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#1
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What's the best way to deter our cat from scratching at our bedroom door?
With my husband's allergies and our soon-to-be-arriving baby that we will be
cosleeping with, we made the decision a few weeks ago to keep the cats out of the bedroom. We are extremely happy with the decision and we are both breathing better at night (we are both slightly allergic to them). My husband doesn't have to take extra allergy medicine anymore and his asthma has improved. We did a thorough cleanup this past weekend and it is amazing how much cat hair gets around our routine cleanings. Unfortunately, our oldest cat Luna is not pleased with the decision at all. He is a half-Maine Coon neutered male who just turned 4. He is definitely the dominant cat, and I am "his". He is a very intelligent cat and discipline has always been difficult with him. When he gets squirted with a water bottle, he knows that we are doing it (as opposed to our younger half-Siamese Mina who has an almost comical "where the heck did that come from" reaction). He knows the meaning of the word "No" and the tone/gesture for "Out", but being a typical cat, he will usually stall and sulk. He basically has an "I don't care attitude" when we try and discipline him. Early on, he had an obsession with clawing and meowing at the front door to get out. As a kitten, we used to let him out for short, monitored excursions since we've never lived anywhere where I've felt safe letting him wander at will (we're now in the country but we live 100 feet from a heavily traveled road and since we've lived here I've been unable to avoid hitting 2 cats and have dodged dozens more). After a while, though, he used those excursions to try and run and hide in order to stay outside and they only made the clawing and meowing worse, so we discontinued them, except for every couple months or so. He rarely meows or scratches at an outside door (it also helps we have an indoor porch between him and the outside now), but we still have to be on guard for him rushing past us. Well anyways, he has started a campaign of clawing and meowing at our bedroom door once or multiple times during the night. We tried ignoring it, but it made no difference to him, and after several days of interrupted sleep, we found a yelled "NO" would usually suffice. That didn't last long. We tried the squirt bottle, but within a few days of that, when he hears us getting up to squirt him, he'll be all the way down the hall or hiding in the bathroom (I know discipline doesn't count unless you catch them in the act, so what if they know they're doing something wrong and run away from the discipline - I'm really confused about this). We keep the bathroom door closed now, which eliminated a place to hide, but that only worked a few days. What we've been doing now, is that when he scratches the first time, my husband will squirt him into the living room (if he isn't already there) and close the door between the living room and hallway (he'll claw and meow at that door too but we can only barely hear him thank goodness). The only problem is that doing that isolates them from their litter box (and we don't want the mess/hassle of setting up a second one in there), so we can't do that too long. It also hasn't made any difference with his scratching if the door comes open or my husband forgets to close it when he leaves for work in the morning. It drives me crazy that HE KNOWS that its driving us crazy. LOL I wasn't always sure if it was the case, but I'm pretty sure that Luna is aiming for any attention he can get from us, negative or not. When I open the door and he's already down the hall, he's already won for all purposes of the interaction. He's even started trying to run/sneak past us into the bedroom or into the hallway door when we open them to discipline him, like he thinks we won't do anything to him once he gets in there (yeah right). His persistence is driving me crazy, but there is no way that I am reversing my decision. I'm at my wits end and sleeping right now is hard enough without the meowing and scratching (I'm awake at the first scratch). Any suggestions? We've pondered duct tape, which we've used with decent success in the closet where their litter box is due to the very loud scratching/pounding he would do after using the litter box. I think a Scat Mat would be perfect for this purpose, but we honestly can't afford one right now (I've even checked eBay). I've never used Feliway, but I've heard it discussed here. Would that have a chance of working? Am I right in that Luna isn't being picky over positive or negative attention? In that case, is there anything differently behaviorally we could do? I'm very tired, very frustrated, but committed to keeping the family together. - Joanne |
#2
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"jjmoreta" wrote in message ... snip I'm at my wits end and sleeping right now is hard enough without the meowing and scratching (I'm awake at the first scratch). Any suggestions? We've pondered duct tape, which we've used with decent success in the closet where their litter box is due to the very loud scratching/pounding he would do after using the litter box. I think a Scat Mat would be perfect for this purpose, but we honestly can't afford one right now (I've even checked eBay). I've never used Feliway, but I've heard it discussed here. Would that have a chance of working? Am I right in that Luna isn't being picky over positive or negative attention? In that case, is there anything differently behaviorally we could do? I'm very tired, very frustrated, but committed to keeping the family together. - Joanne I wonder if a citrus-scented air freshener in the hallway near your door might not keep him away. Or some citrus scented cleaner around the area of your door. Cats generally dislike the smell of citrus and will avoid things that smell of it. It might not help with the meowing so much, but would keep him away from the door. Aside from that, I think your duct tape idea might be good. rona |
#3
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"jjmoreta" wrote in message ... snip I'm at my wits end and sleeping right now is hard enough without the meowing and scratching (I'm awake at the first scratch). Any suggestions? We've pondered duct tape, which we've used with decent success in the closet where their litter box is due to the very loud scratching/pounding he would do after using the litter box. I think a Scat Mat would be perfect for this purpose, but we honestly can't afford one right now (I've even checked eBay). I've never used Feliway, but I've heard it discussed here. Would that have a chance of working? Am I right in that Luna isn't being picky over positive or negative attention? In that case, is there anything differently behaviorally we could do? I'm very tired, very frustrated, but committed to keeping the family together. - Joanne I wonder if a citrus-scented air freshener in the hallway near your door might not keep him away. Or some citrus scented cleaner around the area of your door. Cats generally dislike the smell of citrus and will avoid things that smell of it. It might not help with the meowing so much, but would keep him away from the door. Aside from that, I think your duct tape idea might be good. rona |
#4
