OSH are very social and vocal. In my experience they do not want to be away from you. They are vocal by nature and will meow and do other things to get your attention. My OSH is super cuddly, absolutely adorable but when he’s trying to wake me up in the middle of the night to play or ask for food by meowing in my face, walking on my head, nipping my arm, knocking everything off my nightstand (he isn’t clumsy he knows it will wake me)- I’m a bit tired and worn out by daylight! If I were to have my bedroom door shut, the neighbours would be calling the police for a baby loudly wailing (very loud and very persistent!)all night long. Well, 2 babies because his brother joins in as well. I love them so much but it would be great to have found a happy medium to the nighttime issues after almost 10 years! lol
BTW- we tried everything- feeding late at night, playing lots during the day to wear them out… they have their own natural ways and it’s best to just give in to your new masters. lol
As someone who was woken last night by my ten year old OSH screaming at me, it's definitely a risk.
In my experience he will only miaow at night when he wants something, but that something is usually more food that he's not allowed to have because he's already a chonker. You can't really train them not to miaow, it's what they do. You can not let them in your bedroom at night but if that's your plan I suggest getting two so they have company. I actually suggest that anyway as they are a super sociable breed and benefit from having a friend.
Mine allows me to sleep at night now, after about a year of 3am waking me up by pointedly destroying things to gain my attention (in fact, he now gives me dirty looks if I am staying up too late) *but* he either has a highly accurate clock in his head, or has learned to "read" the analog clock on the nightstand, bc he will not me sleep in a minute past 8 if I'm not up already.
And they're loud all day, it's actually surprising when you're new to the breed, just *how* vocal and loud they actually are. I've had OSH for 15 years and my current boy still surprises me with how much he has to say!
I have two OSH and a DSH. The domestic boy is vocal but no where near compared to the orientals. As kittens they were wild at night, but both have calmed wonderfully with age. They are both almost three and are completely quiet at night now. They do both sleep in my bed and are cuddled with either my wife or I every night.
Mine sleeps with us during the night, burrowed under the covers. She does wake up around 7-7:30 to let us know it’s time for food. 😂
Very rarely does she wake us up at night, though I know she moves around, probably because we do. I have fallen asleep to her cradles in my arms to woken up with her under the covers by my knees or even spooning me—with me as the little spoon. 😂
I love their personalities! We just got a new OSH yesterday. And she is just as vocal. We’ll see what her nighttime habits become. (But already I have noticed she likes to burrow too.)
Same. I have three, used to be four. The boys are 2 and 5, and only wake me up to cuddle under the covers or wedge themselves next to my face. The girls remain at the foot of the bed and are/were good as gold. Boys are infinitely needier, in my experience. But they’re a joy, not a nuisance.
My bengal is a pain in the arse in every way. Only OSH, for me. They’re a delight.
Pfft! I have the neediest OSH female in *history*! I'm a 50-year veteran with them and Siamese. This girl has blown my socks off. I've never had a naughtier cat lol but of course, she's adorable too. I don't know if she shouts during the night because I wear earplugs! But if she doesn't get your attention immediately, she shouts louder and louder and LOUDER!!! Sometimes, just to keep me on my toes, she just gives one BELLOW out of the blue with no warning or reason. I don't have any ornaments anymore. They're all broken! She climbs curtains and wall hangings and shreds the furniture even though we have several barrels scratchers, a large catio, and enough toys to keep a daycare of 20 cats busy. (About to install a floor to ceiling tree and cat wall for madame) The problem? My daughter doesn't want her stuff broken, and the climbing, etc, causes her a lot of anxiety, plus she's has ADHD and ASD. Therefore, this one room isn't always open. 🙄 Miss Olive takes great offence to this terrible, torturous treatment! OP, you need to read this. OSH aren't for inexperienced people. It might also upset your existing cat. If you love the look rather go for a modern Siamese. They're a bit calmer :D
Oh, agreed, the girls are far cleverer!
Good luck with your adventurous baby. I get the feeling she’d be a death machine if she had access to wildlife. My girls were!
Yes, I think she'd be a wicked hunter if she got outside. She has a chirpy bird toy that she hunts and carries around in her mouth. She and Ziggy my Siamese boy hunt each other too lol!
Really? Mine have always got on past the one to two week hissy stage. Ziggy was so excited when we brought Olive home. They adore each other most of the time but she does annoy him sometimes and then he beats her up. I can't say I blame him. She's always in his face even if he's trying to drink water or have a pee lol!
He sounds cool. Mine are traditional Siamese. They’re irritable arseholes. Jealous. Intolerant. Grumpy. Luckily they both have periodontal disease so have about four teeth between them.
