Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

The litter tray

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

Persuading cat to sleep elsewhere

37 replies

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 15/05/2024 21:56

Last month we adopted a wee ginger guy after our previous lovely cat was put to sleep. He’s a little thug but absolutely charming, funny, loves being petted and brushed, plays with his toys, uses the litter tray nicely, and we’ve recently started letting him into the garden with us which he loves.

He likes being up high and for the first week often perched up on a bookcase in the living room, but slept on the couch. Last week he started going up on top of the fridge/freezer and napping there, so like a fool I put a box he had previously been enjoying up there with his blanket in. Now he thinks that’s his bed, and when not being actively involved in the household he hops right up. I know it’s not really any different to our other cat sleeping on our bed or in her own cat bed (she was the one cat in the world who liked an actual bed) but it feels really anti-social - and he also gets down onto the spot where hot drinks are made so it’s potentially dangerous too. If we go through he comes straight down for pets and to play so it’s not that he’s hiding away/scared.

I tried moving his box to the couch where he previously slept but he wasn’t for it. Our last cat went through phases where she’d sleep in one place for a week then stop completely, but she did always default to her own bed. Any tips or am I destined to have a fridge cat forever?

Cat tax paid - extra photos to show he is a happy wee rogue and definitely not hiding out because he’s worried!

Persuading cat to sleep elsewhere
Persuading cat to sleep elsewhere
Persuading cat to sleep elsewhere
OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
soupfiend · 15/05/2024 21:59

Thats his bed, you're not going to persuade him to sleep elsewhere. Its over

Until of course you get to the point where you're ok with him sleeping up there and have accepted it and the minute that happens he will find somewhere else inappropriate to sleep.

HTH

Scampuss · 15/05/2024 22:01

He is very handsome.

You will need to move where you make drinks I think Easter Grin

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 15/05/2024 22:04

He is a handsome devil and I suspected that would be the answers!

To make matters worse, next to the fridge (the hot drink counter/jumping point) is the green kitchen waste caddy. Yesterday I put some slightly dubious looking ham in it, and I don’t think I need to tell you the rest of how that story goes…

OP posts:
BlunderMifflin · 15/05/2024 22:17

Our cat has various sleeping places in a sort of rotation. So currently he sleeps in his front room bed on the floor, his bed on top of my chest of drawers, and the sofa. This will last a few months and then he will change it up. It might be my bed, a box in the corner of the front room and a bed on the floor of my bedroom. Then a few months later it'll change again. Every year or so, beds/places he hasn't slept in for months and months will suddenly come back into rotation! He's a funny chap.

BlunderMifflin · 15/05/2024 22:17

Also how can I teach my cat to stand up like in your second photo please? 😂😂

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 15/05/2024 22:28

@BlunderMifflin i wish I could attach a video because he actually DANCES. It is quite the cutest thing you will ever see (if you do want to see, DM me and I’ll link you up to an Instagram reel). That was him just about to start busting out his moves.

OP posts:
Neverpostagain · 15/05/2024 22:32

God he is so beautiful! Obviously he must sleep wherever he wants.

murasaki · 15/05/2024 22:37

BlunderMifflin · 15/05/2024 22:17

Our cat has various sleeping places in a sort of rotation. So currently he sleeps in his front room bed on the floor, his bed on top of my chest of drawers, and the sofa. This will last a few months and then he will change it up. It might be my bed, a box in the corner of the front room and a bed on the floor of my bedroom. Then a few months later it'll change again. Every year or so, beds/places he hasn't slept in for months and months will suddenly come back into rotation! He's a funny chap.

My boy does this. Current rotation is the chest of drawers on the landing,my bedside table or the coffee table.

0ther rotations have included the kitchen worktop, tv cabinet and armchair.

It's cyclical, he'll move on in time.
A few years ago the top of the fridge was a favourite but he went off it. Ditto to the top of the washing machine.

Autumn1990 · 15/05/2024 22:38

Yes your are going to have to change where you make hot drinks as he’s not going to move. We had a fridge freezer cat growing up, it was actually fine and kept him out of the way unlike the im going to sprawl anywhere on the floor cat who was always in the way.

