When we turned back our clocks last weekend, some folks gained an extra hour of sleep - unless they have a cat! 

For kitties, their normal (and too early!) breakfast time of 6 a.m. now became FIVE... and she won't take NO for an answer.

Despite this, you can reset Fluffy's clock, and get back on your normal schedule.

It helps though to first understand what drives that schedule.

Cats are "crepuscular" animals, which means they are naturally most active during twilight or dawn and dusk compared to humans who are diurnal, meaning most active during daylight hours. Domesticated animals being dependent upon us for food become accustomed to our diurnal routines, in which we feed them according to our own patterns of when breakfast and dinner should be. Have you noticed how your cat's activity level increases around mealtime? The reason why Fluffy gets frantic around mealtime is likely due to a number of factors. Cats are focused predators with highly developed hunting skills, and that focus and anticipation carry over to meal time expectations. Perhaps you've seen the "anticipatory" behavior in captive tigers - pacing prior to meal times. This same behavior in our little cats is the intertwining anticipatory dance Fluffy does while you open food cans or fill bowls.