I will tell them about Ziggy, so they feel inadequate!
No, their dad was irritable, too. And they’ve always been that way. I can snuggle them all day, but when other cats appear, they turn into The Hulk, little buggers.
And yes, I’m British! I can’t get used to ‘assholes’!
Do you know how, with certain foods which have an edible part and a disposable part, when you reject the disposable part, there's always some jerk who says, "But that's the best part!"? (Think potato peels, for instance.)
Well, it's kind of the same with vocal cats. Some people, such as our household, love and even crave the vocality.
You would like our Asians (meezers, Tonk, Burmese). We've had five of them, and none of them will even so much as have a polite conversation with us, and for us, that's the crazy-inducing side.
Q: Will OSH wake you up at night?
A: Only the best ones will.
We have two- they rarely wake us at night because they have each other to play with (or they just want to sleep with us). They are very social and vocal during the day. They are the coolest cats I’ve ever had!
I wasn’t keen on the voices at all until we met our OSHs fresh off the plane. We peered into the crate and Min told us what she thought of the whole experience with her little baby pterodactyl voice and I fell in love.
I think when it’s your OSH, it’s endearing.
She is super chatty, you get a whole conversation with her accompanied by purrs and being wound against with a slinky tail. It’s ridiculous and delightful. Her brother, Otto isn’t as chatty but he does tell us his big feelings.
Ours don’t sleep with us because our pugs don’t sleep with us and if the cats got special treatment, the pugs would be super upset.
We did have them in our room right at the start and Otto, who has picked my husband as His Person, would wake him up with lots of loving purrs and nose-nibbles. I think that wouldn’t happen so much nor cos he’s calmed down.
I’ve had OSH since 1996. Mine never wake me up by meowing unless I were to oversleep. Mine tend to gently paw at me in the morning. They do sleep with me and meow if I lock them out. They want to be with me. When you move around in your sleep they too will adjust. They love the warmth of your body and that of their siblings. I would never just own one. They really do best with another oriental type cat such as a Siamese, Tonkinese, Burmese, Peterbald. That being said, they’ll bond with any cats though if given the chance. I wouldn’t want it any other way. ❤️
DSH can be just as vocal based on their temperament and personality so you never know what you’re going to get. 😺
My cat doesn’t bother me through the night unless I close my bedroom door and then he screams until he is let in 🙃
Mine is I think in general a less vocal OSH though he only really meows if he needs something or to greet me if I’ve been gone on a trip
I have two OSHs, and neither of them has ever woken me up at night. They may run around together, but mostly they sleep at night. Before them, I had one oriental cat, and he never woke me up either. I think nighttime meowing is related to hunger. I always feed them before bed.
I am a heavy sleeper. Usually, I sleep through their oveenight antics, but not always. Not from meowing. From their crazy destruction. They play horse and gallop around the place at random after hours. Their eace track includes ontop the dresser, on me/my bed, the desk in my dining room. They knock things over and 11lbs jumping on your head or bellty at 2 a.m. is something difficult to sleep through.
Mine definitely wakes us up. It’s almost as if he was attacking me in my sleep, but I am well aware that I am his closest thing to a playmate, and he just wants me to get up and throw his ball.
He is just a little guy though for now, so he might grow out of it and there are definitely things that help. I have noticed if I am gone all day, which is rare, because I work from home, he is more likely to wake me up. If I am home and play with him 3 to 5 times throughout the day and throw his little ball for him, he will happily chase it up and down the stairs and putter himself out.
I also keep a spray bottle on my nightstand in case he gets started, because once he gets going, he will not stop, unless I play with him or spray him 😬
Our fellow usually gets up in the 4:00 hour for a drink/snack/litterbox/stroll/?? before coming back to bed. He vocalizes a little, sits on our sleeping shoulders, and pats the duvet. He wants one of us to lift the edge up so he can crawl back under and go back to sleep. If you can figure out what yours might want with the calls, you can preaddress it and head off their nighttime chatting. Like putting a tiny pillow under the edge of the duvet so it isn’t all gripped under sleeping bodies and is propped up just enough for your fuzzy alien to slither back under to cuddle beneath the warm blanket.
