More play during day will make cats calmer at night

Dear Cathy: We have two cats who are 18 months old. They are calm until the middle of the night, then begin running around. We have tried pheromones, calming treats, catnip and CBD oil. We’ve tried playing and not playing with them. We also have a 14-year-old cat, but she sleeps through it all. We are awake most of the night. Any suggestions? — “Sleepless in New York”

Dear “Sleepless”: Cats sleep about 18 hours a day, and those who sleep all day are likely to be awake and running around at night. Pheromones and calming treats relax cats and help with stress-based behaviors, but they don’t stop a cat from playing. While you mention you play with them already, you probably aren’t playing with them as long as you should be.

My advice is to play with them three times a day for 10 minutes each time, with the last time being right before you go to bed. The exercise/playtime can involve you playing with a wire or string toy — anything that makes them stand up and bat something or chase something around. I will often walk through the house with a fishing pole string toy so my cat has to hustle to keep up with it. You also can use a flashlight or laser pointer on the walls or floor to get your felines moving. They also make automatic laser toys that you can turn on and they will play with.

The cats should have a tall cat tree to play on and plenty of toys (catnip, small balls) to play with on their own throughout the day. Rotate the toys in and out as well so they don’t get bored.

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