet away from particular areas where it scampers and makes noise. The cat that cannot be kept out of the bedroom during the night can be discouraged with a water gun, ultrasonic device, or the hissing sound from a can of compressed air.

If an overweight cat on a diet cries at night for food, consider switching to a high-fiber/low-calorie diet with a final feeding before bedtime. Alternately, some cats are more satiated by feeding smaller high-protein meals. The cat can be challenged to work for its food by hiding containers throughout the home or feeding food out of manipulation toys (see Chapters 4 and 10).

While it would be preferable to get the cat to sleep through the night, in some situations it might be more practical to give the cat an area of the home where the owners cannot hear the cat, that is enriched with play and feeding toys, and opportunities to climb and explore through the night. Another option is to feed the cat from a timed feeder, which can be set to open for meals at selected intervals. If the owner is no longer the source of food, attention-seeking behaviors for food should cease. Owners can then decide if a nighttime feeding should be offered. For some cats this feeding might be delayed about 10 minutes each night until the feeding time is gradually moved to morning. For nighttime waking or vocalization due to medical problems, CDS, or excessive anxiety, drug therapy might be indicated. A benzodiazepine, or antihistamine, or perhaps even a phenothiazine might help to initiate nighttime sleep in the short term.

Prevention

Providing appropriate enrichment is important for meeting the young cat’s social and play requirements. Interactions that allow the pet to play with or attack body parts should be discouraged. In fact, cats seeking attention at any time should learn that calm behaviors are successful and demanding behaviors are not. Feeding or giving any attention when the cat wakes at night must be avoided as it reinforces the behavior.

Diagnosis and prognosis

For successful diagnosis and treatment, the cause of the cat’s vocalization must be determined. Medical problems could contribute to increased vocalization, restlessness, altered sleep–wake cycles, and increased nocturnal activity, so that a medical workup should first be performed based on signalment and clinical signs. Identifying the location, stimuli that incite the cat, what precedes vocalization, and how the owner responds can help to elucidate the cause. In addition, keeping a journal of daily activities, including when and where the cat vocalizes, may help to determine the triggers for the behavior.

Except in Oriental breeds, where the behavior might be highly innate and unrelated to specific stimuli, the prognosis is moderately good for successful correction, provided the owner is able to identify and remove those factors that are initiating or reinforcing the problem.