Hi everyone, just joined up and my 1st post. I see this has been chatted about before but wanted to ask for advice. I have 2 Bengal brothers who are fab and I love. Both 6 years old and always been house cats (I hate this fact and desperately want to move to somewhere where they can be outside). Anyway their personalities could not be more different. Gecko is truly a mummy's boy and absolutely aforable 'butter wouldn't melt', chilled, mellow, Nokia however is quite highly strung and nervous. He is also noisy (think we asked for that with the name he got!).

He has always been the vocal one and I'm aware that bengals like to chat but he's most vocal at night. Normally he starts to meow constantly from about 5am but often would stop with a few calls to get him to come into the bedroom. Recently though he has started earlier (3:47am!!!!) and continued without let up. This is very stressful!!! However as soon as we're awake and up he stops.

I am very conscious not to reward his meowing with whatever it might be he may want (food,water etc) and have tried both ignoring it to see if no verbal response works and shouting or soothing to see if they work. Only getting up and being awake works. It's driving me mad!

It is reduced when we engage him in play the night before so I know I need to do that more but sometimes that's not always possible.

I just wondered if anyone had any useful comments.

Cats also howl when they are in some sort of pain, and they don't know how to tell you. Tell your vet what's going on and have him checked out before chalking it up to Bengal behavior. If he turns out healthy, try leaving classical music on at night. That worked with my mother's cat who was a night talker.

Thanks. It's only a nocturnal thing - during the day he's pretty quiet. Would have thought if he was in pain he'd make noise more consistently. But always good to check these things.

Jagger does this too. Once he's awake he wants company or to be let outside. I think you answered your own question though - wear him out the night before and he'll sleep later! I've noticed with jagger that he'll sleep later if we go to bed later or he's been worn out playing etc. Otherwise we get an early morning call with him shouting his head off outside the bedroom door, or if he's slept with us, he'll cause havoc until someone gets up to deal with him - this usually involves going into the kitchen with him, giving him some treats and legging it back to the bedroom and shutting the door!

If you can manage to ignore him I've noticed he'll sometimes give up and go back to bed. Either that or he'll knock everything off the shelves in the hall and we get up to a war zone!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

The answer is so easy -- you teach your kitty how to tell time! And you set their alarm for whatever time you want to get up. Okay, now, let's all laugh. Ha ha ha ha!

Mine gets me up almost every night between 2 and 5 a.m. He usually wants to eat and he has dry food out all night long. That, and he always wants a belly rub. Playing with him before bed doesn't always help. I think every cat I've ever had has gotten me up during the night. The bengal cry is especially loud and Raiden was up at 5 a.m. this morning (when it gets light out) and he's howling for his morning walk. I'm not getting up that early, so I'm arguing with him to come back to bed and go back to sleep, but this can take a while.

You might want to give him a snack after play time and before you go to bed. Every cat is different on the hunger scale. Based on what Jackson Galaxy has said, ignoring the cat and getting the cat to stop meowing at all hours will take a couple of weeks of your ignoring the situation. That's a whole lot easier said than done when you need your sleep! Raiden does love light classical music -- well, it's actually Soundscapes on Music Choice. At night I use a sound machine app on my phone and I can set different sounds and music. I use it for me and not him and it makes no difference to him -- and not for me either.

Cats set their own sleep cycles and it's almost like trying to get a newborn baby on a sleeping schedule. It's not easy and takes a lot of time and effort and sleepless nights on your part.

Thanks folks! X

I would get him some toys that he can play with by himself like a treat ball, hide toy mice around the house, a laser on a timer, the bird channel on the tv on a tmer, something to keep him occupied until a more reasonalbe hour or he wears himself out and goes back to sleep.

I am also kind of a pain with my Bengal, I wake her up for cuddles or playtime in the evening if she has been getting too rowdy at night.

Thanks! Going to give classical music a go for him tonight!

My bengal will not occupy himself with any toys! I have to be on the other end of them. I'd love it if he would occupy himself instead of coming to me crying to go play with him. Raiden also does not want to watch TV. Last night he spent many hours asleep in his sleeper in his enclosure, but he got me up at 2 a.m.

Hope the soothing music works for you.

My goodness, I have just realised that I must be a bit of a meanie with nocturnal issues. I put Oscar in his own bedroom at night. He has two beds, a cat tree, water and dried food and access to outside should he wish it. He is a typical cat who is active at dawn and dusk and snores the rest of the time! We really did try to have him sleeping with us but with family life and work etc it just was not to be. Having a bengal who was bouncin off the walls, attacking out feet, chewing our hair and generally howling at the top of his voice at 4am ish was too much. Our last cat slept with all of us during the night (nickname Goldilocks or Chief best tester) but we only had the occasional pounce on the toes if we were twitching in the night. We usually get up at half six or so and he then has major cuddles and breakfast. This seems to work for us.............but after reading how nice you all are to your cats I'm feeling kind of guilty!!!!!

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

Melissa, have no fear! Your Oscar is spoiled rotten, I know that for a fact! He's got the life of luxury and just because you don't allow him to sleep with you is no big deal. He has his own room -- which sounds really nice. As long as Oscar is happy in there and you all get a good night's sleep, that's all that really matters. There isn't a mean bone in your body!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

My cats can have rambunctious nights but generally they like to go to their spot in the room and sleep soundly for the night until pre-dawn. I have to get up early so I don't mind the process starting early. I really like them in the room with me. I think if I shut them out, they would sleep on the floor outside the door, waiting. If I ask them several times to sleep on the bed with me, at least one will. I called Blondie's name last night a few times and I woke up with her asleep on the end of the bed. She braved the wrath of Grace in order to do that so there was a wrestling match this morning as I got ready for work. There are so many little rules in their cat universe.

Not a mean bone in my body Sherry?!!!!!!HaHa.........my husband would beg to differ!!!!!

These kitties are all so spoiled! I love having a cat sleeping with me and Harry, who we lost last September, our beautiful black panther (DSH!) would wake me up sleeping on my chest and dribbling which was really quite disgusting but I loved him so much he could do no wrong in my eyes! Claire, I think two cats in the bedroom would send me over the edge! You are brave! The attacking toes is fine in the winter with a thick duvet but when it's hot and only a sheet between flesh and claws that a T rex would be proud of it is no joke!

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal