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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Rescue cat and sleeping

25 replies

TeeManyMartoonis · 03/04/2016 09:06

So we brought our 5 yr old rescue cat home yesterday (note: 1st time cat owners). I set up our hallway (not really used) and our bathroom as her space. We spent some time with her and she was not impressed by the confinement. This lasted about an hr until her incessant meowing made me open the door and she has made herself at home in the kitchen, living room and dining room. All good, she is beautiful and very friendly and seemed v happy. Not nervous or wary at all and we are both already in love.

Then came bedtime. We have decided that she won't be allowed in to sleep with us (I plan on letting her in the day and for morning cuddles - natch). I put her in her bonding space (to be honest I am nervous of her tearing up the furniture - don't really want to leave her in the lounge yet). She had her bed and toys etc etc. Miaowed and scratched constantly against our bedroom door. I had to shut her in the kitchen (with all her stuff) to get some sleep. She is not interested in her choice of two beds.

So, tonight. Do I:
A) let her stay in the living room on the chair she has selected and hope that our furniture remains in tact. If I leave the litter box in the bathroom this means she can still get to our bedroom door.
B) let her in the spare room (intro'd to her this morning) and she can sleep on the bed. Problem is she can then get to our bedroom door again
C) put her in the kitchen again and move litter box

Sorry for essay! My DH has a really important week at work and he has been so great wth her despite not really wanting a cat so I'm trying to please everyone!

OP posts:

minmooch · 03/04/2016 09:12

My two were rescue cats. I'm afraid they sleep with me - I love hearing their purring during the night and their bodies curled in to me. I don't have a partner though so no one else to bother. If I do have company the door gets shut and they happily find somewhere else to sleep.

Mine have never scratched the furniture. They are outside a lot though so I presume they sharpen their claws on the many trees outside. Have you bought your cat a scratch post? Spray it with catnip and she should love it (although mine were never interested in their cat circus).

cozietoesie · 03/04/2016 09:13

Gawd. My boys sleep where they want - that's part of the deal - and for my personal Siamese boys, that means bed. (With me.) No quibbles allowed - a new Siamese will generally shake the weariness of the journey off their shoulders and head straight off to establish/inspect the facilities.

sashh · 03/04/2016 10:50

You seem to be under the impression you have a choice in this? Really you don't and the sooner you learn that the better for you really.

JapanNextYear · 03/04/2016 10:54

Our cat doesn't sleep with us and we keep the bedroom door shut all the time. He has the run of the rest of the house and only howls outside the door if we have had a lie in and not got up to feed him. That's been it since he was a kitten. I think it is possible!

cozietoesie · 03/04/2016 10:55

PS - and cats are extremely ......discreet?.......about 'distractions' in bed at night. No need to concern yourself on that score.

Original poster

TeeManyMartoonis · 03/04/2016 11:20

Haha at Sashh - after already giving up my favourite chair because she decided it was her favourite too, yes I feel I am on sliding ground.

We will see how we go tonight. She now has the run of the whole house so we will see how she goes this evening. I really want to respect my husband's wishes and do the same as JapanNextYear (despite cozietoesie's reassurances!!!) but we will see how we get on. I don't want to stress anyone unnecessarily!

OP posts:

MidnightVelvetthe5th · 03/04/2016 11:28

My 5 year rescue used to scratch at ours & the DC's doors in the night waking everybody up, before we had her we discussed where the cat would sleep as DP is very anti animals in the bedroom at night. We thought she would be OK with the bedroom doors shut with the rest of the house to run in but she wasn't happy. We did try her once in our bedroom but she trod all over the bed/on my hair/on DP's face/pouncing on feet etc so we didn't get much sleep that night. When we did get to sleep she was by my feet & I moved & accidentally hoofed her off & she wasn't happy....

So we put her in the living room at night, her bed & cat tree is already in there & we move her litter tray & bowls in there too & she's absolutely fine. No more scratching at doors & she sleeps on the sofa like she does in the day :)

Original poster

TeeManyMartoonis · 03/04/2016 11:32

Thanks Midnight - practically identical, I'm concerned that she (and us) won't sleep even if she is in our bedroom. I feel better now, my first reactions I felt like a horrible cat owner!

