Cat comes knocking in the middle of the night.
 

Hey everyone. I have two cats, both around a year and a half old. Recently, one of them started up again with a habit we thought we'd broken him of months ago: he's scratching at the bedroom door while we're trying to sleep. He usually does this around 4:30 and again around 7:30. We've made sure that the litterbox is scooped, and that he has food and water. He's not lonely, because his sister is up at the same time. I've tried the spray bottle, which he definitely hates, but it's not doing anything to curb the behavior?
What should I do?

-Frustrated and Sleepy.

What happens if you let him in?

My cats do the same, and my solution was to open the door and let them cuddle with me. That is all they really wanted which was to be close. Now the door remains forever open. They come in as they please and they keep me very warm during winter months.

unfortunately, we can't let them in the bedroom. we've also got a lizard and a snake whose tanks are in the bedroom with us, and left to their own devices, the cats (particularly the big, irritating door-scratcher) will sit on top of the tanks and drive the reptiles insane.

All you can do is ignore the scratches. No talking, no getting up, nothing. If the cat consistently gets no response it should give up after a few days.

[QUOTE=perfalcon17x;834222]unfortunately, we can't let them in the bedroom. we've also got a lizard and a snake whose tanks are in the bedroom with us, and left to their own devices, the cats (particularly the big, irritating door-scratcher) will sit on top of the tanks and drive the reptiles insane.[/QUOTE]

I see your dilemma. Never heard of that one before - but hey that is ok with me.

How about toys outside. Lots of toys. There is one in particular that you can add treats in a ball. I really don't know if that would work - but maybe worth a try. Also, get a tent bed for the cats. They like to hide in warm comfy places - this may do the trick.

Dog crates works
 

For those who for whatever reason don't want their cat(s) sleeping with them, a separate room or dog crate works. Do you have a spare room? Give them their evening mea or a treat just before bedtime in the spare room, as well as have litter box and water and "bed" for them to sleep on or a chair. If you don't have a spare room, a medium size wire dog crate works just as well. It's big enough for food and litter and a cat bed or some old blankets and even 2 cats if they like to cuddle with each other. Accustom your cat that this is it's safe and special place. Give it [U]all its treats and meals in the crate[/U]. Leave the crate door open during the day. Have the crate in a warm, draft free place, and lock cat in crate before you go to bed. Cat may protest for a while, but just ignore it and soon it will accept that this is it's special place. My cats get to snuggle with me in bed for a nap, but are too disruptive at night and disturb my sleep. This works for me, and hope it does for you too. :thumbs up

White noise.

Turn a fan on loud enough so u don't hear the cat scratching at the door.

Another idea is to put one of your pillows or clothes you have worn in the living room for them. Maybe just your smell will be enough for them.

several years ago i was momma to a very high strung iguana (zeke) and a very rambunctious kitty (jd). i had the same issue where jd would jump on top of zeke's cage and drive him cuckoo. i didnt want to keep jd away from zeke as his terrarium was in the lvingroom, so i couldnt lock her out of the main living space.
i opted to place double sided sticky tape on top of his terrarium and it solved the problem in a matter of a day! :D
you could also try aluminum foil or even a motion detector ornament that makes noise when it senses motion (like those uber annoying bass fishies or singing pop cans).

best of luck to you :)

I second the motion of the spare room ... our kitten thinks that as soon as we all go to bed that it's play time. She attacks our puppy and will not let any of us sleep, therefore, I turned the spare room into her 'play room' and we put her in at night before we go to bed. It has litter, toys, bed, a blanket, and of course food and water. She cried for a couple of minutes the first night but that was it - she loves it! She can play all she wants - it was a life saver for us because she would keep us up for hours before.