It’s wonderful to raise a kitten, but restful sleep can become a thing of the past for now. Kittens have no sense of time and no respect for time. If your kitten won’t sleep at night, your own sleep will inevitably be disturbed.
Don’t discourage your kitten from sleeping during the day. Instead, focus on exhausting your kitten with extensive play as late as possible before offering him an evening meal. Avoid upsetting the kitten too much at night, and provide a comfortable bed with soothing, familiar scents.
It takes time and effort to teach a kitten to sleep.
Sleep training with a kitten is a two-way process. While you think you are teaching the kitten to follow your rules, the kitten thinks it’s teaching you.
Ensure it doesn’t learn habits at this crucial stage of development that you will have to break later painstakingly.
The keys to a successful night’s sleep are consistency and consistency.
Can a Kitten Sleep All Night?
Kittens sleep more than adult cats, except for older and senior cats.
Most kittens spend up to 20 hours a day sleeping. Kittens are very active and alert when awake, affecting their energy levels.
Twenty hours of sleep actually sounds ideal, but kittens rarely sleep for an extended period at a time. Cats younger than three months are unlikely to have a proper sleep pattern.
But if it doesn’t sleep 8 hours at once, how many hours does a kitten sleep at night? That depends on several factors.
Most kittens, like puppies, wake up several times during the night. How they behave after that depends on how comfortable the kitten is in your home.
Where Should Kittens Sleep at Night?
As mentioned, convincing kittens to sleep when you do is a matter of training. It all starts with determining the best place for a kitten to sleep.
In theory, locking a kitten out of the bedroom while you sleep there seems like a good idea. But it can also backfire.
Many people find that a new kitten won’t stop whining alone at night. Some kittens even cry alone, making a noise comparable to a newborn baby’s.
Weigh your options before having the kitten sleep in a separate room. You must weigh the pros and cons of sharing your bedroom with your kitten.
Where Should My Kitten Sleep the First Night?
The place where your kitten sleeps the first night in your home sets a standard.
If the kitten is left alone and scared at night, it may feel anxious and nervous. The kitten will associate bedtime with being abandoned.
Many experts recommend keeping the kitten close to you for the first night. The exception is if the kitten’s mother or siblings live with you.
Kittens are used to having company for the first eight weeks of their lives. A kitten with familiar cats around will be more likely to stay calm.
Should My Kitten Sleep in My Bed?
If you share your bed with the kitten, this decision is irreversible. From that night on, your bed is also your kitten’s sleeping place. For this reason, it is not advisable to let a kitten on your bed.
Kittens can jump on you while sleeping and attack your feet or face with teeth and claws. In doing so, the kitten is just trying to get your attention.
The solution to this problem is to let the kitten sleep in its bed next to yours.
Your kitten will be close enough to pick up your scent and take comfort from it, but it won’t be able to physically interact with you directly. You can also place a litter box next to the bed for safety.
However, giving the kitten its bed at night is no guarantee of safety. It can still jump on your bed and thus disturb your sheep.
But you should stop that immediately and give the kitten its place again.
Make the kitten’s bed as comfortable as possible by lining it with blankets and pillows.
Can My Kitten Sleep Alone in a Room?
Having a separate room where the kitten sleeps alone may seem tempting. However, it would be best not to consider this until the kitten has become accustomed to the environment.
As mentioned earlier, keeping your kitten close to you until it is settled in your home is better.
Can a kitten sleep in the kitchen or bathroom? These places are popular because you can close the door and leave the kitten alone until morning. Unfortunately, this solution is rarely practical.
Kittens are naturally curious, and these spaces are full of potential dangers.
If it’s out of sight, the kitten could drink from the toilet and fall in. It could also swallow cleaning supplies or ingest dangerous foods.
Why Doesn’t My Kitten Sleep at Night?
There are many reasons why kittens do not want to sleep. For example, the kitten previously woke up from her nap and is now full of energy.