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 03/04/2016 11:39

Goodness - no need to feel like that at all. The Siamese bed thing is just a consequence of extreme bonding and slightly different eyes, I suspect. And besides, I was trained to it at a very early age.

Original poster

TeeManyMartoonis · 03/04/2016 11:45

cozie I feel like I am being trained by her! I left my undies drawer open- error. In she goes, digging away, and when I got her out she looked at me as if to say 'you'll learn'.

Sigh.

OP posts:

MidnightVelvetthe5th · 03/04/2016 12:31

What breed is she? Can we have a pic :)

Original poster

TeeManyMartoonis · 03/04/2016 12:36

A picture you say? Well alright then (id finally haven't taken about 30 since yesterday, oh no...)

She is a native Egyptian mau

OP posts:

MidnightVelvetthe5th · 03/04/2016 12:37

Look at those stripes! And those ears!

She is magnificant OP :)

Original poster

TeeManyMartoonis · 03/04/2016 12:42

Thank you!!!

She is my baby tiger.

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 03/04/2016 12:43

Ah. I've not had one myself but I have a vague memory that Maus also bond very strongly with a Person. You may have some difficulty keeping her out.

Pipbin · 03/04/2016 12:47

She is very beautiful.

PS - and cats are extremely ......discreet?.......about 'distractions' in bed at night. No need to concern yourself on that score.

Bin cat tends to bite DH on the ankles! I think she thinks he's hurting me!

cozietoesie · 03/04/2016 12:53

How rude of her!

(Actually, ankles are a 'thing' with some cats - usually to be dabbed if you have stairs and are going up them with bare ankles exposed.)

Original poster

TeeManyMartoonis · 03/04/2016 12:55

I can feel my choices in life gradually ebbing away...
Cozier you are absolutely right - one of the reasons we got here is because they are very people orientated

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 03/04/2016 13:10

Speaking for Siamese - which is the nearest I can get to yours - they need to sleep with their Person. It tops up their loving and maintains the bond. (With Siamese, in fact, exclusion can be interpreted as a 'disciplinary measure' and they brood about it. Makes them real easy to train though. )

That's Siamese though - your girl might be different.

sashh · 03/04/2016 14:45

Cozie the more you talk about Siamese the more I think Misty must have some Siamese ancestry. She sleeps on me - occasionally she will chose the pillow but normally me.

cozietoesie · 03/04/2016 15:34

You can't always tell, sashh. As I think I've said recently, there was a poster a few years back who had some half-Siamese kittens - which they definitely were because she had just homed the Mom who was a full Siamese - and as I recall, nary a one of them had the Siamese colouring or any points. They were all standard DSH colours.

And even the best regulated households are sometimes caught unawares by the speed with which Siamese mature and the persistence they apply to going out on the razzle!

Geepee71 · 03/04/2016 15:36

She's gorgeous, you'll be wrapped round her paw before you know it........

Fluffycloudland77 · 03/04/2016 18:50

Look at those ears! She is awesome.

You have to let them do what they want when they are awesome.

Original poster

TeeManyMartoonis · 04/04/2016 07:54

UPDATE:
DH's first big day at work. He said he was happy to leave the bedroom door open (my theory was that she wanted the reassurance of us there). Worked for about twenty minutes and then she decided it was play time. So out she went. All fine til 5am and then the meowing and scratching started with gusto...

So I think tonight I am going to give her the kitchen and the living room and move her litter tray into the kitchen. DH would prefer just the kitchen (quite large) but she sleeps on the chair in the living room and I don't want to disturb that.
She hasn't shown any interest in scratching the furniture and she has four scratch posts/ mats in there as well. Hopefully that will be a compromise.

Wish me luck...

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 04/04/2016 08:20

That's a big difference from Siamese - all my boys have more or less slept through (apart from some discreet movement to answer the call of nature on occasion.) I'd be tempted to make it clear that bed privileges depend on good sleeping behaviour - any 'up and at 'em' will result in the bedroom door being closed etc. It might be rough on you for a couple of nights but should hopefully pay dividends in the longer term. How's your willpower?

Lots of luck.

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