Getting your newly adopted cat to come home at night is the dream of many pet owners.
After all, your nocturnal feline is a precious friend. However, not all cats respond positively to nighttime feedings.
If you have a new cat and are trying desperately to get him to stay up at night, here is a list of some tips that may help. So, how do you get a cat to come home at night?
Getting a cat to come home at night isn’t easy. Cats are naturally nocturnal, so it’s natural for them to stay out all night and sleep all day.
However, there are ways to get them to come home at night. First, make sure the cat has a comfortable environment during the day.
Keep the litter box clean and full of fresh litter. Also make sure the cat has a comfortable bed.
Second, make sure there’s someone home to feed the cat during the day. Cats become hungry after sleeping all day, so they’ll usually want food when humans get home.
Finally, keep the cat’s schedule consistent. In other words, feed them at the same time everyday and wake up at the same time everyday.
This will make it easier for the cat to know when to go home for the night. If everything is done consistently, the cat will eventually learn to come inside at night.
Why Do Cats Not Want to Come Inside at Night?
The best response is that your cat just doesn’t want to come home with you yet.
Hunting is the one evening activity that cats are hard-wired to do – it’s in their DNA – so it’s only natural that they will want to indulge this instinct when they have access to the outdoors in the daytime hours.
They have more energy to expend in the daylight than in the dark. When the sun goes down they will usually look for somewhere to sleep – like on your bed.
Cats can see in near darkness better than we can and they hear much better too.
Consequently, they often venture out to hunt even when it’s really dark outside, but they tend to stay closer to home once it gets.
However, younger cats have greater eyesight and less fear than older cats and are generally more agile too. So, they are less likely to have accidents as they hunt for mice or birds at twilight or later in the evening, when it is still light enough for them to see where they are.
How To Get A Cat To Come Home At Night
Make a Sleeping Area for Cats
Cats will choose a warm, cozy place to sleep at night – like your lap.
This might be your method of wooing your new kitty into your home each night, but it’s not a healthy way to care for your cat in the long run.
Instead, put up a cozy cat bed that is high enough off the ground that the cat cannot sleep in your lap.
When a cat knows there is a warm, safe place to sleep, it will feel comfortable enough to sleep in it alone and away from the owner’s feet.
Encourage Their Return
It’s critical to reward your cat’s return with a treat and lots of praise when they come in after going outdoors to hunt at night time – their return will be even more rewarding for you.
This has already been stated with cat litter training, but it bears repeating: don’t punish your cat for not coming home at night.
It does not help matters if you try to scold or yell at the cat for being out all night, because it will only make the experience more unpleasant for the animal – it will also make it less likely that they will want to come home again.
You may also utilize a pheromone spray to entice your feline friend to return home earlier in the evening.
It will be simpler to encourage them to return if they come inside when it is already dark outside and they aren’t hunting anymore anyway.
Get a Lot of Toys
To keep your cat entertained during the day when you can’t get home to let them out, invest in a lot of toys – especially ones that move or make noise.
Cats play with toys in the same fashion as humans play sports. They challenge themselves by trying to figure out how they work.
Automatic toys are ideal for busy owners because they will entertain the pet all day without you having to come home to play with them.
Do Not Pursue Your Cat
It’s common to expect you to have to physically chase after your cat if they run away after dark – but this is wrong.
Unfortunately, this is the worst thing you could possibly do if this happens to you – it’s detrimental to the cat and won’t make them want to come back inside at all.
Instead of getting easier to capture, a cat will double its speed to escape – and if you pursue it, this will only make things worse.
Because you are not going to catch it, you’ll only frighten it into running even further away.
This may potentially put them in danger if you chase them into traffic or into water where they can be injured or worse.
Keep a Door Open
Consider leaving a door slightly open at night so the cat can easily escape in case it wants to go out on its own – but don’t leave the door open any longer than necessary.
Most cats, who like sneaking about anyhow, will be perfectly happy to go in and out on their own throughout the night.
Furthermore, you won’t have to get stressed out by worrying about whether or not the cat is safely indoors when you aren’t there to supervise them.
Call Out Their Name
A cat’s ears are excellent, and they’ll hear your voice coming from a distance if you are calling out their name – particularly if you use a deep voice.
This is why you must prepare them from the very start that you are going to call out to them no matter what time it is or what the situation may be.
Making a good relationship with them by using your voice and calling them repeatedly will eventually convince them that you always want to spend time with them, so they will be happy to come home when you call their name.
Utilize Cat Treats
One of the most common errors people make when trying to get their cat to come back home is chasing after it with a flashlight or loudly shouting its name and clapping your hands together to scare it. Neither of these methods are effective at all.
You must accept that there will come a time when you have to let it outside, so don’t fight it too much when that time comes.
You must be ready to receive them back in with open arms when they do decide to come inside on their own accord, so have a small treat on hand as a reward for them when they return.
Cat snacks have long been seen as one of the healthiest treats you can give to your pets because they are all-natural and healthy.
And they’re easy to stash away in your pocket for a quick reward whenever your cat decides to come inside for the night.
Make Use of a Baby Monitor
If you don’t want to keep a door or window open just for the sake of letting your cat out occasionally, there are baby monitors available on the market that act as a virtual door.
When most cats demand their owners’ attention at night, they are usually wanting something.
Also Read: Why Do Cats Jump When Scared?
Final Words
Even if you have an outdoor cat, it’s important to make regular visits to the vet to make sure it’s healthy and not suffering from any diseases or illnesses.
They have a natural impulse to explore, so make sure they are protected when they go outdoors – especially at night.
Fortunately, with a little patience and a lot of love, you can make your pet feel safe and comfortable inside your home so that they never feel the need to go outside alone ever again.
Unfortunately, teaching your cat to like staying indoors can be a long process that requires consistency and patience – but in the end, it will be well worth it for both you and your pet.
It might be stressful and difficult, but it will all be worth it in the end.
Remember to be patient, and it’s just a matter of time until your indoor cat starts to trust you enough to never want to go outside again.
Simply repeat the routine each day until it becomes a habit – then sit back and relax while your pet enjoys being inside for a change.
Make sure you always let them out before it gets dark; that way they will know it is time to come inside before night falls completely.
Your outdoor kitten will instinctively know when it’s time to come inside, so be patient as he or she adjusts to the indoors as well.