To leave the cat "locked" out

[Arashi]

I know I know that's broadly it's unacceptable to treat our Lord and Masters that way but here me out first

Said cat is being a fuckwit. He has a cat flap which he is perfectly capable of using but for the last 2 weeks he is obsessed with coming in the upstairs window. He always does this around 4.30AM. I know my place so I usually let him but but 30 mins later he's screaming to go back out!!

So this morning I didn't let him in .... and he's now giving me the silent treatment and in fact is walking out of every room I go in

I've tried to reason with him and explain that's its just an unacceptable time but he's not interested. DS thinks it's just a phase and I should accommodate it and it'll pass but I don't know.

So AIBU to leave him locked out and should I just accept waking up at 4.30 until he gets bored?

FFS hear me out first

Who are you shouting at

He has a cat flap? Does he ever use it?
If he's able to use the cat flap then I wouldn't be letting him in and out at night.

YANBU my cat views the cat flap as the tradesman’s entrance and much prefers to be let in via a door or window.
I let him in/out if it’s convenient but no way would I do it in the middle of the night when there’s a door he can use that’s literally just for him!

I'd do the same. Pat on the back for asserting yourself. Lol.

My cat also will not come in via the cat flap. He will use it to go out if he’s desperate but has never used it to come in.

If he is still out and about when we go to bed he gets called and we shake the dreamies tub. If he doesn’t come in, that’s his silly fault and he can stay outside.

It's not a phase. Never give up, never surrender.

Leave it locked out. If it’s desperate it can use the catflap

Bother, bother, BOTHER that cat.

Lol at the tradesman's entrance! My cat sits at the cat flap and waits for someone to open it for him. Don't be suckers like us, OP - stand firm!

My cat does exactly the same thing. Every morning he demands I get out of bed and open the window to let him in (which I do, because he's a noisy fucker and I live in a semi and I don't want him waking the neighbours who sleep 10 feet away), I barely get an acknowledgment before he trots downstairs, scatters Friskies all over the kitchen floor (2 feet from his cat flap), comes back up and scratches the sealant out of the window frame to get out again.

I saw him for all of 5 minutes yesterday and he's very jumpy and won't let me fuss him at the moment. Anyone have any ideas as to why?

@Hyvsvaar OP is not shouting, she’s correcting a typo in OP!

Ha I was shouting at my inability to spell .. in my defence I have been awake since 4:30 listening to the cat berate me ;)

As a general rule he doesn't use the cat flap no, but that's because he either uses the dog flap (He has issues) or generally speaking there is a door or window open somewhere during the day so he uses those! He can use it though as I've bloody seen him do it so its not like hes completely incapable. Perhaps like a PP cats he thinks its beneath him .. he is full of himself ......

I'm pleasantly surprised by the support for leaving him out, so have told both DS and the cat that they can go jump. Wish me luck dealing with the sulking :)

Leave the window open?

Aw. This thread has made me miss boy cat who died last year. He’d sit outside our bedroom window and miaow if it wasn’t open wide enough to get in. Perfectly used to the cat flap, and he would use it but seeing his furry face every morning was lovely. Admittedly timing matters and 4.30 isn’t fine! (Girl cat would genuinely remain ‘locked out’ as she’s incapable of using a cat flap. They’re solid, apparently- much like her.)

One of mines an arsehole to op. Meow meow to come in. 5 minutes later walks out the cat flap!! 10 minutes after that meowing to come in. Nope go away not happening. So now we just ignore her and told the neighbours if they hear her to feel free to spray her with water to get her to stfu and that she intact has a cat flap and behind it is her food and water a warm bed and a litter tray but she’s a bitch.

They laughed claimed they haven’t heard her

Tell your DS if he thinks you should accommodate the cat he can be the one getting up at 4.30 a.m.

He is testing you. If you capitulate then this behaviour will only escalate.

As with all relationships, it's important to maintain your boundaries. Grey rock if you must.

My cats are firmly locked out of any area they can wake me up. I used to be really soft about it and put up with all sorts, but they are properly annoying at 4.30am so can absolutely wait!

If you give in once you are done.
He's not locked out if he has a cat flap. He's just trying to train you to his preferred entry point.

He's being a sod so I'd ignore him. He's got a cob on, you've explained why to him and he's still got a cob on so leave him to it til he's over his strop.

Cats need boundaries. Mine has a period where its daddy day and just let's him pet her. Then she's back to me.

Stick to your guns.

Yeah I tried ignoring mine and he has wrecked all the rubber seals on the outside of the windows as he purposely does his claws on them whilst looking at me like "should have fucking opened the window when I asked" - they always win

I’d do the same and I too am a cat slave, he has a perfectly good entrance to the house so he’s not locked out.

We've recently had to give our cats access to the kitchen only/cat flap at night because they were being absolute hooligans in the night time and I was cracking up through lack of sleep. It took me months to decide to do this because I am so whipped by my cats 😂

If it's an upstairs window, I don't get why you can't just leave it open for him?

IN OUT IN OUT it is the nature of cat hokey cokey.

Cat is probably waiting for some neighbour to take pity on them and think 'omg what a terribly neighbour leaving their cat locked outside all night/unfed' lets fetch them in and give them some food...'

Neighbours will then give you dirty looks for neglecting your pet!