Why Does my Kitten Want to Play at 4:30 am?
My four-month-old kitten thinks that play time is 4:30 am. How can we get her out of this behavior?
Laura
Brentwood, NY
Ah, to be a cat! They don’t have to go to work each morning. They get to sleep all day. If people led such lives perhaps we would be interested in playing at 4:30 am as well. But for working people there is no doubt about it: a rambunctious kitten is not very amusing in the wee hours.
Actually, the problem runs slightly deeper than work-related sleeping patterns. Cats are instinctively crepuscular. This means that they are most active at (and for a few hours before and after) dawn and dusk. Humans are diurnal. We are generally daytime creatures.
This conflict leads to one of the most common complaints I hear from cat people: their pet wakes them up when they want to sleep.
Unfortunately, struggling to make your cat or kitten sleep through the night is fighting against nature. It is often a losing battle. Nonetheless there are some tactics you can employ.
First (this isn’t a tactic, but it might offer some consolation), remember that kittens are more playful than adults. Mature cats are much less likely to become rambunctious in the early hours. Your kitten may outgrow this behavior over time.
Also, remember that truly tired animals sleep longer than those that aren’t. Physical activity and enrichment activities during the day may help your kitten to sleep more soundly at night. Try wearing him out by playing with him each day. But be careful about roughhousing just before bedtime. This may backfire and result in a riled-up kitten when you want to sleep.
On busy days, you may want to consider using a foraging ball to feed your kitten. These devices release food slowly over time as animals play with them. They are excellent enrichment devices.
I have a hunch that if you employ these tactics and wait for your kitten to mature, the problem will resolve. But that’s easy for me to say–I’m not the one being awakened every morning!
You have questions. 
You say that mature cats grow out of playing? Well I have a ten year old bundle of fur who still loves to play. don’t get me wrong I love to play with him but he loves to play at 12 midnight most nights but tonight he wanted to play at 9pm nice change. While the 4:30 am must be annoying enjoy it while lasts as this is the first cat I’ve had that’s wanted to play beyond 5 years of age.
Some mature cats do grow out of playing, some don’t. My 7 year old cat, does not want to play, my 5 year old other cat, a calico, doesn’t wish to play neither. They hate their little sister, Misty – a feral grey tabby that we brought in from the outdoors. She is a brat – she attacks me – I have scars. She is a TOTAL BRAT. She loves to play I know that, but she plays mean, (you can take the cat out of the wild but you can’t take the wild out of the cat). She is beautiful but I would never let her go. Kittens tend to play alot. Mature cats, like my black cat, and my tortie do NOT like to play.
Some mature cats do. I love spending time with my animals. Pushing them away, crating them and telling them no will not cure their hunger to play. They’ll just play more when not crated/not able to play with you. I’m sure it can be an annoyance, but, it’s the world of kittens.
Well,
the best thing you can do is close your bedroom door!