To also lock cat out of the room?

[JulianBoon]

DD used to have cat in her room. He is an orange cat and she has a desk with built in shelves with lots of trinkets on and he always tries to jump up and knock everything off.

So he's taken to sleeping in my room, but he wakes me up all the time. Jumping up and down off his bed (thick blankets onto of the wardrobe) and coming to make biscuits on my face at 4am.

He can't sleep in the living room (dog)

I was thinking of getting him a big tall cat tree for the upstairs hall, so just outside my bedroom, something with an enclosed bed to keep him warm over winter.

I feel mean locking him out of all the bedrooms at night but he is really naughty and loves to knock things over! Funnily he doesn't do it in the daytime!

Could be. I’ll see if I can find the study.

They're not are they. But if the flap is open they have the option.

I suppose it depends where you live as you if you want them out are night. We were in the London suburbs but backed onto farmland so cats loved hunting through the fields at night. They didn't go on the roads at all really, never saw them on the street. Definitely would have been cruel to keep mine in, the few times we had to for medical reasons they were tearing around the house keeping everyone up, thundering up and down the stairs at 3am.

I'm surprised about foxes being a danger to cats- saw my 4kg girl cat see off foxes plenty of times! But maybe they were urban wimpy ones. No dogs around at night generally too. But they do bring you back "presents" from their night time pursuits!

Why be so unpleasant? Totally unnecessary sarcasm.

Allowing the cat to be in the same room as you at night doesn't necessitate playing with it for heavens sake!

Some cats just like to have the presence of humans. Mine followed me every where, even sat on the edge of the bath when I bathed. It liked human company.

Why should allowing a cat into your bedroom at night have the consequence of losing your job?

If you can't be bothered finding out about your pets character and consequent needs, and adjusting your care to ensure the animal is content and happy, why bother having a pet in the first place?

I wonder if more black cat owners keep them in at night.

You know just because an animal does something doesn't mean it should be encouraged.
If the cat likes to piss on my bed should I just accept that's his cheeky personality and replace my mattress every month?

Or should an animals behaviour be corrected to reflect what is appropriate in a domestic household? Including allowing their diurnal human owners to sleep, whilst providing them a safe warm place to be?

Why should allowing a cat into your bedroom at night have the consequence of losing your job?

Because lots of cats won't sleep through the night due to the fact that they're crepuscular. Mine would be up at 4am and using our bed as a racetrack if we didn't lock them downstairs.

It's really not fair to insinuate that everyone who prioritises their sleep over having a cat in the bed/room with them is cruel - cats are quite capable of sleeping on their own.

As PP said, just because they want to do something doesn't mean that they should be allowed.

I'm loving the contradiction of this thread vs the one where the OPs husband had brought a kitten home that no one else wanted. That thread is full of people claiming cats are super easy, you don't even know you have them etc. Yet here they are waking you up in the early hours, doing zoomies at half the night and scratching the hell out of carpets to get through doors if they are locked out 🤣

The study is referenced here.

https://icatcare.org/road-traffic-accidents/

Cats always run around and play at night. It's when they hunt. In an ideal world he should be able to come in and out of the house in a catflap. But if course lock him out of bedrooms if you don't want him disturbing you. Mine just playfight and chase eachother about all night. But I'm the only one who lets them in my bed/room.
They don't usually wake me up unless one of them desperately wants to get out/in. As we have no cat flap. So I do get woken up sometimes at 6am!

If you can't be bothered finding out about your pets character and consequent needs, and adjusting your care to ensure the animal is content and happy, why bother having a pet in the first place?

Cats don't need to sleep in your bedroom to be content and happy.
Pet ownership shouldn't be (as you describe it) "mentally exhausting" - it should be rewarding, fun and enjoyable. Yes, you're responsible for another life and for your cat being safe and well fed etc, but that doesn't mean sacrificing all your own wants and needs.

It's really not fair to insinuate that everyone who prioritises their sleep over having a cat in the bed/room with them is cruel

I don't think that's what that poster was insinuating... My understanding was that she found it cruel in this case given that OP's cat has got used to sleeping in DD's room but then been banned from there, then has got used to sleeping in OP's room and now looking at being banned from there. It's a bit different from being in the kitchen every night from the word go. Sorry if I've misunderstood but that was my interpretation.

We keep it open for him as well but anytime I come downstairs in the night for whatever reason, he’s there snoozing with our dog. I think ours is just lazy. He never hunts or if he does, he never brings anything back. He used to be a street cat so maybe he’s just enjoying his easy life! 😸

My cat gets shut downstairs every night because otherwise she's a total PITA. She has 2 cat trees, 2 sofas, water fountain, food and an open cat flap.

I am happy to have cats in my room but not at the expense of my sleep. They do get used to it even if she the beginning they put up a protest.

@Ohwhatacircusitis

because the cat is not sleeping when it’s in OP’s bedroom, it’s very active, hence its disturbing to her sleep. Which, in time, could lead to an impaired performance at work.

I think it’s more unpleasant that you are suggesting that Op is not a good, dedicated cat owner because she isn’t prepared to sacrifice her sleep for her cat. I mean, in all reality, who would? You?

Well as has been pointed out cats are nocturnal creatures.

If you don't want a nocturnal pet then don't buy one.

I'm sure OP loves her cat. And as she said up thread she is prepared to spend a lot of money on him. But that doesn't change the fact that cats are nocturnal and she must have known that when she got him.

@Ohwhatacircusitis

ok… so he can go and be nocturnal in her kitchen or living room or wherever - as opposed to in her bedroom where she is trying to sleep - cant he?

Someone should tell our cats that they’re nocturnal - they go to bed with us, sleep on our bed and wake up when my alarm goes off.

I’m getting up a couple of times in the night at the moment to wee and they stay in bed and wait for me to come back before going back to sleep!

Cats are not nocturnal.

My cat is full on nocturnal hunter - as soon as its dark outside he wants a big bowl of food then he goes out all night. He has access to a small utility room with his food in if he wants to shelter from rain. My DP leaves for work about 5.30am so he feeds him and lets him into the living room then, where he promptly curls up and goes to sleep all day. I don't let him in the bedroom.

Actually, cats are not nocturnal - they're crepuscular.

Having pets doesn't translate to indulging their every whim and allowing them to rule your life, even when it starts to have a negative impact on your own health and happiness

Read her other responses - she thinks it's cruel for cat owners to shut their cats out of bedrooms, even when it impacts their own sleep.

slightly off topic but why is every day things now described as 'bonding'
It's a nice bonding thing we have to find silly videos about them
twee twee

In fact, as someone who works with animals, I'd say the most unpleasant to be around (of any species) are those who are indulged in every aspect of their lives and who have never had any kind of boundaries enforced on them.

I really don't want to get into an argument over this.
But actually she listed all the places the cat couldn't go at night: kitchen too cold, living room not suitable because of dog, dd's room not suitable because of ornaments, OP's room not suitable because he keeps her awake.
So it does smack of not forward planning to take into account the poor cat's night time needs.

I'm not trying to knock the OP. But I admit I am fiercely pro cat. And pro a lot of pets actually. Not so sure about my pro human stance.

I'm not posting further on the thread

Because she is autistic and it's extremely hard to connect with her over things. So this is one of the things she actively enages in with me, without prompting and it feels really special when I know she's seen something and taken the time to send it to me off her own back.

Hope that's OK with you?