Meowing in the Morning

Question
I asked this question to Lady, but she didn't have an answer. I'm desperate.
My 1 1/2 yo neutered male cat meows in the morning, usually starting between 4:00 and 5:30. I used to just lock him out of the bedroom, but now I live in a studio so, unless I put him in the hallway... :) I'd tried stopping the behavior when it first started about a year ago by spraying him with a water bottle, but that only succeeded in waking ME up trying to figure out where he was in the room (smart little bugger!). I don't give him any attention when he meows. I've tried wearing him out throughout the evening and right before I go to bed, but he never seems to get tired. His food dish is filled at 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. and it's never empty enough for him to be hungry at that time in the morning. What can I do to stop this behavior (or at least have him start a bit later...like 9:00 a.m.!)? ANY help would be greatly appreciated - I feel like a new mother with a colicky baby with the amount of sleep I'm getting! PS Earplugs don't work either.

Answer
Angela,

Well you have managed to give him attention until his behavior is quite ingrained.

BTW, the great myth of cat discipline is that water pistols and water bottles will make any difference at all!!!!!!

My advice is to ignore him totally when he starts this behavior.  He has managed to get a rise out of you one way or another using this meowing behavior.  That was, apparently his objective.  If he is in the room with you and you can ignore the behavior, you may be able to outlast him.  If you have the patience and perseverance to just lie in bed as if he was not there when the meowing begins, you might have a chance to overcome the behavior.

Another possibility may be <long shot time> to try clicker training.  Clicker training is a behavior modification technique which has had good success in dogs, cats, dolphins, etc.

You can take a look at Karen Pryor's web site:

http://www.clickertraining.com

to see what you think.

I am sorry I cannot give you more than a couple of suggestions.

Best regards... Norm.