Gifts For Me
Almost every night, at around 4 in the morning, I am awakened by a loud MEEOOWWWing.
Bailey has many little rituals, as all cats do I suppose. For instance when I head up to bed at night, she comes to my room and stares at me, licking her chops and giving me her best little sad eyes until I give her treats. Also, any time she hears my keys jingle, she comes running. This one started when I had to leave the house once and nobody was here to keep her inside. I got some treats and tossed them away from the door. While she was busy, I left. Easy right? Well after a few times, she has learned that me picking up my keys means she is getting treats.
Most of her rituals are treat induced and created by me or someone in this family. But this new one has me puzzled. Most early mornings, she meows loudly, like a cat in heat almost. Just for a short bit, but loud and long enough for me to acknowledge her in some way. (Usually some form of “be quiet”) But then I started finding things in my room. Socks, Toques, mittens, slippers. Things that weren’t mine yet had somehow found their way into my room. So I recently figured out that Bailey has taken to bringing me offerings, things she finds elsewhere in the house, and placing them at the foot of my bed, then announcing that she has done so. Loudly. At 4am. As appreciative as I am of said gifts, I wish she could learn to do so quietly. Maybe I can bribe her with more treats.
This is Bailey, sleeping, after a good belly rub. Cats have it pretty good don’t they?
AbitibiSouth 
Sounds normal to me! I also get woken up around 4ish every morning, by one or other of my two cats. I think most cat owners will tell you the same thing. Its prowling time. And the offerings fit that as well!
Annie
xxx
Thankfully, Chloe (the lone female of our 3 cats) doesn’t do this at 4 in the morning. But every time we retire upstairs and the kids are asleep, she’ll near-instantly start “hunting”. Typically she’ll find pencils or pens (we have kids, these things get left around somehow), but has also hunted toys, erasers, markers, weird stuff. She’ll meow and meow while selecting something, carrying it, and plunking it down in the foyer with a “thunk”. Then she’ll mew quietly for a bit.
Sometimes she does this at 6am too. Whenever she does it, I just go downstairs, scoop her up, and bring her up on the bed. Typically she’ll just curl up at that point and be friendly… and quiet. 🙂
Love the photo of Bailey finally sleeping. I bet it’s the middle of the afternoon too! Maybe you should stand at the foot of her chair and howl loudly, showing her how it feels to be awakened from a sound sleep. I do believe you have trained this clever animal. When mine starts waking me before I am ready I put him outside my door and close it. I can’t hear well so any scratching or meowing then falls on deaf ears and I get back to sleep. DH however is not as lucky as I.
My oh my, a cat in the house. When Kelly came, bringing her rats, I imagine there were some serious concerns.
lol…no Annie, actually Bailey didn’t mess with Owie at all, she knew better. 🙂