Getting A Cat To Go To Bed - Like Getting Blood From A Stone?

[Tabbytha]

Have just discovered this site and what a fantastic resource it is!

I have a question around night time routines for those who put their kitties to 'bed' - ie. to sleep in a separate room rather than having the run of the house. We have two mainly indoor cats, a boy and a girl, who have always been to put at the end of the night in a separate room (our laundry, which is decent sized). I know this is contentious but we do this because otherwise it's witching hour right outside our bedroom door and we kept getting woken up. The laundry has a big window for them to look out of, their food and water bowls, their litter trays, two beds and toys.

Our boy loves bedtime - we only have to say the word before he dutifully trots into the laundry to rest in his bed. He's a very placid sort who sleeps a lot! Our girl on the other hand is a completely different story. Although she's smoochy, she HATES being picked up (we had her checked up as we thought she was in pain, but she's healthy) and refuses to go into the laundry to sleep. This results in her diving under the lounge, which we have to shift to try and pick her up (cue howling, growling and hissing) in order to put her to bed. It's stressful for all involved, so we're trying to find different ways to get her to go in there. It's also becoming a habit, that when we get up to go to bed she'll start growling at us and go hide.

She's not food motivated, so feeding her at bed time doesn't work. We've tried playing with them to tire them out, but while my boy will play, my girl is suspicious and will only swat a paw from her hiding spot under the couch. We've tried ignoring her by going to bed, turning the lights out and then coming out again in 1/2 hour to see if she's wandered into the laundry, but that doesn't work either. We've tried to keep them active during the day so they sleep at night, but that's hard when we're not always around.

Are we fighting a losing battle? Should we just let her stay out and be resigned to being woken up? Or is there something else we can try?

Here's a pic of them when they do actually snooze...

 

[susanm9006]

If enticing her with a great treat served in the laundry room at bedtime doesn’t work, I don’t know what will. But have you tried shutting him in the laundry and leaving her to roam. Perhaps on her own she won’t wake you up.

 

[Tabbytha]

Can give that a go but she hates being apart from her brother...then again that may help her see that she prefers being with him than being out?

 

[danteshuman]

Attach 2 by 4's to the lounge so she can't get under? Then just gently chase her to the room saying bed the entire time? Personally I'm all for letting cats sleep with you.

 

[ailish]

In my limited experience, a closed door is a siren song to many cats. If your bedroom door is closed, you may find that opening it solves your problem. My cat learned that when I get under the covers and turn out the light, play time is over. She learned this because for about a week when she tried to play I ignored her completely. Now when she sees me get into bed she either curls up at the end of the bed or decides I'm boring and goes elsewhere in search of fun.

As far as "getting cats" to do something... You first "get a cat" from the rescue or a friend or whatever. That is the last time you will "get a cat." I have never found it possible to "get a cat" to do anything. You can help them want to do something. Maybe. I was able to help my cat not run away when she saw her carrier. I have not yet figured out how to help her like the bed I bought her, but i'm working on it.

 

[Tabbytha]

Thanks for the advice

An update: we've been still playing with them before bed time, and although she doesn't always join in, she's less suspicious than she is before, so I can sometimes lead her in with the toy. I've found that even moving the water bowl into the laundry will get her curious enough to go explore, and then she's in the room. Sometimes she falls asleep on my lap, so I can put her to bed that way. And sometimes she still hides under the couch...but we're celebrating the little wins.