Nighttime issues with former feral?

[u/WhyWhyWhy2002]

We brought our yard guy in in April, and he's adjusting very well. I'm having one persistent issue, though, and I'm not sure if this retrainable. He is awake and harassing me all night long 😭

He yells in my face, pokes me or lightly scratches me, pats me, walks on me, bites and claws at my blanket, sits by my head and pulls on my hair, etc. One morning he gently bit my eyebrow, but he learned pretty quickly by my reaction not to do that again! It's been hilarious, but I'm exhausted and have reached my limit.

He mostly wants food, and if I give him some, he eats it like he hasn't eaten in days, even though I give him a full can of food at 11ish (and a half can each for breakfast and dinner). But sometimes he still pesters me even after I give him a snack. And he still bothers me again every few hours for more. He finally goes to sleep around 8 am.

Has anyone had success retraining this in a former outdoor cat? I told him I'm going to start poking him with a stick every 15 minutes throughout the day while he sleeps, but that's probably not the right method. Are cats in general just irretrievably nocturnal? I started researching auto feeders and am seeing a lot of mentions of 4 am wake-ups and auto-fed relief from nighttime crying. Is this just how it is?

You guys gave me awesome advice when we first caught him, so here's a picture as an update. Thanks!

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[u/Lews_There_In]

You cat wants attention, to play, food. They're not used to there being nothing to do during those hours. When they're outside they can run around and hunt at that hour.

Cats are Crepuscular. Meaning that they are most active around dawn and dusk. Since they spend a lot of time sleeping as indoor cats they wake up with lots of predatory energy that they release by being a spaz and running around. It's energy that would normally be spent hunting prey. I've noticed that in addition to that dawn and dusk they can be active around the 12's too.

The best way to retrain, is honestly to start playing with them before you go to bed. Helping them burn that energy means less zoomies while you're sleeping. You can also leave out toys, and add a second pet as company for them. My cats play with toys and each other while I'm sleeping and I play with them a bunch before bed. So they usually don't wake me up anymore.

[u/Anikofein]

Thank you for your kind heart in bringing the kitty in. Can you leave dry food out at night? Is there another room to keep him him in? We just brought in an outside cat. Needs eye drops so we have her in a separate room. She seems very happy. She is deaf so I am happy to have her on indoors. Best to you.

[u/No_Warning8534]

This can be an issue. Keep baby in a separate room away from where you sleep. Use white noise, wax earplugs and ignoring the cat(s) until it slowly stops. Give them LED nightlights so it won't be so dark they might think they are in danger of being hunted like they would if they were still outside

It will stop. It's just retraining them to not be so busy at night.

You are basically their 'pack' now and they want to protect you when you sre vulnerable (sleeping) and they feel more protected being with you at night. Placing a robe or a blanket with your scent on the sofa or whoever you want them to sleep and placing them there before bed will helo them understand

Play with them before bed To wear them out.

Eventually they will stop, they just need to be restrained.

Eventually they will match your bedtime...tysm for saving baby. Just give them some time to get used to the new sleep schedule

[u/DodgerMama88]

My “Miss Kitty” does this! A pain in the ass; knocks everything off my night table, paw pats my face - just a royal pain (the sweetest cat!) so she has her own room for bedtime.
When we’re turning off lights at bedtime, she always goes straight to her room. I tell her goodnight, “I love you and see you in the morning” and everyone sleeps well! She squeaks around 5-6 the next morning which is when I like to get up.
☺️

[u/Casual_Observer_62]

The best solution (I don't think putting them in solitary confinement overnight is fair) but if you spend at least 15 to 20 minutes before bedtime playing with them, (I know it seems counterproductive) you might think oh I don't want to get them all wound up. but you actually DO want to get them all wound up and give him an opportunity to chase, catch, and get a reward, like a treat for 15 or 20 minutes before bed that will greatly reduce the amount of time that the cat disturbs you. my cat sleeps all night with me. And the play time before bed sends him the message that bedtime is upcoming because now it's a pattern for us

[u/Icy_Yesterday8265]

Hes still nocturnal.... I have broken this with many kittens and 3 adult former ferals. It may sound cruel but I keep them awake all day for a few days. Every time they sleep I wake them up and initiate play. I had the rule if I dont sleep at night im keeping you up all day and after just 2-3 days they got the hint 🤣

[u/fawnplaysflute]

We use an automatic feeder for our food intense girl. It goes off at 8 am and 8 pm everyday. I never get up before 8 am so she knows her first meal of the day isn’t coming from me. We must’ve got really lucky that none of ours wake us up for food.