Scratches Door and Windows-Why?

Hi everyone,

It's close to 4 am and I am really at the end of my tether with my cat. Gizmo scratches at doors and windows at all hours of the day and night. I can be sitting at the computer working or laying in bed trying to sleep. The door to my bedroom is open so he could sleep on the bed if he wants to, checked the food bowl to see if it was full, he has got toys that he can play with, and we have got two scratching posts.

I have tried using a quick jet from the water bottle to deter the behaviour to no success. Tonight I lost my temper and shouted at the cat which really upset me but I am really really desparate here.

I suspect that he is doing this to get my attention. My question is how do you deal with his behaviour when alot of people recommend ignoring it if it is attention seeking? I'm finding it really hard here because the scratching at night is interrupting my sleep and abilty to work during the day.

Good ol' Gizmo - what a furry piece of mischief! Although I expect you might be calling him something else by now...

Mom had a cat who knew it was Bad No-No to scratch chairs, and who would do it anyway, I swear because he thought it was funny how mad Mom got. She hung wax paper and aluminum foil on the furniture to stop him. Her apartment wasn't especially attractive for a while, but it did break the habit. Once Charlie was firmly fixed on scratching his scratching posts, she removed the foil and wax paper and he stayed away, too.

Others in the forum have also named double-sided sticky tape as a deterrent - it would deter me! So you might just go in for these kinds of defensive measures until Gizmo gets the message - in the meantime, you can get the sleep!

As cats are marking when they scratch, they leave scent; it might also be a good idea to clean the areas before defending them. I have never done that, but others on the forum will know what the best cleaning agent is...folks?

Thank you for the suggestions. He's actually been quite a bit better as of late with the scratching. Ignoring him seems to be the best way to curb it as it stops now within a few minutes of him doing it if you don't pay attention to him. There's also been no more of it at 4 am. Once I have had no sleep I just get scary and teaching during the day it isn't good for me to be grouchy.

Does Gizmo have the freedom of going outside when he pleases or is he to young at the moment?