{"id":236725,"date":"2026-07-07T00:43:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T00:43:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/noelia-hernandez-feline-educator-weve-always-believed-cats-are-nocturnal-and-its-normal-for-them-to-wake-us-up\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T00:43:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T00:43:53","slug":"noelia-hernandez-feline-educator-weve-always-believed-cats-are-nocturnal-and-its-normal-for-them-to-wake-us-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/noelia-hernandez-feline-educator-weve-always-believed-cats-are-nocturnal-and-its-normal-for-them-to-wake-us-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Noelia Hern\u00e1ndez, Feline Educator: “We’ve Always Believed Cats Are Nocturnal, and It’s Normal for Them to Wake Us Up”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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For cat owners, nighttime antics such as rambunctious play and loud meowing are part of life. However, these behaviors are often misunderstood. When your cat decides that 5 AM is the perfect time to practice parkour atop your head, it\u2019s not out of spite or because they\u2019re nocturnal. To shed light on this, we consulted Noelia Hern\u00e1ndez, a feline educator from Feline Code<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Debunking Nocturnal Myths<\/h2>\n

First and foremost, the commonly held belief that cats are nocturnal is misleading. \u201cCats are activated by the rising and setting of the sun. They are crepuscular in nature,\u201d Noelia explains. This means they have periods of heightened activity at dawn and dusk, which can create the perception of them being nocturnal, particularly in summer when nights are shorter.<\/p>\n

In fact, cats do sleep at night; they just wake up earlier than most of us. This is a frequent complaint Noelia encounters: \u201cMany times, sunrise marks their highest peak of activity, and owners often say, \u2018he wakes me up too early.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

The Evolutionary Connection<\/h2>\n

The timing of these active periods is linked to their natural hunting instincts. Cats have evolved to hunt at dawn and dusk when their prey is most active, which explains why their vision is adapted for low-light conditions. Understanding this can help cat owners better grasp why their feline friend behaves the way it does.<\/p>\n

Why Cats Wake You Up<\/h2>\n

If your cat is waking you up consistently, it may be linked to a lack of stimulation during the day, an inadequately enriched environment, and improper play routines. Noelia highlights that many cat owners have busy lives that leave little time for engaging their pets: \u201cWe often return home from work or errands, executing poorly planned mini-play sessions that rely completely on us.\u201d<\/p>\n

This leads to cats not learning how to play independently. \u201cMany cats do not know how to engage in autonomous play, relying instead on the playtime provided by their guardians,\u201d Noelia notes.<\/p>\n

Creating a Stimulating Environment<\/h2>\n

Another contributing factor is environmental enrichment. Indoor cats especially need their environments to be filled with stimulating elements: diverse scents, scratching surfaces, and climbing opportunities are essential for their well-being. If a cat spends long hours alone without stimulation, they become more prone to restless nighttime behavior. \u201cIn summer, they may also be more active at night as it\u2019s more comfortable,\u201d Noelia adds lightly.<\/p>\n

Strategies to Reduce Nighttime Activity<\/h2>\n

So how can cat owners reduce these early morning wake-up calls? Noelia suggests a well-structured play routine, a rich environment, and a deeper understanding of a cat\u2019s needs. \u201cEncouraging autonomous play is vital,\u201d she advises, recommending a variety of toys that should be rotated to keep things fresh. \u201cLet them manage themselves at night if needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreover, effective playtime should include all phases of the cat hunting cycle<\/a>: stalking, chasing, capturing, biting, and resting. Merely exhausting the cat is not sufficient. \u201cWe need to help them release built-up hunt hormones, or else they\u2019ll wake us up again at dawn,\u201d explains Noelia.<\/p>\n

Commitment to Understanding<\/h2>\n

While being awakened at 4 AM is never enjoyable, punishing your cat is not an effective solution. Such reactions can worsen the situation and lead to additional behavioral problems. According to Noelia, it\u2019s all about commitment and understanding: \u201cGuardians must take the time to understand their cats, allow them to express their natural instincts, and provide the tools for independent play\u2014ensuring they don\u2019t wake us up in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

By recognizing that our feline friends are not truly nocturnal and addressing their needs for stimulation and enrichment, we can foster a more harmonious coexistence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For cat owners, nighttime antics such as rambunctious play and loud meowing are part of life. However, these behaviors are often misunderstood. When your cat decides that 5 AM is the perfect time to practice parkour atop your head, it\u2019s not out of spite or because they\u2019re nocturnal. To shed light on this, we consulted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":236726,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[8710,4384,26723,14743,25175,24006,44168,5937,3105,10731],"class_list":["post-236725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-believed","tag-cats","tag-educator","tag-feline","tag-hernandez","tag-nocturnal","tag-noelia","tag-normal","tag-wake","tag-weve"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236725"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":236727,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236725\/revisions\/236727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}