Dear Sinéad, Siouxsie and Thomas:
Almost every night, my beloved and pampered cat Francis (almost a year old, but pretty much fully grown) takes the role of a rooster and wakes me up ... at 5 a.m.!.

He starts off by making noise, playing with his pet mice, digging and clawing at my blankets, attacking my feet, scratching and biting whatever he can! He purrs and seems joyful. Even if we play a lot during the evening, he's tired at the beginning of the night and feisty at 5 a.m.

I try to talk to him and tell him "no," to take away his toys, to ignore him, to lift him off the bed, to put him outside the room (but he opens the door and comes back). This goes on for about half an hour. It's been like this for almost as long as I've had him (about 2-3 months). What should I do? Should I be more strict? Should I spray him with water? Should I just keep with the mild treatment and be patient, hoping he'll grow out of it?

Thanks for your help!
Keren

Sinéad: Keren, this is a tough one. Once we cats are used to getting our way, it takes a lot of effort -- and patience -- to help us unlearn bad habits.

Siouxsie: The trick to getting a cat to unlearn a bad habit is to be completely consistent in your response to that bad habit.

Thomas: This is true in your case with your "rooster kitty," and for other bad habits like biting or clawing and scratching.

Sinéad: The best response to Francis' efforts to wake you up is to ignore him. Don't respond to his efforts in any way.

Siouxsie: Of course, this is "easier said than done," especially if Francis is climbing on your bed and clawing at your feet.

Thomas: I think you're going to have to keep Francis out of your bedroom at night, to start off with. As soon as you go to bed, close the bedroom door and lock it if necessary.

Sinéad: You say that Francis opens the bedroom door if you put him outside, so it sounds like you need to fix your door so that he cannot open it. Whether this involves putting a hook and eye-type lock on the inside of the bedroom door or purchasing and installing a new doorknob set that closes securely, this is the only way you're going to spare yourself from his constant intrusions.

Siouxsie: We know this can be a real inconvenience, but if you want to keep Francis from bugging you at the crack of dawn, you're going to have to do this.

Thomas: What will probably happen after you lock him out of your bedroom is that he will begin doing noisy things outside your door in hopes of waking you up and getting some sort of response. No matter how annoying these noisy things are, it's crucial that you not respond to them in any way.

Sinéad: If you can't lock Francis out of your bedroom for whatever reason -- maybe you need to get up in the middle of the night for bathroom visits, or you have children who need to be able to visit with you if they have bad dreams, or it's just more convenient not to have a lock on your bedroom -- then it may be easier to lock Francis into a room of his own.

Siouxsie: Ideally, this room should be located far away from your bedroom so you can't hear Francis making noise and raising heck early in the morning.

Thomas: You may find that Francis quiets down naturally if he has his own room and limited space to play around in. Some cats feel more comfortable in smaller spaces when they're by themselves.

Sinéad: Of course, if you put Francis in a room of his own, you will need to make sure he has a litterbox, a comfortable bed, food (if you free-feed; if not, don't worry about this), water and toys. This room should also have a window so he can look outside and be entertained.

Siouxsie: And it should go without saying that Francis's "bedroom" should be a real room -- not a closet or a dank cellar or any sort of sub-par accommodation. You're setting boundaries with him, not trying to abuse or torture him!

Thomas: Again, let us reinforce the need for consistency. Francis should be "put to bed" or kept out of your bedroom every night. If you allow exceptions to this rule during the training period, the training won't take. If we have even the slightest positive reinforcement, we cats can be remarkably persistent when it comes to maintaining bad habits!

Sinéad: And don't think of "positive reinforcement" as simply love and affection or being fed when the demand is made. If Francis is seeking attention, even "negative attention," such as yelling or water-squirting, can be a form of positive reinforcement.

Siouxsie: It may take quite a while -- perhaps even months -- but we believe that if you consistently deny Francis access to your bedroom, he will stop his early-morning shenanigans.

Thomas: Once Francis has learned to be a "nice, quiet kitty," you can experiment with letting him have run of the house again. But if he misbehaves even a little bit, back he goes to his own bedroom (or out of your room).

Sinéad: If you're used to having Francis to sleep on your bed with you, it will probably be harder for you to get used to not having him around than it will be for him to get used to curling up in his own special bed.

Siouxsie: If Francis is feeling particularly bratty, he may cry and howl at being left out of your bedroom at night. Don't give in and let him have his way! No cat ever died from not having access to their human's bed.

Thomas: In fact, a lot of people don't allow their cats to share their beds at night. I personally think this is a travesty, and all three of us are very grateful that Mama likes to share her bed with us. But then again, we don't wake her up at all hours of the night and bite her toes when we want our breakfast, either!

Sinéad: Of course, it will be very important for you to do positive reinforcement for Francis' good behavior, too. Each night before you put him to bed, make sure you pet him and spend some time loving him in "his bedroom" so that he realizes he's not being punished.

Siouxsie: In the morning when you let him out, make sure that he gets his breakfast right away. Greet him with lots of love and joy and tell him what a wonderful kitty he is.

Thomas: We think that with some positive reinforcement and consistent training on your part, Francis will soon be a wonderful jewel of a kitten who will let you sleep until you're ready to wake up. Good luck, Keren!

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail Sinéad and Siouxsie at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the advice in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.