Hi, I'm looking for some helpful suggestions!

We have an adorable 17 month old female tabby (Bobi) who loves to share our bedroom with us. She will happily settle down with us when we go to bed but unfortunately she has developed an annoying habit of scratching at the mirrored wardrobe doors at 2:30am every morning. We have tried just ignoring her and also squirting her with a water pistol as suggested (hubby got a cracker of a water pistol for xmas from his brother for this very purpose lol) but nothing seems to work. Last night we fashioned a screen across the front of the doors about 4 foot high but she saw that as a challenge and leapt up to touch the mirror above it!

We really don't want to keep shutting her out of the room as she's a little sweetheart at other times, but the lack of sleep is starting to get to us in a big way. Does anyone have any tips as to how we can break this habit or calm her down at night?

Many thanks and sorry for the long post.

Jojofob

Sent you a pm

Don't have pets in the bedroom.

This ^

We have never had Winnie upstairs, particularly at night. She sleeps downstairs where she can play as much as she likes if she chooses to.

She is most playful and cheerful in the morning.

again this^^^^^.

What time is her last feed of the night. I do feed mine later on about an hour before we go too bed and it usualy works. I know you shouldnt have animals in your bedroom . We have to put something underneath our doors as we have a couple that can open them. After a while you do get used to it though.

My cat has moments of weirdness when she becomes obsessed with the shut cupboard doors. One of two things seem to be happening - either your cat can see their reflection and is trying to get at the 'other cat', in which case try covering the mirror and see whether it stops, or needs to get inside because she is curious. I just open the doors when mine gets like that. I couldn't possibly shut my cat out of the bedroom as she sleeps on my bed and it seems to be the place she feels safest in. She never sleeps anywhere other than my room - not even during the day.

Do what we do. Let the cats out at night and keep them in the house in the daytime.

That's what a cat really wants.

Some cats are indoor cats for a reason. You dont have to let your cat out all night. Mine usualy go out in the morning come back 10 mins later have something more to eat go out again. They are always in by 3pm or they will follow me too school

I can understand expensive cats being kept indoors but your regular mog cat is happiest outdoors at night time doing what cats do..hunting.

I made the mistake once of letting him stay in as it was cold outside and he pooed in my daughters bedroom. Couldn't get the smell out of there for weeks no matter how much we cleaned it.

Never again.

Not are moggies like going out doors we let guinness out this morning he walks to the bottom of the drive turns around and walks back inside. I do have a cat flap but its been taped up for over a year now. The flapping got on my nerves. It doesnt bother me about other cats coming in my will chase them out within seconds. They ask to go outside and go to sleep every night by 12

Cool. I suppose it's what routine you choose to get them into from an early age.

I've contemplated a cat flap but we live on a street where there must be 20-30 cats.

They dont so much have a routine but they are so ascustomed to our ways, They do have the run of the house during the day. They open up the living room door. I was in the bathroom the other day doing what you do and one pops out of the bath. Stalker is the baby of the family and follows me around all the time. Spirit sleeps next to me sometimes she lays on her back i tell her too and she is asleep with in minutes. Chester has is own corner of the settee and sulks for ages if another cat sits there. They all like sleepying near another cat. They understand words like prawns, buscuits. If you open there food cupboard up they are all there with in a second thinking they are going to get fed again. If they dont come when the food is out we just shout children and they all come running. Children for us a quicker way of getting them all there at the same time.

My two sleep on top of top of the DVD player which is on a glass shelf between the Sky box and the TV. I guess it's warm for them there.

My mog is currently asleep on my bed (12.20 a.m.). She will stay there until I get up sometime in the morning (maybe occasionally getting up for a drink and a cuddle, but by and large, all night). I tend to work mostly in the evenings, so she gets her last trip outside at around 11.30p.m., will bother me until I shut the window and then get herself off to (my) bed. She hates to be outside during the night and prefers to be where she is safe from other cats - snuggled up next to me. She has litter trays, but very rarely uses them, prefering to go outside. We fell into this routine by accident and it has been like this almost since the time she decided to move in. She does have the occasional moments when she needs a cuddle at 5.00 a.m., or the cupboard fascination at 3.00 a.m. I would never put her out at night. Mind you, I can't have a cat flap, so would have to leave a window open which is an invitation to other cats and keeps the house cold. Thankfully she prefers to be warm.

Yup agreed. I used to let my cats sleep on the bed until they developed a habit to wake me up at at 4am for food or to go out or just to play. They wouldn't give up no matter if I ignored them, pushed them away, shouted or anything. Only option was to not let them sleep on the bed.

i cant let my cat in our bedroom as im allergic to him now but as a kitten he used to wake us up by bouncing on our faces and playing on the bed, we started with putting him out as soon as he started. if i were you i would get up and put the cat outside the bedroom as soon as it starts at the doors. no talking or fussing just put it outside the door and close the door on it. i bet after a few nights of this it will get the hint that if it wakes you up it will be shoved out of the nice comfy warm bedroom it worked with our boy, it took i think 4 nights, and he learnt to jump around meant him being shut out of the bedroom.

thankfully once he was neutered at 6months and him getting a taste for the great outdoors, he decided outside was better than inside suring the night. good job too as i would have felt really bad banning him from our bedroom due to my allergies. we now say bed time and let the dog out for a pee and he shoots out the door and off over the fence. come 7 in the morning he emerges from his cat kennel and lets himself in the door

Mine go to sleep when I do and purr on the bed next to me until the morning.. all I can suggest is not letting her in the room

One of my cats sleeps on the other end of my bed and always goes upstairs at 10.30, fortunately he does not get up until I do and he is a very heavy sleeper.

On occasions, if I am still up at midnight he will come downstairs and complain!

Yeah, I get that too.

To Jojofob: Maybe your 17-month kitty will grow out of it?

I've learned to live with my cat's nocturnal habits. To be honest he doesn't play in the early hours, but he gets up too early for my likes (especially in the summer when it's light early).

As others have said, if it's affecting your quality of sleep you are going to have to shut her out, shame though it is.

He can complain all he likes but I refuse to go to bed at 10;30 every night just to please a cat!

Hi folks.

Thanks very much for all the replies Will certainly be trying out some of the tips.

We shut Bobi out of the bedroom last night but both still woke up at 2:30am anyway!! Guess we've just got used to it Going to try doing that for a few nights and then let her back in and see if she has got the message!

I know some people feel you shouldn't let pets in the bedroom but every owner is different

Thanks again

Jojofob

Socks likes to go upstairs about 7.30, sleeps on landing or on the bed. Gets upset if he can't go to bed and Boots is asleep on the corner of the bed. They sleep most of the night and get really annoyed if I can't sleep and toss and turn. They glare at me.

have you forgotten your place in the great scheme of things?

Yes, they say cats own you not the other way round.