Why is my cat biting at night and how do I stop this behavior?

You may want to try an automatic feeder. You can set the timer to feed in the night. He may be hungry and wakes you up to feed him. It will also distract him and give him something to do instead of waking you up. You can also play with him before bed and don’t let him sleep in the evening so he will sleep longer. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Prince Harold.

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

She’s just a playful kitten. I recommend playing with her during the day so she sleeps at night. With a bitey kitten I play with a toy on a string, a ball for her to chase or a laser pointer. I wouldn’t discipline her for biting since that may result in more biting. Feed her a wet food meal just before bed and that will keep her full so she doesn’t wake you up to get food. Be patient, this is a phase she’ll outgrow soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Coco.

Unfortunately, this is a very common problem - it's normal for cats to be awake and active during the night, since they are nocturnal animals. There are a few things you can do to help. First, try and provide something for Bixby to do at night while you're sleeping - I really like food puzzle toys for this purpose, like a Kibble Nibble or Eggcersizer. You can pick up his food bowl a few hours before bed, and give him the toy with kibble in it at bedtime. He will need to roll it around to get bits of food to fall out, one piece at a time, which should help to keep him occupied with something fairly quiet during the night. You can also try giving him a natural calming supplement like Composure before bed to see if this helps. Finally, I would recommend closing your bedroom door to keep him out of your room at night, and using a white noise machine or something similar to help block out any noise from other parts of the house so that you can sleep.

Tempest probably is lonely, and she wants you to keep her company in the middle of the night when she wants to be active! I think the easiest thing to do in a situation like this is to keep her out of the room at night - she may yowl outside the door or scratch to get in but if you ignore her she'll learn that she's not going to entice you to get up. It would also be helpful to put some interactive toys out at night to keep her occupied. I'm also guessing that she's a young adult cat based on your picture, but if she is over 8 years old I would also recommend taking her to see your vet - some diseases like hyperthyroidism can cause cats to become more vocal and irritable.

Sometimes this behavior can be related to boredom, anxiety or a desire to play roughly. There are a few things you can do which may help. Try enriching her environment. Here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Use a Feliway diffuser, set aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play and/or switch the food to Royal Canin Calm. During the play time, if she seems like she wants to play rough, try to encourage her to wrestle with a stuffed animal. You may also try feeding her from a food puzzle and/or hiding food around the house for him to find. Most cats response best to combination therapy. The veterinarian can also prescribe medications which can help with behavior. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely just a way of getting your attention. However, this is certainly dangerous and could result in an injury to you. I would recommend you consider keeping him separate in a different room or just in a crate while you sleep to avoid this. Hopefully, this behavior will improve on its own. Good luck!