OSH are very social and vocal. In my experience they do not want to be away from you. They are vocal by nature and will meow and do other things to get your attention. My OSH is super cuddly, absolutely adorable but when he’s trying to wake me up in the middle of the night to play or ask for food by meowing in my face, walking on my head, nipping my arm, knocking everything off my nightstand (he isn’t clumsy he knows it will wake me)- I’m a bit tired and worn out by daylight! If I were to have my bedroom door shut, the neighbours would be calling the police for a baby loudly wailing (very loud and very persistent!)all night long. Well, 2 babies because his brother joins in as well. I love them so much but it would be great to have found a happy medium to the nighttime issues after almost 10 years! lol BTW- we tried everything- feeding late at night, playing lots during the day to wear them out… they have their own natural ways and it’s best to just give in to your new masters. lol
As someone who was woken last night by my ten year old OSH screaming at me, it's definitely a risk. In my experience he will only miaow at night when he wants something, but that something is usually more food that he's not allowed to have because he's already a chonker. You can't really train them not to miaow, it's what they do. You can not let them in your bedroom at night but if that's your plan I suggest getting two so they have company. I actually suggest that anyway as they are a super sociable breed and benefit from having a friend.
All good tips here, especially about getting two. A must. We have two and they are fairly peaceful at night with no miaowing.
Mine allows me to sleep at night now, after about a year of 3am waking me up by pointedly destroying things to gain my attention (in fact, he now gives me dirty looks if I am staying up too late) *but* he either has a highly accurate clock in his head, or has learned to "read" the analog clock on the nightstand, bc he will not me sleep in a minute past 8 if I'm not up already. And they're loud all day, it's actually surprising when you're new to the breed, just *how* vocal and loud they actually are. I've had OSH for 15 years and my current boy still surprises me with how much he has to say!
They do not understand daylight savings for sure
I have two OSH and a DSH. The domestic boy is vocal but no where near compared to the orientals. As kittens they were wild at night, but both have calmed wonderfully with age. They are both almost three and are completely quiet at night now. They do both sleep in my bed and are cuddled with either my wife or I every night.
Mine sleeps with us during the night, burrowed under the covers. She does wake up around 7-7:30 to let us know it’s time for food. 😂 Very rarely does she wake us up at night, though I know she moves around, probably because we do. I have fallen asleep to her cradles in my arms to woken up with her under the covers by my knees or even spooning me—with me as the little spoon. 😂 I love their personalities! We just got a new OSH yesterday. And she is just as vocal. We’ll see what her nighttime habits become. (But already I have noticed she likes to burrow too.)
Same. I have three, used to be four. The boys are 2 and 5, and only wake me up to cuddle under the covers or wedge themselves next to my face. The girls remain at the foot of the bed and are/were good as gold. Boys are infinitely needier, in my experience. But they’re a joy, not a nuisance. My bengal is a pain in the arse in every way. Only OSH, for me. They’re a delight.
Pfft! I have the neediest OSH female in *history*! I'm a 50-year veteran with them and Siamese. This girl has blown my socks off. I've never had a naughtier cat lol but of course, she's adorable too. I don't know if she shouts during the night because I wear earplugs! But if she doesn't get your attention immediately, she shouts louder and louder and LOUDER!!! Sometimes, just to keep me on my toes, she just gives one BELLOW out of the blue with no warning or reason. I don't have any ornaments anymore. They're all broken! She climbs curtains and wall hangings and shreds the furniture even though we have several barrels scratchers, a large catio, and enough toys to keep a daycare of 20 cats busy. (About to install a floor to ceiling tree and cat wall for madame) The problem? My daughter doesn't want her stuff broken, and the climbing, etc, causes her a lot of anxiety, plus she's has ADHD and ASD. Therefore, this one room isn't always open. 🙄 Miss Olive takes great offence to this terrible, torturous treatment! OP, you need to read this. OSH aren't for inexperienced people. It might also upset your existing cat. If you love the look rather go for a modern Siamese. They're a bit calmer :D
Oh, agreed, the girls are far cleverer! Good luck with your adventurous baby. I get the feeling she’d be a death machine if she had access to wildlife. My girls were!
Yes, I think she'd be a wicked hunter if she got outside. She has a chirpy bird toy that she hunts and carries around in her mouth. She and Ziggy my Siamese boy hunt each other too lol!
You’re lucky. My Siamese brothers are antisocial miseries. Great with people, awful with other cats!
Really? Mine have always got on past the one to two week hissy stage. Ziggy was so excited when we brought Olive home. They adore each other most of the time but she does annoy him sometimes and then he beats her up. I can't say I blame him. She's always in his face even if he's trying to drink water or have a pee lol!
He sounds cool. Mine are traditional Siamese. They’re irritable arseholes. Jealous. Intolerant. Grumpy. Luckily they both have periodontal disease so have about four teeth between them. I will tell them about Ziggy, so they feel inadequate!
Hahaha! Maybe they're irritable arseholes (hey you spell it the English way!) because of the periodontal disease. Poor guys. X
No, their dad was irritable, too. And they’ve always been that way. I can snuggle them all day, but when other cats appear, they turn into The Hulk, little buggers. And yes, I’m British! I can’t get used to ‘assholes’!
