How to stop your Bengal from disturbing your sleep

Generally speaking, Bengal cats are highly energetic and quite vocal. Many owners don’t mind this, as long as their spotted friend doesn’t disturb their sleep.

Here’s what you need to know about the Bengal cat’s typical schedule.

Are Bengal cats nocturnal?

Bengal cats are not nocturnal, but crepuscular. This means that they are mainly active at dawn and at dusk.

If you like going to bed early or waking up after dawn, you might find your Bengal’s schedule problematic. The good news is that there are different ways to prevent or stop your Bengal from disturbing you during your sleep.

How to PREVENT your Bengal from waking you up

To prevent your Bengal from disturbing your sleep, it’s important to tire it out in the evening. You can do so by playing fetch, having it chase a cat teaser, or walking it on a leash, for example. For more detailed tips on how to tire out a Bengal, see this article.

It’s also important to provide your cat with a rich environment that will stimulate it and keep it busy throughout the day. Staples of such an environment include interactive toys, a cat tree, scratching surfaces, and a puzzle feeder.

Recommended article: Do Bengal cats get bored? How to entertain your Bengal

How to STOP your Bengal from disturbing your sleep

If your Bengal disturbs you at night despite your best efforts to tire it out, you should ignore it. As explained by the Animal Humane Society, by responding to this disturbing behavior, you’ll actually reinforce it. Your Bengal needs to learn that there’s no point in trying to wake you up.

The Animal Humane Society also gives the following tips:

Keep your cat out of your bedroom by shutting the door.
If your cat rattles the door, place a towel between the door and the door frame.
Avoid punishing your Bengal, as this will only lead to a stressful relationship.

Another thing you can do, as recommended by Purina, is to feed your feline friend before bedtime. This way, it will spend a fair amount of its energy digesting the meal and won’t be as likely to ask you for food.

Final thoughts

Like other cats, Bengals recharge their batteries during the day and get on with their business during twilight hours.

To best way to prevent your Bengal from waking you up is to make it burn off energy and feed it in the evening. If that doesn’t do the trick, you can always block its access to your room by keeping the door shut.

Whatever you do, don’t punish your Bengal, and don’t get up to satisfy its demands either!