cat scratching carpets

[shitzutwang]

does anyone know how i can prevent a cat scratching a carpet outside my bedroom every night and outside my toddlers room. when she does it she wakes us up then i have to put my son back to sleep and i am up several times in the night. we have safety gates in the house and most is open plan so its difficult to put her just down stairs as she makes her way back up going over the safety gates. i have even left the scratch posts outside our doors so she can use that instead but she knows if she scratches the carpet we will wake up! and we live in rented property so we know we will lose some of our deposit when we leave!

[pseudonymity]

Let the cat into your room, that will solve it.

[shitzutwang]

theres carpet in there too and after 4 am the bedroom the door is open for other reasons so she knows that already. doesnt make any differnece though as she does not wnat to be in the room just wants to be a nuisance outside the room!

[yeOldeTrout]

Cats are crepuscular (hence 4am wake).
They like (need) to have a good scratch after waking up from a nap.
They go to you to be let out or fed (this usually works).
You're working against instincts.
Locking her into a room until usual getting up time, where you can't hear her might be solution.

There are vids & info online about coaxing them to scratch in specific places, but success may be hit & miss.

[kinkytoes]

I'll be honest I just put a little rug down so they scratch that instead of the actual carpet. You could try to get them accustomed to scratching a rug then move the rug to somewhere more suitable? Mine scratch their posts too. I don't think you'll stop it altogether as it's usual 'waking up ritual' behaviour. For mine at least! I can cope with the scratching these days, it's the stomping on my pillow that wakes me up

[timeforabrewnow]

Put the cat outside. He/she wants to go hunting.

[gamerchick]

Mine clicks my bed to wake me up. The little sod will lie there when I leap out of bed, do one last 'click' looking me dead in the eye before pelting out of the room. once they know something will wake you up they keep doing it

Personally I would get some carpet sample squares and put them down to protect the carpet. But other than going down the double sided sticky tape/tinfoil route I don't know what else to suggest.

[shitzutwang]

Thanks everyone. the 4am wake up is not her that is the time my husband goes to work so i leave the bedroom door open after he goes as he works early hours and needs his sleep. she didnt use to do this before, it was only since i had my son when he use to wake up a few times in the night as a new born. I have fed her at night too but the vet said she cant eat too much as she is too over weight as it is. there is another runner carpet there too as someone mentioned above but we are not aloud to nail it as we rent. she finds her way under that carpet! she just sounds like a right devil doesnt she? lol. she tends to wake up after 11pm few times in the night leading till 3ish. i go bed early as my son wakes up 5.30am. she is not a outdoor cat she is indoor. someone suggested celotape? but i cant put that over the carpet! i dont know if there is somthing i can buy to put near our bedroom doors.

[yeOldeTrout]

Would landlord notice if OP used very thin nails to nail down a thin strip of runner carpet?

[shitzutwang]

Yes they would as we have a inspection every 3 months. x

[Wolfiefan]

Scratching post?

[shitzutwang]

have 2 scratching posts outside my bedrooms ( one outside mine and outside my sons room) as mentioned above and one big one downstairs in living room x