Sherlock & Waking us up/Bad Behavior when hungry

marriedonmaui

UGH it's getting worse.

He's such a sweet cat and he's really perfect in every way EXCEPT for this and it's driving us insane. This morning he started up around 5:30 with the meowing. Around 6:00 he started scratching the dining room chairs (which makes a horrendous sound since they're tightly upholstered microfiber) because he knew it would rile us up. I know it's best to ignore him but he just wouldn't stop. Luckily his claws have never actually damaged the chair but the sound is really awful. 

 It's been getting worse and worse lately.

I have read a bunch of places to leave out dry food for him overnight in case he gets hungry, but this cat eats everything the minute you set it down so that's not an option-- he's also on a wet food only diet. I'm trying to move his feedings later and later but his behavior gets SO bad when he's hungry, it's hard to.

Any advice? 

Niffa2003

Do you think he's doing this for attention or food?  If you think he's doing it for food hae you had him to the vet to rule out any problems?  I'm sorry, this really sucks. 

marriedonmaui

I think it's a little bit of both. He had parasites and urinary crystals before but both have been eliminated. He's done this since we first got him, but the scratching is a new addition to the behavior and it's really hard to ignore. We already lock him out of the bedroom and letting him in isn't really an option. DH has mild allergies and if I nap on the couch as soon as he decides it's time for me to wake up he'll sit on my face, headbutt me, etc. to wake me up. 

LuckyAngel07

Hmmm. He hasn't been on the wet food only diet for that long, right? Is it possible he needs a little more food and you guys just haven't seen him lose any weight yet because it's too soon?

Getting your attention seems to be more of the goal though (considering the chair scratching). I know you spend lots of time with him, already. Could he need any more play time at night before bed?

Last solution: do you think you could try putting SoftPaws on his front paws so he can't scratch the chairs and make that awful noise? I know that doesn't solve the meowing, but Sammy starts meowing most mornings too around the time I usually get up for work, but on the weekends I can usually roll over and ignore her.

marriedonmaui

He's been wet food only for about a month--so not that long. He's getting a full 5.5oz can which from what I read is about right for a 9 lb cat. Should I try upping it? I'm a little hesitant to give him more than he needs. 

I will definitely try playing with him to tire him out right before bed. I figure it can't hurt.

We bought soft paws when we first got him and haven't used them yet. I guess I'll give that a try if this doesn't stop in the next few days.

Thanks  

dexteroni

Have you tried giving him a snack before bedtime? Maybe he won't get hungry quite as early.  Or try getting one of those timed feeding bowls and set it to open at 5:30.

marriedonmaui

I fed him at 11 PM last night and it still started at 5 AM this morning... and there was no meowing... just scratching. Yelling at him yesterday was a bigger mistake than I thought. I completely ignored him this morning and slowly but surely he seemed to realize it was going to get him nowhere.

 Little guy is going to the vet this weekend to have his nails clipped and soft paws applied. Womp womp.

Since he's been on the canned food only diet we've been giving him a full 5.5oz can a day. Based on what I had read online it said that was right for a 9 lb cat but based on the can's guidelines it says 1&1/2 cans a day. Should I try upping it? 

chicagobride_07

Sorry to hear about the scratching.  My cat absolutely won't let us sleep in.  On the weekends starting at 7:00 AM- she is meowing for her food.  It's like a feline alarm clock.  I'm definitely going to have to look at how much we are feeding her.  She is 11 lbs. and the vet said 3/4 of a 5.9 ounce can, supplemented by some dry kibble during the day.