If you’re a cat owner, you probably know exactly what we’re talking about. Your feline footer goes absolutely hyper when it’s time for us humans to go to bed, and there seemingly is no stopping them. They’re adorable little furballs full of energy, but sometimes that energy simply doesn’t stop showing.

It’s a common thing for cats to become very active and hyped up when the sun finally sets, and it’s definitely not unusual behavior.

Of course, sometimes that’s far from ideal and your furry friends can keep you from your sleep, but there are also a few things you can do about it.

The British website POPSUGAR interviewed a couple of experts in the field about this particular phenomenon, and it’s important to understand why exactly cats behave in this manner.

Wild cats hunt during the dawn and dusk hours to take advantage of the cool part of the day in their native habitat and to also take advantage of when many prey animals become active. Domestic cats retain this tendency to be more active at evening and night rather than during the day,” said Shelley Zacharias, who has been working as a director of veterinary operations for over ten years.

In short, cats are crepuscular, meaning that they can perfectly operate and wake up during any time of the day. It doesn’t matter if it’s sunrise or sunset, these cats are simply active anytime because it’s in their nature.

“Many prey animals, such as deer, mice, and rabbits are crepuscular. They have adapted to take advantage of that twilight time when it’s light enough to see but dark enough to lower the odds of being caught by a predator. So some predators, like cats, have adapted by becoming expert dawn and dusk predators,” cat blogger Dawn LaFontaine, who has plenty of first-hand experience, explained.

Luckily, there are a couple of remedies and things to do if your cat’s nocturnal activities are getting out of control.

Cats actually need a bit of socialization before they head to bed, and playing with them in the evening is never a bad idea. After all, playing around intensively will tire them out and will make it more likely that they’ll need some rest soon.

Another great tip is to buy more toys or get more interesting toys for your feline friends on a regular basis. These things will help tire them out as well and keep them busy.

The key is to put down a few for the week, pick those up, and then start with new toys. Even if it is something they played with a week ago, it’s new that week,” animal expert Yvette Berke told.

Another thing you can do is break up their meals into smaller portions, divided more frequently.

“Owners can feed a meal earlier in the evening and then another meal closer to bedtime. This way the cat is less likely to wake their owners for a meal during the night.”

It turns out that puzzle feeders are absolutely golden, as your feline four-footer will need to do some work before they can get to their delicious treat.

And what’s the best course of action if your cat actually wakes you up in the middle of the night because they’re bored?

As rude as it may seem, ignoring the cat is actually the best option. It’ll take some consistency before your pet will start to notice a pattern and adjust their behavior. If it helps you get more hours of sleep, however, it’s definitely worth it.

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Source: POPSUGAR