I never gave a thought about cat's sleeping habbits until we got a Siamese.

They are almost Autistic in their need for routines.

We get herded to bed (literally pushed or swiped at the back of the knees to get us moving) and then once safely tucked in - the cat goes outside for the last time via the cat door. Comes back, goes around every room in the house to check they are secure and then finally comes to bed himself. Depending on the weather he then sleeps between us for the night - or gets up every couple of hours because it's too hot to sleep.

His Maine Coon cat sister is far more feral. She goes out at night and gets up to mischief, comes in late at night and sleeps on the bed. Goes out again at 0500 and comes back for breakfast around 0700 and then sleeps on the bed during the day.

You cannot lock a Siamese out of anything. They do not just miow - they howl. Ireckon it's their huge nasal cavities give their voices a resonance that would make a bullfrog call noise control.

Good on you for not having an outside cat. People who leave their cats outside all night to wander the neighbourhood, eat the native animals, crap all over my garden and cause havoc should think about the actions of that a lot more.

We trained my cat out of meowing outside the bedroom door by keeping the vacuum cleaner in the cupboard by the door, but plugging it in next to the bed. If he started to meow, we'd switch it on and scare him off. We can't let him in the bedroom while we're trying to sleep as most of the time he just wants to rummage in the shelves, fight the curtains, walk on our faces, fight with my bedside table...

He loves sleeping under my jumpers on my chair, so sometimes his sleeping habits have led to him being sat on.

He would be out a lot more but my partner is the one that can't go to bed without making sure he's inside. Though most of the time we keep the cat door locked because otherwise he will bring in birds (alive or dead, he doesn't seem to care).

I think you have what is commonly referred to as a 'furbaby'. I would know, as I have one as well.

My 11 month old kitten has free run of the house and sleeps in bed with me most nights, and cuddles me every morning before I go to work. We have a comfortable morning routine which involves her sitting in my lap while I do make-up and hair etc, and she only asks to be let out when I am leaving for work. I am then greeted joyously on my return home.

I am quite happy to be a sookie lala owner, as like you said, it's the best!

You are NOT crazy or alone, Andrea.

My little witch loves to wake me at approximately 5am most mornings. She starts with a gentle tap on the nose with a soft paw and if that doesnt get my attention, a sharp jab to the side of the head with one claw always does the trick. At this point I am either lifting covers so she may settle (at her leisure)and cuddle up or I have to move over to the cold side of the bed so she can nestle into the fur rug. The cat door is her personal window to the world, god forbid she should actually have to use it....thats my job! As they say... Cats dont have owners...they have staff and I am most definitely STAFF!

There are many of us around which is why dogs have owners and cats have slaves. Holly my cat likes sleeping on my bed with me. My only pain about this, is she tends to want to start cleaning herself about 4 in the morning, she is very vigilant about this and as she is sleeping practically on top of me, she invariably wakes me up. As many people will know, a broken sleep makes for a very tired person in the morning. But I can't shut her out, it would just seem too mean!

We have tried oh so hard to have outside cats - and having just come back from holiday when they were outside all the time (no cat flap) thought maybe they were in the habit of it. But no. Outside initially, but just after you've drifted off, the howling starts. How can they sound like they're dying but as soon as you open the door, purring like nothing has happened? And since they have completely different body clocks (sleep for a bit, play for a bit, purr right next to your face, then pounce on your toes, fight with each other, walk all over the furniture, knock things over, then sleep some more, right on your bladder!) we have to eject them to the garage otherwise we'd never get any sleep! So i'd guess we have semi-indulged furbabys.

I would agree with Paul. I am part owned by a Tonk (Siamese + Burmese) and she is a creature of habit when it comes to sleepy time. Unfortunately if you want to get her to sleep in the bed you have to actually play with her for at least an hour (if not 90 minutes). Otherwise she will wander aimlessly and talk to things (eg: the bath), then climb into things.

Thus 95% of the time she sleeps in the kitchen with no less than three shut doors between her and me. The other 5% of the time she gets to crash out on the bed generally under the covers with her head on one or the other pillows until around 5am.

The burmese of the household however merely needs a non moving surface and 15 seconds. He is then out like a light and stays that way.

Rambo is a creature of habit, at the old flat if he deigned to sleep in the bedroom (bed or floor, doesn't matter) then you could guarantee being woken up at 5am on the dot to let him out. Last night/this morning he kept me awake from about 4.30am, it seems that Whiskas Singles don't fill him up sufficiently (according to him at least) and he wanted feeding then and there..well at 4.30am I was hoping for more sleep and refused...and ended up having to relent at 5.45 after no letup from Mr i'm-absolutely-convinced-i'm-dying-of-hunger who stuffed his face and promptly fell asleep at the end of the bed