Matt Ferrari wrote:

Ok that's reasonable I guess, hes slightly under 3, but can i retrain hiim
to wait till 6 am instead of 3 am? to start meowing and licking my nose?

The main thing I can suggest is not to give in to his 3AM meowing. Or
4AM, etc. Don't let him think that waking you up in the middle of the night
is going to get results. If he already has gotten results, then you might
have to do some deprogramming. I made the mistake of giving in to Licky's
continuous, loud meowing at night after (his) dinner, when he wants treats.
I used to just give them to him, but after a while it became clear that this
only encouraged him to do it more. I created a monster! I'm still trying to
undo the damage.

So now I'm trying to get him to understand that only Quiet Cats get treats.
But it's very hard to train a cat *not* to do something. For one thing,
when he sits there quietly and patiently - which is when I should reward
him - I don't notice him. Duh! But also, sitting quietly for some period
of time isn't a single, discrete act. How does one reward that?

I'm sorry I ever gave him the idea that he can get treats just by yowling
non-stop at 1:00 in the morning. In my kitchen, which is right above my
neighbors' bedroom.

Joyce

--
Whenever you feel anger, you should say, "May I be free of this anger!"
This rarely works, but talking to yourself in public will encourage others
to leave you alone.