My cat scratches and meows at my bedroom door

L
Lilolaaa Icon representing the flag French
Report

Hi everyone,

I have a 9-month-old neutered cat who I actually live with! Yes, I'm just his human and I live in his flat... he’s giving me a real run for my money! He does whatever he wants, whenever he wants! I have absolutely no authority over him.

He hasn't been allowed to sleep in the bedroom with me for a few months now, otherwise he just runs riot. He climbs into the wardrobe, throws my clothes on the floor, eats my vest straps and belts... plays with my make-up, chews the cables... So, he sleeps in the living room. And every day it’s the same old story: when I go to bed, he scratches and meows at the door. While he eventually gives up and goes to sleep at night, he’s relentless in the morning! On weekdays, he starts scratching from 6am until I get up, and at the weekend — like this morning for instance — it lasted from 6am until noon! Six hours of intense scratching and meowing (ranging from a little "Please open the door, please" meow to a massive "If you don't open this door, I'll huff and I'll puff and blow it down!" kind of yowl). I also suspect he’s charging head-first into the door!

He takes little 5 to 10-minute breaks and then starts all over again! He even does it in the middle of the night sometimes. I’ve tried everything: scruffing him, giving him a little smack on the bum, ignoring him completely, spraying him with water... but nothing works. My living room has turned into a swimming pool and the cat couldn't care less. He has dry food left out for him all the time, so he isn't hungry. Sometimes I end up sleeping on the sofa in the living room just for some peace and quiet. The more I say no, the more he carries on. Do you have any advice on how I can finally get this stubborn boy to "respect" me?

Translated from French
icon info

The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.

Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.

Write your message and upload a photo if you want to! Please remain courteous in your exchanges.

Your post will be visible to all members of the international Wamiz forum.

14 answers
Sort by:
  • Show previous comments
    • Blue_Cat
    Blue_cat Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    Earplugs (for you)! The cat will eventually get the hint, but in the meantime, the best way to save your sleep is with some ear protection. They’re a bit uncomfortable at first, but you get used to them really quickly, and the peace and quiet is heaven! I can’t live without mine now.

    Translated from French
    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    I know exactly how you feel, I’m having the same trouble. Mind you, mine has never even slept in my bedroom because my boyfriend won't let him :-( if I’d known this beforehand, I wouldn't have got another cat...

    For me, every single night for the past seven months has been a nightmare!! He scratches and scratches, and I’ve tried everything; I end up locking him in the bathroom every night!

    My daughter’s bedroom door is open, but no, it’s me he wants to sleep with. So if anyone has a solution, I’m all ears, because I love my cat but when it comes to the nights, I just want to chuck him out the window lol

    Translated from French
    L
    Lilolaaa Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    Thanks for all your advice.

    I’ve tried using a repellent spray, but he actually seems to love the smell... I tried putting him in the bathroom, but he scratches like mad and yowls so loudly I can hear him throughout the house... And he's wrecking the door and the wall. The only option is the balcony, but it’s freezing at the moment, so when I put him out there I only leave him for five minutes, and as soon as he’s back in, he starts all over again. He has dry food available all the time, plus toys he loves that I replace regularly. In the evening he leaves me in peace because he's playing with his toys, but in the morning he couldn't care less about them. He’s got a bed, a throw on the sofa, and a big cat tree that he happily goes to sleep on once he’s finally managed to get me out of bed. I really don’t know what to do anymore; it’s like he takes great delight in winding me up. I can’t seem to get him to understand "no". When I tell him no and try to stop him from being naughty, he gets cross – ears pinned back, a mean look in his eyes – and he just carries on...

    Translated from French
    ProvetoJuniorConseil
    Provetojuniorconseil Icon representing the flag French
    Expert verified
    Report
    Hi there, Unfortunately, if he got into the habit of sleeping with you when he was a kitten, there’s a good chance he won’t be very happy about being suddenly shut out like that... It would’ve been better to get him used to sleeping in the living room from the start... Does he have things to keep him busy at night? Toys, interactive dry food dispensers, that sort of thing. Maybe if he manages to occupy himself, he’ll stop bothering you so much. If that doesn’t work, as I can see you’ve already tried quite a lot to discourage him, you might have to resort to more drastic measures: - either put him in another room for the night, further away from your bedroom where you can’t hear him (like the bathroom or kitchen...) - or use a deterrent to keep him away from your room: without using chemicals, you could try putting some pepper across the threshold of your door (it’s not very practical, but just for a while to see if he gives up, as cats hate the smell of pepper). Good luck, Julie
    Translated from French

  • 14 comments out of 14

    • Do you have a question? An experience to share? Create a post on our forum!
    These topics could be of interest to you!
    Find out more