Allow me to paint you a word picture…
We’ve been living in Carrboro for about two weeks and after spending some time with a sweet kitty named Johnson, we decided that we were going to adopt a cat! Because most kittens are like crackheads, we decided to adopt an adult cat. The Orange County Animal Services people were lovely and after visiting with a couple of felines, we settled on a sweet orange and white kitty named Sugar. She was a stray before coming to the shelter very pregnant and, after all of her babies were adopted, she remained in the shelter. We were in love. She was spayed and we brought her home, after which we decided to add the Magnolia to her name and proceeded to play her the Grateful Dead song in alternate with “Sugar, Sugar” (the Bob Marley version). After a few days of her being terrified of us and sleeping all the time, now she has taken to sleeping all day and wanting to play all night. I know what you’re thinking: cats are nocturnal, why are you surprised?
Well, I’m not sure… we had the cats I grew up with since kitten-hood and they developed to be very human-like. They knew when bedtime was and they hopped right in and cuddled up. This is a stray cat, an alley-cat if you will, and she doesn’t understand why she’s not allowed to go outside. I really empathize with her because my cats were always allowed to go and come as they pleased, so as far as they knew, the entire world was at their disposal. However, this is an apartment kitty and we’re not ready to let her on the patio until we’re sure she knows where the food comes from. She’s sweet and wonderful, but we haven’t slept properly in days, so I’m wondering: does anyone have any advice for how to get a kitty on a schedule or how to stop them from crying all flipping night long?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions and in return, just in case my word picture is insufficient, here is a real one:
Sugar Magnolia, Fireplace Kitty.
Eat. Read. Ask. Do. Be. 
The problem is that you have an orange female which is a genetic anomaly. I also have one. They are very rare and always nuts. (Male oranges are not much better). My cats are not quite one and are brother and sister. Brother cat is pretty well behaved and very sweet. Sister cat is not. I can count on being awakened by some incredible crash at least once a night. I cannot have anything glass on a table or counter. She never wants to snuggle unless it is 3 AM. Good luck.
Yikes! We haven’t had any broken glass yet, but thank for the tip. I’m hoping feeding her at night will help her fall asleep long enough to stay asleep. We’ll see how it goes!!