There's Nothing Like the Sound of a Nerf Gun in the Morning...

As I have mentioned before, we have 5 (count 'em 5) pets. 3 cats (2 of them VERY large) and 2 dogs (90+ pounds each). Needless to say, our house is in constant motion. Someone is always in constant motion, there is always someone who needs something, someone is always messing with someone else. Generally, all 5 of them get along. The dogs don't mess with the cats, the cats don't really mess with each other. They will chase each other, but it's just for fun. One of the cats loves the dogs to chase her. The dogs enjoy wrestling with each other. But again, all of this is generally not annoying. Everyone just kind of exists.
This is not the case from 5 to 7 am. During these hours, it is impossible to get the animals to behave. The cats gallop throughout our room. Literally, gallop. They chase each other, they jump on and off the bed, they run under the bed. All of this motion gets the dogs riled up and they start trying to get our attention. They stand right next to our bed and stare at us. As a result of this, there is no possibility of sleeping in at the Betz house. Even on the days that B likes to snooze a little later, J and I are up early. We have tried locking the cats out of our room. They proceeded to learn how to open the door and force their way in. If we put something behind the door, they just bat at the door and wake us up.
Now, I know that when you have 5 pets there are certain things that you give up. We have less money because of vet bills. We have to plan out our vacations around pet care availabilities. We can't be as spontaneous. But, we love our pets, they bring something special to our home. They make our lives fun. B loves to play with the dogs. Both J and I love to sit on the couch with a cat in our laps and watch TV. I wouldn't trade any of them. They each have a special personality and it makes life fun. I would like a moratorium on the 5 am kitty and puppy parade.
So the best method of control in the mornings is the nerf gun. J sleeps with the nerf gun right next to him in the bed. Once the kitties start their morning routine, J sits up and unloads. It is pretty hilarious to see the kitties scatter. Now lest anyone worry, no one is actually hit when fired at (J's aim isn't that good). Now, I am off to bed, hopefully, we will be able to get a little sleep past 5 am.