Cat scratching at the bedroom door - help!

[everdene]

We have had a lovely rescue tabby for about eight months - he is about two.

He's started to scratch at the bedroom door at 6am. He has never slept in the bedroom but does sometimes come in at bedtime (which I think might be the problem). Then the door is shut when we go to sleep.

If he ever does get let in, when he scratches the door, he scratches the bed and runs around. It is waking me up every morning and I'm pregnant so feeling sleep deprived.

In the daytime he has access to a cat flap (which we close at night as we line in London).

What can we do?! It's not every night so is clearly not hunger but I can't work out his triggers for scratching at the door. (He is quite a scratchy boy anyway despite having and using scratching posts, table legs, sofa too).

[BrollySmolly]

Is there somewhere you can shut your cat away for the night so it can't scratch at your door? Our cat sleeps in the utility room that is also attached to a little side room - she has a bed, food, drink and litter tray there and we don't get woken up!

[CurlsLDN]

This stuff is brilliant - he won't like the slightly tacky feel of if so it will put him off after a few tries

www.amazon.co.uk/Sticky-Paws-29248-On-A-Roll/dp/B007I08FI4?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[everdene]

I'll give the sticky tape a go Curls!

Brolly, we could shut him into two rooms downstairs (dining room and kitchen) actually - I think my soft-touch DH might not be in favour of shutting him there

[HenryCatPic]

We shut ours into the kitchen at night. At first we would hear him crying and scratching in the morning but he's fine now

[BrollySmolly]

Ever - he'd get used to it very quickly. We can't have our cat roaming the house as we and the children all sleep with our bedroom doors open.
Ours actually comes bounding down the stairs when she can hear us getting ready to head up to bed. I then add a little food to her bowl and close the door - she curls up on a chair and goes to sleep. When we let her out in the morning she jumps of the chair and has a good stretch, so I guess she spends most of the night sleeping?!

[OhTheRoses]

Looks at cat, looking at me from bottom of the bed. He never scratches at the door.

[everdene]

Brolly and Henry - after this morning's shenanigans (5.15 in the sodding morning!!) he'll be shut downstairs!

DH is acting like we're locking the cat in a coal shed for the night.

I have said I'll make up a hot water bottle to comfort the cat before we shut him in.

I have ordered a roll of that sticky tape too as he has started scratching other places - I feel the table leg is ok, our bed on the other hand...

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Hmmm our cat just sleeps at the end of the bed ,I couldn't stand the scratching and miaowing to come in. He used to be bouncing but settles down straight away now and sleeps all night.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

** bouncy

[BrollySmolly]

hope you get a better night sleep tonight! After a total of 13 years of disturbed sleep, there was no way i was going to be woken up by a cat, or risk the kids being woken either!

[everdene]

Dame our cat is so blimmin' energetic, I wouldn't dare let him in the room! He LOVES scratching the bed base too which is like Velcro ripping!

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

Ours comes and goes as he pleases. When we first got him we shut him in the living room and he scratched at the door but once he knew he was allowed in the bedroom he seemed to lose interest and sleeps in the living room! He does come in the bedroom sometimes but not that often.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Has he got scratching posts and mats? Citrus spray is a good deterrent ime.

I NEVER thought I'd see the day when Puccini was quiet and settled at night, but it seems all he wanted was a toasty super king bed

[everdene]

He has a scratching post which he uses all the time, and a scratching mat he never goes near.

He also scratches the leather sofa, table legs, bedroom door and the bed. He's a rescue cat but he has a very quiet time with us so I don't think it's anxious behaviour as it doesn't seem to have a pattern.

I might try him with the door open but I'm soooo tired today after last night's shenanigans that I can't bear it tonight!

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

I used ear plugs until I got used to the noise and then he just got the hang of night time!