However, there are six main explanations for kitten insomnia.
Instinct
Consider your kitten’s instincts. All cats are crepuscular, so they are most active at dawn and dusk.
Therefore, your kitten will likely wake up exceptionally early, even if he slept through the night hours.
Getting up early is part of keeping a cat awake. Even if it is an adult, your kitten may stare at you in the morning, waiting for you to feed it.
Unfamiliar Environment
Look at things from your kitten’s point of view. It has probably left its mother and littermates, with whom it has spent every moment, including bedtime.
Suddenly, the kitten finds itself in an unfamiliar environment without its primary caregivers.
With proper care and attention, kittens overcome this situation quite quickly. However, make the transition as smooth as possible.
Give the kitten a familiar smell, such as a blanket that reminds them of their mother, to reduce anxiety.
Noises
A kitten’s hearing is comparable to that of an adult cat.
Therefore, sounds can be frightening to a kitten, as can a complete lack of sounds. As always, it depends on what your kitten is used to.
A noisy city apartment might be frightening if your kitten spent his early life in a quiet, rural environment.
The kitten’s keen hearing will be exposed to many new sounds. These may include sirens, car horns, neighbors, or talking passersby.
Likewise, a kitten raised in a noisier home will miss the soothing sounds if you live where it’s almost silent.
Rural areas can be eerily quiet. The kitten will have difficulty falling asleep without the familiar sounds.
Excessive Stimulation
If you’re pulling your hair out wondering why your kitten is so hyper at night, first ask yourself if it might be your fault.
Are you putting your kitten in an over-stimulating environment or stimulating her before bedtime?
Providing your kitten with toys before bedtime seems like a simple way to keep them entertained while you sleep.
Instead, this can make the kitten increasingly excited. The same goes for other favorite activities like climbing. If your kitten has the opportunity to play, he will take it.
Also, be careful with grooming. Gentle brushing of the coat can lull a kitten to sleep. Boisterous tickling becomes a game; the kitten will want to determine when to stop.
Hunger
Kittens have tiny stomachs and eat in equally small portions. Therefore, kittens eat little but often. Also, kittens are used to feeding on their mother’s milk at night.
As we will discuss in a moment, feeding your kitten as late as possible is advisable.
A feast before bedtime will make the animal tired. It reduces the likelihood that it will call loudly for food during the night.
However, keep a snack on hand for the night. However, do not feed treats from your hand at night.
Otherwise, the kitten will assume it has the right to wake you up anytime and demand such a treat.
A small handful of dry food or a bowl of kitten milk from the pet store is recommended.
Toileting Needs
Is your kitten already housebroken? Can it easily access a comfortable and familiar litter box?
If not, the kitten will wake you when it needs help going to the toilet.
Fix the housetraining problem as soon as possible. Kittens have immature bladders, so toilet accidents can happen otherwise.
How to Teach Your Kitten to Sleep at Night
How to get a kitten to sleep at night is the most frequently asked question of any new cat owner. Patience and discipline are essential in this process.
Once you have determined where you want your kitten to sleep, you must convince him to do so.
It won’t be easy, but withstand the temptation to give attention to a kitten that scratches and bites you while you sleep.
The kitten will do anything to get attention if it wants to play. Giving it that attention, even just reprimanding the kitten, is already a success.
However, turning off the lights and hoping the kitten will retreat to sleep is also ineffective.
You will need to do an intensive training program before you see results.
Don’t keep your kitten awake during the day in hopes that he will sleep at night. Kittens must sleep almost constantly to grow and develop their bones and organs.
Instead, let your kitten sleep in toward the end of the night.
Power the Kitten Out
Just play with the kitten. Play with him, and then play some more.
Get hunting toys like laser pointers or fishing games. The kitten will love satisfying his hunting instincts by trying to catch that prey.
Kittens are easier to please than adult cats when it comes to playing, but they still need variety.
Cats will eventually get bored if they are only offered the same games and activities.
