Kitty Corner

Keep your feline fine: Kerrie McKeon, Bideawee's Feline Behavior Coordinator shows you how!

How to Get Some Sleep If You Have a Noisy Cat


Is your kitty frisky at night? Does she keep you up with her meowing or pouncing? Here are some tricks of the trade to help you get a good night's rest.



  • Schedule an interactive 15 to 30 minute play session (feather teaser, cat dancer, game of fetch) before you go to bed. Always be sure to let your cat "catch/kill" the toy at session's end, or you will just have wound her up for a night of play!
  • Now feed your cat his evening meal. This catch/eat pattern mimics a cat's natural hunting patterns.
  • Make the rooms in your house as dark as possible at night. Although cats can see well in dim light, they cannot see as well in total darkness, and will probably settle down to sleep.
  • Do not give in to overnight food demands. Do this just once or twice, and you will have created a midnight (or 2am, or 3am) snacking monster! Trust me, I've made this mistake! Refuse to give in, deal with her please for now, and in a few nights your cat will get the hint.
  • Consider that maybe your cat is lonely. If she has had a companion in the past, or even if she hasn't, consider finding a feline friend to keep her company while you're snoozing!




    • About Kerrie McKeon, Feline Behavior Coordinator

    Kerrie McKeon grew up in New Haven, CT with two loves: performing and cats. The former love (performing) took "center stage" early on and Kerrie graduated from Penn State with a degree in Theater Arts, then moved to Chicago, where she spent eight years working in theater. Eventually, the East Coast called her back and she came to New York, where the latter love (cats), a love that had never waned, inspired her to make a drastic career change and join the team at Bideawee.

    Kerrie began her career at Bideawee in the Manhattan Adoption Center as an Associate and immediately impressed everyone—two-legged and four-legged alike - with her natural ability to communicate both with the cats and with potential adopters. Kerrie quickly became the star of the Adoption Center, embodying Bideawee's mission of getting to know each one of our animals and each and every one of our adopters so that we can make the best possible match.

    In the past few years, as Feline Behavior Specialist, Kerrie has spearheaded initiatives to better the lives of our feline residents, such as requiring toys in every cage and encouraging the construction of even more cageless living space for the cats. She regularly holds educational workshops for the public and for staff at all three Bideawee locations in order to improve our understanding and our relationships with our feline friends. As a member of Bideawee's Case Management Team, Kerrie also has a direct impact on the cats living with us, constantly making adjustments and improvements to better the lives each and every one of them.



    MORE KITTY CORNER COLUMNS FROM KERRIE:
    Playtime for Seniors! Older Cats Are Frisky Too!
    Ideas for Inexpensive, Homemade Cat Toys


    DO-IT-YOURSELF CAT TOY

    The mystery of where missing socks end up may not ever be solved, but there is finally something you can do with that lonely, remaining sock that has lost its mate to the abyss of the laundry room: turn it into a homemade cat toy! You'll save money and your cat will love you for it.

    Sew Velcro strips into the sock opening so it can be closed up and easily reopened. Next, fill the sock with batting, scrap fabric, or dried catnip, and seal shut. In no time, your kitty will have a new favorite plaything!

    Your cat's playtime can be even more exciting when you attach the sock toy to a length of yarn and pull it along the floor. Thanks to the Velcro, when the catnip loses it potency, refills are easy!



    June is National Adopt a Shelter Cat Month


    Take our "Personality Purr-file" to find the feline of your dreams. Training and behavioral questions will be answered by a Bideawee trainer.... more »