Warning: I used to think ignoring my cat's 3am zoomies was the only way, but my vet said something that flipped my whole view.

Honestly, for years I just let my cat, Mochi, go nuts in the living room every single night. I figured it was normal cat energy and if I ignored it, she'd eventually stop. Tbh, I just put in earplugs and tried to sleep through it. That changed about six months ago when I mentioned it during her checkup at the All Paws clinic. The vet asked what she was doing right before the zoomies, and I realized it was always after a big meal. She explained that for some cats, a big dinner right before bed can cause a burst of energy, almost like a sugar rush. She suggested I split her dinner into two smaller portions, one at 5pm and a smaller one at 9pm. Ngl, I was skeptical, but after trying it for a week, the 3am chaos stopped almost completely. Now I'm wondering if the 'ignore it' method is actually making it worse for some cats by not addressing the cause. Has anyone else had a vet suggest a simple schedule change that fixed a weird behavior?

2 comments

2 Comments

chen.phoenix10d ago

Sounds like you just got lucky. My cat still does it no matter when I feed him.

sagelane10d ago

Got lucky" is putting it mildly. My cat, Miso, still yowls at 5 AM if his dinner is even five minutes late. He'll also stand directly on my chest and stare. @chen.phoenix, I feel you. I tried the timed feeder and he just learned how to slap the bowl off the stand. Some cats are just built different, and by different I mean they run a tiny, furry dictatorship.