Toddlerteaplease · 15/05/2024 22:45

soupfiend · 15/05/2024 21:59

Thats his bed, you're not going to persuade him to sleep elsewhere. Its over

Until of course you get to the point where you're ok with him sleeping up there and have accepted it and the minute that happens he will find somewhere else inappropriate to sleep.

HTH

True. He is absolutely gorgeous!

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 15/05/2024 22:46

Gah. His options are:

Two double beds - ours has fresh sheets on today - previous cat wouldn’t have waited five seconds to put hair on them
Two sofas
One armchair
One pouffe/footstool thing
Two cat beds, one by the living room radiator and one by the kitchen radiator
Two office chairs - mine even has a fleecy blanket on it
Manky old Amazon box on top of the fridge

Surely it’s a no-brainer?

OP posts:
teaandtoastwithmarmite · 15/05/2024 22:46

He’s so cute

murasaki · 15/05/2024 22:48

Oh i forgot the office chair. He loved it. So much.

And then I stopped using it, and now it is as dead to him.

RogueFemale · 15/05/2024 22:50

As you know, cats change their preferred snoozing places constantly. If you don't want him on top of the fridge, just take away the box, - he won't mind and will move on to new pastures.

marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 15/05/2024 22:50

Get a large pot for the garden and put a shrub in in-he'll curl round that nicely in the sun.

StarDolphins · 15/05/2024 22:50

Good luck persuading a cat to do anything other than what he wants to do🤣 he’s actually the boss.

Ge’s also very gorgeous! What a lovely boy!

RogueFemale · 15/05/2024 22:51

P.S. He is gorgeous and what fantastic whiskers!

PurplePansy05 · 15/05/2024 22:54

Ah that title has tickled me. You obviously know you can't make him change his mind. He's so handsome, btw, gorgeous.

You made a mistake of putting a box up there, you knew how this was going to go!

You might try putting alternative boxes with some blankets inside around the house but prepare for no interest!

FWIW, my cats also have their favourite snoozing spots on rotation bit one is a little rascal and sleeps on top of the kitchen cupboards, on top of a wardrobe or inside the wardrobe! I don't need to tell you how many heart attacks I've had looking for her, jumping when I suddenly heard a thump in the middle of the night. Or how many times I accidentally shut her in the wardrobe. Honestly, life would be so dull without their quirks!

Charliecatpaws · 15/05/2024 23:10

Scampuss · 15/05/2024 22:01

He is very handsome.

You will need to move where you make drinks I think Easter Grin

This is the answer - I totally agree 😻

reallyworriedjobhunter · 15/05/2024 23:24

Accept that the kitchen is now his bedroom. Build a new kitchen elsewhere but be prepared that he may well take ownership of that room too.

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 15/05/2024 23:29

We have a utility room - should we move the kettle in there?

OP posts:
Tiredgrumpyhormones · 15/05/2024 23:38

My cat used to sleep on my chest of drawers but she was t a great jumper so I bought a smaller chest of drawers for her to use as a step. Wouldn’t use a bed but a dog mat.

next house she hated her bed but chose the small gap between sofa and wall on a blanket. It was warm and snuggly in winter. She also had the bed in the spare room

current house has a bunk bed going on. Used single bed and has blanket under bed too. But as it’s my office we are on a timeshare. Rest of time is on her dig mat at back of sofa. I just let her choose her spot and put the bed there.

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 17/05/2024 20:42

Just updating to say that when the CP volunteer dropped him off he came with this manky old towel from his original home which he had slept on in foster care. I popped it on the couch and here we are. Bye box!

Persuading cat to sleep elsewhere
OP posts:
Judystilldreamsofhorses · 17/05/2024 20:42

Also love this pic from this afternoon 🐈🧡

Persuading cat to sleep elsewhere
OP posts:
Puppylucky · 17/05/2024 22:01

Such a mournful little face - he reminds me of a French provincial mayor from a Wes Anderson film! So glad he's making you happy after your sad loss

Swipe left for the next trending thread