This article was co-authored by Deanne Pawlisch, CVT, MA. Deanne Pawlisch is a Certified Veterinary Technician, who does corporate training for veterinary practices and has taught at the NAVTA-approved Veterinary Assistant Program at the Harper College in Illinois and in 2011 was elected to the board of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Foundation. Deanne has been a Board Member of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Foundation in San Antonio, Texas since 2011. She holds a BS in Anthropology from Loyola University and an MA in Anthropology from Northern Illinois University.
This article has been viewed 8,251 times.
Cats are naturally nocturnal animals, and even in domestication, they often stay awake during the night. However, if your cat is pacing the floors during the night, this could be a sign of a medical condition, or of mental distress. Fortunately (after ruling out serious medical problems), there are several steps you can take. By making some changes to your bedtime routine, encouraging mental and physical stimulation during the day, and exploring the use of food puzzles, you can work to ease your cat’s distress and put an end to night pacing.
Steps
Changing Your Bedtime Routine
Rule out medical problems. If your cat is pacing at night, the first step is to seek the advice of your vet. Your cat’s nighttime behavior could be the result of medical discomfort, so it is important to rule out significant health problems first.[1]
Play before bedtime. If your cat is not experiencing health problems, the night pacing is best treated with additional activity and stimulation. Make active playtime part of your before-bed routine. Aim to play with your cat for 30 minutes before you go to bed each night.[2] You might try:- Dangling some string.
- Tossing jingly balls for your cat to chase.
- Dragging a ribbon on the floor.
Advertisement
Feed your cat prior to bedtime. Another way to stimulate your cat and encourage restful nights is to alter your feeding schedule. Try feeding your cat their main meal within one hour of your bedtime. If your cat has a full belly, they may be more likely to rest well during the night.[3]Advertisement
Encouraging Stimulation During the Day
Encourage physical activity. Pacing usually comes as the expression of anxiety and/or restlessness. The best way to alleviate such distress is to foster both regular physical activity and mental stimulation. Fortunately, these activities often go hand-in-hand.[4] You might try to:- Walk your cat on a leash.
- Play with your cat for 30 minutes per day.
- Provide cat trees, paper bags, or cardboard boxes for your cat to explore.
Introduce a companion. Sometimes cats just need a friend. Bringing a new, younger dog or cat into your household could provide the stimulation your cat needs to end their pacing at night.[5] If the new pet is another cat, you’ll want the new cat to be:[6]- Younger.
- Smaller.
- The opposite gender.
- Fixed.
- Note that depending upon the temperament of the second cat, getting a companion can potentially exacerbate your problem.
Provide visual stimulation. Give your cat something fun to watch. Put birdbaths and/or bird feeders outside your window, so that your cat can get a good view. This version of “kitty TV” entertains your cat and provides excellent mental stimulation, which can help alleviate pacing at night.[7]Advertisement
Incorporating Food Puzzles
Begin with easy puzzles. Food puzzles—usually constructed of plastic or cardboard—nurture cats’ natural hunting behaviors by challenging them to get food and treats.To get your cat started with food puzzles, it is important for them to have success right away. Begin by using simple, see-through food puzzles, which are more than half full (making it easier to get the food out). You can also sprinkle some cat food (or treats) around the puzzle to encourage an association between the puzzle and food. You may also want to leave these out at night.[8]- Purchase food puzzles at pet stores or online, or make them yourself at home.
- Food puzzles are available in a variety of styles and levels of difficulty.
Increase the difficulty. Over time, you will need to increase the difficulty of the puzzles, otherwise your cat may lose interest. Try switching to puzzles with smaller holes or different shapes, or placing puzzles in more obscure areas of your house. If your cat has become a master forager, try making or purchasing difficult two-part puzzles.[9]
Make DIY puzzles. Instead of simply purchasing cat puzzles, you can make these at home from materials you already have. You will need a plastic or cardboard container that can hold dry food or treats, an X-Acto knife, some food or treats, and maybe some tape. Some options include:- Shoeboxes (make holes big enough for cat’s paws to enter).
- Paper towel rolls (seal ends and make holes just large enough to food to fall out).
- Plastic water bottles (make holes just large enough to food to fall out).
- Egg cartons (no holes are necessary).
Advertisement
Expert Q&A
Tips
- If these solutions don’t help your cat, ask your vet about a mental health assessment for your pet. Some cognitive dysfunction, such as confusion or memory loss, may cause excessive pacing. Your vet can help you best address your cat’s issues.Thanks
References
- ↑ http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/nighttime-activity-cats
- ↑ http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/nighttime-activity-cats
- ↑ http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/nighttime-activity-cats
- ↑ http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/10-tips-to-keep-your-cats-brain-forever-young
- ↑ http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/10-tips-to-keep-your-cats-brain-forever-young
- ↑ https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/training/adding-new-cat-your-household
- ↑ http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/10-tips-to-keep-your-cats-brain-forever-young
- ↑ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cats-like-food-puzzles/
- ↑ http://foodpuzzlesforcats.com/guide
About this article
To deal with your cat pacing at night, try playing with it right before bed time to work out its excess energy. You can try dangling a ribbon on the floor or tossing some jingly balls for it to chase. Besides giving it some exercise, you should feed your cat right before bedtime, since it will be more likely to rest well at night when its full. If your cat is still restless at night, consider introducing a new cat companion to stimulate it more. Just make sure your new cat is younger, smaller, the opposite gender, and fixed, which will prevent fights between the two. To learn how to use food puzzles to keep your cat from pacing at night, read more from our Veterinary co-author.
Did this article help you?
⚠️ Disclaimer:
Content from Wiki How English language website. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License; additional terms may apply.
Wiki How does not encourage the violation of any laws, and cannot be responsible for any violations of such laws, should you link to this domain, or use, reproduce, or republish the information contained herein.
- - A few of these subjects are frequently censored by educational, governmental, corporate, parental and other filtering schemes.
- - Some articles may contain names, images, artworks or descriptions of events that some cultures restrict access to
- - Please note: Wiki How does not give you opinion about the law, or advice about medical. If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial or risk management), please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area.
- - Readers should not judge the importance of topics based on their coverage on Wiki How, nor think a topic is important just because it is the subject of a Wiki article.
