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Why does my cat act crazy, meow, and bite me and the dog at night?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 11 months and 4 days old

Hi My cat chubbs has been acting very crazy at night i wanted to know why every night around 10pm-5am he goes up to someone and start meowing and then try to attack them and bite them we have a dog that he gets along with and he will bite her neck at night and attack her to alonh with us im not in fear i just would like to know why he acts that way

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on April 30th, 2017

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Chubbs! Without being able to meet him and observe his behavior in person, it's hard to say what might be causing this. Since I see that he is a young cat, less than a year old, one possibility is that this is inappropriate play behavior - many young adult cats will pounce, grab, and bite when they get excited and want to play. Cats are often most active at night, so this could also fit with the time frame you are describing. It's also possible that this behavior could be fear-related or redirected aggression of some kind.

Since you know that this tends to happen at nighttime, I would suggest being proactive and providing Chubbs with some other things to do before he starts to get wound up like this. This might mean playing with him with some type of toy - a fishing pole type toy works well for many cats, or perhaps a small toy or ball that he can chase if he enjoys this. Try to do this for 15 minutes or so if you can, to wear him out a bit and provide an appropriate outlet for his desire to play.

You could also try giving him a food puzzle toy of some kind in the evenings, rather than providing his food from a bowl - something like an Eggcersizer or Kibble Nibble works well for many cats. A natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure given earlier in the evening may also be helpful.

If these things don't help, I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Chubbs in person and help you determine what is causing this behavior. From there, he/she can put together a detailed treatment plan to address the problem - including training and management suggestions, and possibly also medication if needed.

You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org
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