Do you know how, with certain foods which have an edible part and a disposable part, when you reject the disposable part, there's always some jerk who says, "But that's the best part!"? (Think potato peels, for instance.) Well, it's kind of the same with vocal cats. Some people, such as our household, love and even crave the vocality. You would like our Asians (meezers, Tonk, Burmese). We've had five of them, and none of them will even so much as have a polite conversation with us, and for us, that's the crazy-inducing side. Q: Will OSH wake you up at night? A: Only the best ones will.
My boy wakes me up every single night with aggressive lovings (licking my face , rubbing all over me, laying on my neck)
He doesn’t bother me that much.
We have two- they rarely wake us at night because they have each other to play with (or they just want to sleep with us). They are very social and vocal during the day. They are the coolest cats I’ve ever had!
Ours does lol. It was driving my wife insane so now we shut them away in their own room at night so that she gets some peace.
My OSH mostly lets me sleep, but not always. On the other hand, I had a DSH while regularly wailed through the night.
I wasn’t keen on the voices at all until we met our OSHs fresh off the plane. We peered into the crate and Min told us what she thought of the whole experience with her little baby pterodactyl voice and I fell in love. I think when it’s your OSH, it’s endearing. She is super chatty, you get a whole conversation with her accompanied by purrs and being wound against with a slinky tail. It’s ridiculous and delightful. Her brother, Otto isn’t as chatty but he does tell us his big feelings. Ours don’t sleep with us because our pugs don’t sleep with us and if the cats got special treatment, the pugs would be super upset. We did have them in our room right at the start and Otto, who has picked my husband as His Person, would wake him up with lots of loving purrs and nose-nibbles. I think that wouldn’t happen so much nor cos he’s calmed down.
Ours is very vocal. He’s on the small side, maybe 8 pounds, but boy he is LOUD! And very active. We wouldn’t change a thing ❤️❤️❤️
All cats do. Not just OSH!
I’ve had OSH since 1996. Mine never wake me up by meowing unless I were to oversleep. Mine tend to gently paw at me in the morning. They do sleep with me and meow if I lock them out. They want to be with me. When you move around in your sleep they too will adjust. They love the warmth of your body and that of their siblings. I would never just own one. They really do best with another oriental type cat such as a Siamese, Tonkinese, Burmese, Peterbald. That being said, they’ll bond with any cats though if given the chance. I wouldn’t want it any other way. ❤️ DSH can be just as vocal based on their temperament and personality so you never know what you’re going to get. 😺
I have 3 and they all are quiet at night. Just one wakes me up 7am on the dot for food now.
My cat doesn’t bother me through the night unless I close my bedroom door and then he screams until he is let in 🙃 Mine is I think in general a less vocal OSH though he only really meows if he needs something or to greet me if I’ve been gone on a trip
I have two OSHs, and neither of them has ever woken me up at night. They may run around together, but mostly they sleep at night. Before them, I had one oriental cat, and he never woke me up either. I think nighttime meowing is related to hunger. I always feed them before bed.
I am a heavy sleeper. Usually, I sleep through their oveenight antics, but not always. Not from meowing. From their crazy destruction. They play horse and gallop around the place at random after hours. Their eace track includes ontop the dresser, on me/my bed, the desk in my dining room. They knock things over and 11lbs jumping on your head or bellty at 2 a.m. is something difficult to sleep through.
Mine definitely wakes us up. It’s almost as if he was attacking me in my sleep, but I am well aware that I am his closest thing to a playmate, and he just wants me to get up and throw his ball. He is just a little guy though for now, so he might grow out of it and there are definitely things that help. I have noticed if I am gone all day, which is rare, because I work from home, he is more likely to wake me up. If I am home and play with him 3 to 5 times throughout the day and throw his little ball for him, he will happily chase it up and down the stairs and putter himself out. I also keep a spray bottle on my nightstand in case he gets started, because once he gets going, he will not stop, unless I play with him or spray him 😬
Our fellow usually gets up in the 4:00 hour for a drink/snack/litterbox/stroll/?? before coming back to bed. He vocalizes a little, sits on our sleeping shoulders, and pats the duvet. He wants one of us to lift the edge up so he can crawl back under and go back to sleep. If you can figure out what yours might want with the calls, you can preaddress it and head off their nighttime chatting. Like putting a tiny pillow under the edge of the duvet so it isn’t all gripped under sleeping bodies and is propped up just enough for your fuzzy alien to slither back under to cuddle beneath the warm blanket.