Provide constant variety in toys and play with your kitten. And then, as soon as your kitten slows down, you should encourage him to eat.
Feed the Kitten Properly
Kittens need to eat at least four times a day. Most kittens wake up hungry and demand food several times during the afternoon and evening.
Offer your kitten the last meal as late as possible, after the last playtime. This should be the largest meal of the day.
Kittens don’t eat much, but enough to fill their tiny stomachs.
A kitten is automatically lethargic after feeding. It will probably want to preen itself and then fall into a deep sleep.
The later this happens, the longer the kitten will naturally sleep.
Take the Kitten to the Toilet
Before your kitten starts snoozing, encourage it to use the litter box. It must go to the toilet before going to bed.
If the kitten is not yet doing this alone, you should take it to the litter box. After all, if you already have to bring the kitten to the litter box, you certainly don’t want to do it at 3 a.m.
If your kitten is reluctant to use the litter box, rub the anus and bladder with an unscented wet wipe.
This mimics the sensation of being licked by the mother, who initially encouraged the kitten to defecate in this manner.
Provide the Kitten With a Suitable Bed
You should provide your kitten with a comfortable bed of her own. Cats of all ages love to have their territory.
Your kitten is no exception. If it has a bed to call its own, that’s where your kitten will retreat at night.
Learning how to get a kitten to sleep in its bed can be a challenge.
It’s about making the bed as comfortable and appealing as possible. There are many ways you can accomplish this.
- Position the bed so that it is not disturbed by drafts or noise.
- Pack the bed full of many warm, cozy blankets.
- Place a blanket with a comforting, familiar scent.
- Ensure the kitty knows she can reach food, water, and the litter box from the bed.
- Play soothing music to encourage sleep.
- Spray a little Feliway. This product has been proven to be effective in relaxing cats.
- Place the bed as high up as possible if it is safe, as cats love elevated positions.
Once your kitty begins to see his bed as a source of pleasure, he will not hesitate to use it.
Using a cat bed is often the last hurdle in your effort to get a cat to sleep.
Once your kitty is settled in, you can add some toys to the bed. But it would be best if you were careful with this approach. You can quickly cross the line between gentle entertainment and overstimulation, and the kitten will not sleep.
How to Keep Your Kitten Entertained at Night
Your kitten may be energetic at night, even if you follow this advice. A bout of craziness can happen to kittens at any time.
Sometimes, it’s better to accept that your kitty will go crazy for five minutes and adjust to it.
However, it would help if you did not entertain your cat until the training process to learn to sleep has already begun.
If you immediately give in to the desire for round-the-clock entertainment, your nocturnal kitten will become an adult cat that does not sleep.
When you are sure your kitten is safe, let him explore the apartment.
Gather all potential stimuli in one room. If possible, have the following things in this location:
- Easily accessible litter box
- Cat tree to climb on
- Soothing toys that it can play with on its own and not choke on
- A small bowl of dry food in case the kitten is hungry.
- Free windows, in case the kitten wants to watch the world
There is no guarantee that this will keep your kitten calm. All cats tend to make a lot of noise at night. However, they have a better chance of sleeping undisturbed.
Should I Leave a Light On for My Kitten?
If your kitten roams the house at night, you may want to leave the lights on to keep him safe. However, such lighting is not necessary.
The cat’s eye is developed to see best in low light. If you leave the light on, you will waste electricity and disturb your sleep.
Kittens can’t see any better than humans in complete darkness, so don’t plunge the house into total darkness.
However, a dim lamp or nightlight for children is more than adequate. Anything brighter is too much.
Summary: How to Get Kittens to Sleep
When you first bring a kitten into your home, don’t expect them to adapt to your sleeping schedule quickly.
All cats are crepuscular, and your kitten will have trouble adjusting to human sleeping schedules at first.
However, with a bit of time, patience, and training, your kitten will eventually start mimicking your sleeping habits.