The 4am yowl: what actually worked in your house?

Almost every cat person meets this at some point: a cat who decides the household should be awake well before sunrise. Some of it is hunger, some of it is boredom, and some of it is simply a cat keeping the schedule it was accidentally taught. On our side, the pattern that helps most often is a proper play session late in the evening, a small measured meal straight after it, and no attention at all when the shouting starts. The last part is the hard one. We would like to hear the real versions. What was going on with your cat, and what actually made the difference, a timed feeder, a later meal, a closed door, or simply time? Background reading: why cats sleep and cat not eating