After long hours of sleep, you might wake up to the cuddle and affection of your cat. This is completely natural.
Your cat is so affectionate in the morning because it expects you to be attentive and lovable towards it.
It might also be hungry.
To know more about your cat’s affection towards you early in the morning and why your cat wakes you up let us read the article further.
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Why Is My Cat So Needy In The Morning?
The main reason why your cat is so needy in the morning is that it is hungry and thirsty. Your cat might want you to give them food and water.
Your cat is a nocturnal animal and so it will be hunting while you are asleep. This is because for the eight to nine hours that you are sleeping, you are disengaged from your cat.
After such a long night for your cat, it is going to feel hungry by morning.
You should make sure you keep your cat’s breakfast ready before you go to bed if your cat usually feels hungry in the morning and wakes you up.
Why Is My Cat So Affectionate In The Morning?
All cats are not alike and so the reason why they may be affectionate with you in the morning could be different too. Though these are the few reasons why your cat is feeling this way n the morning:
1. You Have A Morning Pet
All animals have different times of the day when they are the most active. Usually for cats including your cat morning is the time when they feel so active and energetic.
When your cat is feeling so affectionate and energetic it might want to seek affection from you and come to you to cuddle.
2. Fewer Hours Of Sleep
While we humans need a continuous eight to nine hours of sleep your cat needs a total of 15 hours of sleep but in parts.
They have a different circadian rhythm. These 15 hours of sleep are broken into parts of two to three hours.
Your cat cannot and does not sleep for so long,
Even a two-hour sleep can make your cat as energetic as you are after an eight-hour sleep.
3. Want To Be Fed
Your cat might be so affectionate to you in the morning as it wants you to make it breakfast soon.
Your cat has been hungry for a long time and if it has had an early dinner then it is likely to be extremely hungry.
They will show you affection and remind you that it is hungry and that you need to feed it.
4. Missing You
While you are soundly sleeping after a long day your cat is very active the entire night as their sleeping pattern is very different from yours.
The period your cat has to spend without your love, care, and attention is very long for it.
It might start feeling lonely when you are sleeping and will miss you a lot. So when you wake up they are extremely happy.
When you wake up they can again bond with you and get all your affection.
Why Does My Cat Wake Me Up To Cuddle?
Your cat is very energetic in the morning and after long hours of separation from you, it has missed you.
They like spending the most time with you when they are energetic.
One of the main reasons why your cat wakes you up in the morning is because of its sleeping rhythm.
Though it might also be hungry.
As your cat has been missing you for so long. When you wake up it is really happy and excited to see you and hence cuddle with you or they might even wake you up to cuddle.
Especially if your cat is in heat.
How Do I Stop My Cat From Waking Me Up In The Morning?
1. Identify The Reason
If you want to sleep peacefully throughout the night then you should first identify the reason for which your cat wakes you up. The main and obvious reason would be that your cat is hungry.
Though the reason could also be the fact that it has a lot of energy in the morning. So it wakes you up.
If you find the reason, then you can easily handle your cat and enjoy a night of better sleep.
2. Do Not Accept Attention In The Morning
If you give attention to your cat when they wake you up in the morning then, they will know that you will not ignore it.
Your cat hence will come with affection every morning and try to wake you up.
Your cat has a good understanding of how you would react to a certain behavior. They are skilled human trainers.
If you give attention to your cat when they perform certain behaviors then they are likely to repeat the behavior with a positive response.
Once you stop rewarding your cat when they wake you up, they will likely stop being cuddly and affectionate and wake you.
So if your cat comes and tries to wake you up do not push it away, rather stay in bed until it goes away.
Though this will gradually make a difference in your cat. Hence your cat will be adjusting its behavior but at the same time still wake you up.
Though if you can train your cat soon you are likely to be able to sleep longer.
3. Change Cat’s Feeding Schedule
Your cat is waking you up early in the morning because it might be hungry.
Though if you have created a habit of feeding your cat early in the morning and want to bring about a change in it, then it could be tough.
This is because your cat is likely to feel hungry then, and would want food.
It is a very long gap for your cat between two meals. Your cat might want you to fill its eating bowl with food.
Hence once you wake up it can get its food.
When you shift your cat’s eating schedule it is likely that your cat will not immediately stop waking you up.
Hence slowly your cat might wake you up a few hours later than usual as they will not be hungry then.
4. Use An Automatic Feeder
An automatic feeder might prevent your cat from waking you up for food. It is good to introduce an automatic feeder into the house as it can give you complete control over what time your cat will eat. So you can set the automatic feeder and the breakfast for your cat will be ready and it will not even wake you up.
Soon your cat will know that it will receive its food from another source and not from you and hence will not wake you up.
This change shall come slowly. It will take time for your cat to get accustomed to the habit of receiving food from another source.
So after this, you and your cat both will remain healthy as you will get sufficient sleep and your cat will get its meal.
Many auto feeders come with a voice that would help your cat know that its meal is ready.
5. Provide Night Activities
Your cat usually needs less sleep and so it might get bored when you are sleeping. To quit the boredom it could be waking you up.
Your cat might be waking you up because they feel active but have nothing to do. You should make sure that they have enough things to play with during the time you are asleep so that it does not wake you up.
You should get more toys and puzzles for your cat.
This will not only keep your cat busy but also will give you some more time to sleep.
6. Before Sleeping Play With Your Cat
When you play with your cat before you go to sleep not only do you give them affection but also get them a bit tired.
This might keep your cat asleep while even you are sleeping. Slowly your cat might get into the habit of sleeping too and let you sleep for sufficient time.
So if your cat sleeps late or needs to sleep more, it will wake up later than usual and so can you sleep till late.
This is even advantageous as now your cat would wake you up late which could be just sometime before your alarm rings.
You will never be late to work either.
7. Consult Your Vet
When the above solutions do not work, consulting your vet is the best option.
Your cat might have some medical issue due to which it is unable to sleep and so it wakes you up. You should always consult your vet.
There could be two main issues with your cat. Either diabetes or hyperthyroidism.
So when you are asleep they might want to wake you up as they are not feeling comfortable.
To make sure if your cat is waking you up due to health issues or not, you need to consult your vet.
Does My Cat Feel Happy To See Me In The Morning?
Yes, your cat is generally happy to see you in the morning because of a long hour gap.
It wants to cuddle and get your affection. Though it might be happy to see you wake up because it was hungry and now that you are awake you can feed it.
You are your cat’s only close friend and so it will be very happy to see you and connect with you again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Does My Cat Walk On Me While I Am Asleep?
Your cat can see you as a big, soft resting place where it can even cuddle. Your cat will walk all over you to find the most comfortable spot over you or beside you.
Why Does My Cat Sleep Beside Me?
Cats are the most vulnerable at night when they sleep. It is not so safe for them. Your cat comes beside you to sleep as it feels safer and can sleep without fear.
Why Does My Cat Walk Around In The Morning?
Your cat walks around in the morning to get your attention or to wake you up if you are still sleeping. When you give them attention not only will they stop walking but also meow less.
Final Words
It is normal for your cat to be so affectionate in the morning.
Usually, there is nothing much to worry about, but if you notice a difference in the behavior or a constant behavior you should consult your vet.
You should make sure you feed your cat at proper intervals.
For more queries, you could ask us in the comment section.
