Your kitten will be okay sleeping alone and sit is good for them. It trains it to be independent and adapt to your sleeping schedule.
Ask someone to check on your kitten if you will be away overnight.
Don’t sleep with them on the same bed because of transmittable diseases and allergies.
Owning a kitten can be both a joyous and anxious moment, especially when it comes to the sleeping arrangement.
Sometimes they cry a lot making you wonder if they can make it throughout the night alone.
This article will tell you if a kitten will be ok sleeping alone, and how to make it comfortable at night.
Sleeping Alone is Good for Your Kitten
There is no need to feel guilty about leaving your kitten alone at night. Sleeping alone is good for your kitten because of several reasons. Having their own sleeping space helps them develop independence.
Another reason is that it helps it to adapt to your sleep schedule. Remember, at first, your kitten may not want to sleep at night because cats are crepuscular; active at dawn and dusk.
They like to prowl about in the dark, chasing at imaginary prey. With such an impressive night vision, it is no wonder why your little one is active at night.
The best way to help your kitten sleep at night is to put it in its room, and switch off the lights.
However, if you will be away for a whole night, it is not advisable to leave a kitten younger than 4 months old alone.
You can make arrangements for a friend or a neighbor to stay with your furry friend to ensure they are comfortable.
If your kitten is 6 months old, you can leave it for a whole night. Still, it’s important to take precautions like having someone check in on them, and providing them with essentials such as food, water, and litterbox.
To sum it up, there are 3 main reasons why your kitten should sleep alone:
- It’s good for your kitten: It helps your kitten develop independence. It trains your little furry friend not to be too clingy on you, and learn it can be happy and comfortable sleeping alone.
- It’s good for you: Your kitten will not be there to disrupt your sleep throughout the night, because it wants to play. It’s a good way to avoid sleep deprivation.
- It’s good for your bed: Allergies, sensitivity to cat hair, and risk of parasite infection are some of the reasons why your kitten should sleep alone and not on your bed. This brings us to our next point.
Risks of Sleeping with Your Kitten
There is no need to feel guilty for putting your kitten to sleep alone in its room. It will be just fine. However, sleeping with it on the same bed can result in the injury of your furry friend.
You might sleep on it as you turn around.
Another risk is that cats carry some transmittable diseases, and sleeping with them can expose you to these infections.
Your kitten may also play with your feet, or try to bite you in an attempt to play with you. That means your sleep will be interrupted throughout the night.
A kitten in the bed can also promote dominance with the animal. It may view the bed as its territory, and becomes agitated when someone else is in the room.
The Bathroom is a Good Choice
There are many small rooms in the house where you could put your kitten to sleep, but the bathroom is a good choice.
There are fewer potential hazards because all the furniture in the bathroom is securely nailed down.
It is not the same as placing your kitten in a room full of wobbly bookshelves and long curtains that can appeal to your kitten’s playfulness.
Bathroom floors are tiled, so in case your kitty has not responded well to its litter training, it’s easier to clean up the mess.
Helping Your Kitten to Settle In
A new environment with new scents is a daunting experience for a kitten. Granted, kittens have different personalities; some are shy while others are confident.
However, no matter your kitten’s character, moving to a new home is a traumatic experience for them. They are leaving their mom and siblings for the first time.
As a loving kitten owner, you play a big role in shaping your kitten’s personality, and helping it to settle in your home. Here is what you can do:
1. Place it in a small room
Keeping your kitten in a big room is intimidating to your little one, and it increases incidences of accidents in the house.
Depending on your kitten’s age, you can keep it in a small room or inside a large crate until it can gradually adjust to its surroundings.
This confinement can also aid in litter training. If you leave your kitten free to roam the whole house, it might be hard to enforce bedtime in the future.
As you prepare the room, here are useful considerations to keep in mind:
- Remove hazards from the room, such as sharp objects or poisonous plants.
- Close small openings and secure cupboards because kittens can fit into very small spaces.
- Close all windows and windowsills.
- Avoid placing your kitten in a room with long curtains because it might be tempted to run them up.
2. Provide a comfortable bed
The main thing that determines if a kitten will be ok sleeping alone is how well the sleeping arrangement matches its needs.
Your kitten seeks a warm and cozy place when they want to sleep. Keeping this in mind, it’s best to choose a warm spot to place your kitten bed, sheltered from cold.
Ensure the bed has high sides because heights make kittens feel safe. Place lots of warm blankets inside for your little one to feel comfortable.
Cats can see in very low light conditions, so there is no need to leave the lights on for your kitten. Perhaps you can leave a dim source of light to help your kitten move around at night.
Even though your kitten is wired to be active at night when you want to sleep, a little patience and diligence go a long way in resetting its body clock.
3. Provide entertainment during the day
Your kitten’s activity during the day has an impact on how comfortable your little one will sleep at night.
Jackson Galaxy from the TV show My Cat From Hell recommends providing active play sessions during the day, and even when night falls to help them tire out.
After an evening play session, feed your kitten to minimize its crying for a midnight snack.
4. Give your kitten plenty of affection before bedtime
Some kittens will cry at night because of loneliness or anxiety. If you have a tight work schedule and have to work all day, your kitten could be missing out on your companionship and affection.
Your kitten becomes stressed, and it is likely to let you know about it right in the middle of the night.
Ensure you spare a few minutes of your time to bond with your kitten during the evenings before they go to sleep. You can stroke it under its chin, or let it sit on your lap.
Grooming is also a nice way to bond with your kitten. Brush its fur gently with a soft brush, and give it verbal praises as you do so.
Affection and loving attention makes your little one feel relaxed, and increases its chances of sleeping well at night.
5. Check for sights and sounds that could disturb your kitten
An irritating noise or even filtering light could be the reason why your kitten keeps meowing outside your bedroom at night. Cats can hear sounds of up to 64,000 HZ, which you can’t.
It is impossible to hear the sound of a flickering computer screen or LED lights, but your kitty can hear it and this bothers them.
Shut your computer, and check for any other noises, no matter how subtle they are, to help your kitten sleep without disturbance.
Hairdryers and vacuum cleaners can also be irritating loud noises to your kitten.
6. Scoop the litter box before bed
Your kitten will not be pleased to find a dirty litterbox. They love to use a fresh and clean dirty litterbox when they want to do their business.
So, as you put it to bed, ensure its room has a clean litterbox. Scoop before bedtime and clean thoroughly with a safe cleaner.
Stay away from detergents with strong scents because your kitten tends to hate such.
Adopt Two Kittens
If you have a kitten that is super fussy when it comes to bedtime, the best thing would be to bring it a friend. Kittens crave the attention and fun of playtime.
If you adopt two kittens, they keep each other company and comfort each other during their sleep, finding warmth and solace.
It’s recommended to adopt kittens from the same litter, but even if that’s not possible your furry friend will do just fine with another kitten.
Adopting two kittens doesn’t cost much more than adopting one.
