Nighttime Behavior ... HELP!!!

[hassan'smom]

I have a huge problem that is plaguing the ENTIRE household. OK, for my cat's entire life (3 years), he has always slept with me on my bed at night. He'd usually sleep through the entire night until I woke up. Now, for the past few weeks or so, he refuses to sleep in my room (I haven't changed anything around). He jumps off the bed and instantly goes over to my roomate's closed bedroom door. He'll scratch and cry until I go out to the living room where he'll follow me and finally fall asleep. My roomate doesn't want to allow him to sleep with her since she isn't that fond of cats and he room contains many breakable items that he already likes to throw around. This behavior of his is seriously ruining my life. I get no amount of sleep and then I have to deal with listening to my roomate complain in the morning. I've tried exhausting the cat before bedtime (with playtime) and I've even tried Kitty Calm Down a herbal aid for crazy animals, but nothing works. Any advice?

 

[debra myers]

I think there is something in there that your babe wants to investigate!
Figure out what that is, and maybe he will get back to normal!!

 

[sandie]

Hmmm, maybe he smells something different in there. Since your roomate keeps the door closed, it couldnt be something he saw. To keep him away from your roomates door, you can try putting some doubleback tape at the front of the door so it's unpleasant to scratch.

 

[nikki haveachat]

unfortunately, your cat has now trained you to follow him into the living room to investigate whatever-it-is with him and then keep him company till he falls asleep.

You haven't mentioned a breed, but you may have to take some affirmative action.

Try

a smack on the bum (not hard, more to embarrass than anything else) and a short, firm talking to before placing him\\her back on the usual sleeping place

squirting him with a water gun (if possible from your bed)

locking him out for the night (not sure if this is possible)

locking him in some sound proof room\\garage for the night (with all the appropriate comforts of course)

earplugs for yourself and your roommate and ignoring him completely until he gives up.

I have a Burmese who pushes and pushes the naughtiness boundaries, JUST a l-i-t-t-l-e each time. However, whenever she gets totally over the top, she gets number 1 treatment, although in my case its a smack on the bum and thrown (not literally) into the living room, where she sits and sulks for several minutes before returning to the bedroom to pretend that butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. (about once a quarter things usually come to a head).

I noticed someone posting about an aggressive cat - if its Burmese do watch out, you do have to treat them a little more like dogs and set limits. - although I must say I don't know if the traditional Burmese and the American Burmese share the same characters...interested to know?

 

[sandie]

Please do not ever smack a cat no matter how soft you think you may be doing it. Of course there's always an exception to a rule, but generally cats will react negative to this kind of punishment. It teaches them fear rather than learning anything.

 

[hissy]

Please don't ever hit a cat no matter how soft you think the tap is. Also squirt bottles tend to terrorize many cats as they are afraid of water and if you get water into the inner ear, you are looking at an expensive vet bill to get that fixed.

You can spray the front of the roomate's door at the base with lemon scented air freshener, you can put things into your room that will entice the kitty to stay in there with you at night, such as a planter of cat grass, those cardboard scratching pads that you just toss on the floor. Hang up some cat toys, appeal to the curious side of this cat and make him want to stay in the room with you. You haven't changed bedspreads or anything? Or done something even so slight to change the enviornment that you don't recall that you did it at all? Something has happened to alter this cat's normal behaviour, and I wonder, if maybe a workman has been in the place and scared the cat or something? Cats are creatures of habit, and somehow this cat is trying to reach you to let you know something changed, it is up to you to figure out what that is.

 

[nikki haveachat]

good grief, you guys must have dainty little porcelein cats.
Not like the ones I know, that smack each other as they go past, fight with the neighbours, hunt and generally make trouble.

 

[hissy]

for a cat to *smack* another cat, and another thing for a heavy-handed human to *smack* a cat. For one, it is counter productive because the cat believes you are attacking it, and will go on the defensive. Cats are not like dogs, they do not respond to *smacks* and taps and if that is how someone has to respond to a cat, then that person should not own a cat. I have ferals and they wrestle and fight and play among themselves, and when they do come inside and do inappropriate behaviour, I do not *smack* or tap them back in line. I use other methods to reach them, methods that are more effective than smacking is.

 

[sandie]

No, I havn't seen any cats made of porcelin. Then again, I have never seen a cat that weighed over 100 pounds. While it may be fine for them to "smack" each other being that they weigh 20 some pounds at most, it is unacceptable for a human hand to put fear into a cat.

 

[nena10]

I like to second Hissy's and Sandie's responses. Never hit a cat(or a dog). There area more effective ways to teach them than to hit them. I never in my life hit an animal. My mother used a newspaper but that is in the old days. I don't know if they have them in New Zealand, but there is a device were you can use it effectively on your pet. I will try and get the info on this. But please, don't punish your animals with hands. I always tell Rascal a big NO! and he understands.

To the woman who has problems with the cat, try closing the door to your room. No matter if the cat cries. Or maybe get him a companion.
Rascal does the same thing. I live in a house. I rent a room in the basement. That is were Rascal stays until I go home and when I go to sleep. When I am home, he likes to go next door to another man's room(closed) and just stays there. Meows and tries to crawl under the door. The crack is way too small. So I keep him with me until I go to my bed. I close the door to my room. He has everything in there(food, water, litterbox, his bed, and toys). Is your cat neutered?