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"jjmoreta" wrote in message ... snip I'm at my wits end and sleeping right now is hard enough without the meowing and scratching (I'm awake at the first scratch). Any suggestions? We've pondered duct tape, which we've used with decent success in the closet where their litter box is due to the very loud scratching/pounding he would do after using the litter box. I think a Scat Mat would be perfect for this purpose, but we honestly can't afford one right now (I've even checked eBay). I've never used Feliway, but I've heard it discussed here. Would that have a chance of working? Am I right in that Luna isn't being picky over positive or negative attention? In that case, is there anything differently behaviorally we could do? I'm very tired, very frustrated, but committed to keeping the family together. - Joanne I wonder if a citrus-scented air freshener in the hallway near your door might not keep him away. Or some citrus scented cleaner around the area of your door. Cats generally dislike the smell of citrus and will avoid things that smell of it. It might not help with the meowing so much, but would keep him away from the door. Aside from that, I think your duct tape idea might be good. rona |
#5
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snip
First of all, stop being so mean to your cat. Yelling at him, chasing him and squirting him will not work (as you seem to have figured out) and it's abusive. This poor cat has, until recently, spent his whole life sleeping with you and cuddling, and it stands to reason that having that suddenly taken away is upsetting to him. Punishing him so severely and cruelly for what is an appropriate reaction is unfair and wrong. If this were a child I would hope you would approach this with KINDNESS and UNDERSTANDING, and work with him in a way that eases his anxieties about the change and use positive measures to make the change easier. I would suggest that you make the hour before bedtime a special time for you and your cat. Play with him, snuggle him and give him lots of attention. Give him that to look forward to as an alternative to sleeping with you at night. You should also, for now, put a tall scratching post next to your door. Once you go to bed, don't respond to his scratching the door AT ALL. No getting out of bed and chasing him, no yelling, no squirting. Wear earplugs if you must, but stop getting up and negatively reacting to him. Just like children, cats will sometimes settle for negative attention rather than nothing at all. It may take a few days or more, but if your cat doesn't get a response to his scratching behavior he will stop the scratching and settle down for the night. Just remember that the key to getting a cat to do what you want is to BE KIND. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#6
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snip
First of all, stop being so mean to your cat. Yelling at him, chasing him and squirting him will not work (as you seem to have figured out) and it's abusive. This poor cat has, until recently, spent his whole life sleeping with you and cuddling, and it stands to reason that having that suddenly taken away is upsetting to him. Punishing him so severely and cruelly for what is an appropriate reaction is unfair and wrong. If this were a child I would hope you would approach this with KINDNESS and UNDERSTANDING, and work with him in a way that eases his anxieties about the change and use positive measures to make the change easier. I would suggest that you make the hour before bedtime a special time for you and your cat. Play with him, snuggle him and give him lots of attention. Give him that to look forward to as an alternative to sleeping with you at night. You should also, for now, put a tall scratching post next to your door. Once you go to bed, don't respond to his scratching the door AT ALL. No getting out of bed and chasing him, no yelling, no squirting. Wear earplugs if you must, but stop getting up and negatively reacting to him. Just like children, cats will sometimes settle for negative attention rather than nothing at all. It may take a few days or more, but if your cat doesn't get a response to his scratching behavior he will stop the scratching and settle down for the night. Just remember that the key to getting a cat to do what you want is to BE KIND. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#7
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snip
First of all, stop being so mean to your cat. Yelling at him, chasing him and squirting him will not work (as you seem to have figured out) and it's abusive. This poor cat has, until recently, spent his whole life sleeping with you and cuddling, and it stands to reason that having that suddenly taken away is upsetting to him. Punishing him so severely and cruelly for what is an appropriate reaction is unfair and wrong. If this were a child I would hope you would approach this with KINDNESS and UNDERSTANDING, and work with him in a way that eases his anxieties about the change and use positive measures to make the change easier. I would suggest that you make the hour before bedtime a special time for you and your cat. Play with him, snuggle him and give him lots of attention. Give him that to look forward to as an alternative to sleeping with you at night. You should also, for now, put a tall scratching post next to your door. Once you go to bed, don't respond to his scratching the door AT ALL. No getting out of bed and chasing him, no yelling, no squirting. Wear earplugs if you must, but stop getting up and negatively reacting to him. Just like children, cats will sometimes settle for negative attention rather than nothing at all. It may take a few days or more, but if your cat doesn't get a response to his scratching behavior he will stop the scratching and settle down for the night. Just remember that the key to getting a cat to do what you want is to BE KIND. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#8
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wrote in message ... snip First of all, stop being so mean to your cat. Yelling at him, chasing him and squirting him will not work (as you seem to have figured out) and it's abusive. This poor cat has, until recently, spent his whole life sleeping with you and cuddling, and it stands to reason that having that suddenly taken away is upsetting to him. Punishing him so severely and cruelly for what is an appropriate reaction is unfair and wrong. If this were a child I would hope you would approach this with KINDNESS and UNDERSTANDING, and work with him in a way that eases his anxieties about the change and use positive measures to make the change easier. I would suggest that you make the hour before bedtime a special time for you and your cat. Play with him, snuggle him and give him lots of attention. Give him that to look forward to as an alternative to sleeping with you at night. You should also, for now, put a tall scratching post next to your door. Once you go to bed, don't respond to his scratching the door AT ALL. No getting out of bed and chasing him, no yelling, no squirting. Wear earplugs if you must, but stop getting up and negatively reacting to him. Just like children, cats will sometimes settle for negative attention rather than nothing at all. It may take a few days or more, but if your cat doesn't get a response to his scratching behavior he will stop the scratching and settle down for the night. Or maybe not. Ours did it for 17 years despite being totally ignored. He died a couple of years ago and I still miss him but the sleep is wonderful! Soft earplugs do help but sometimes you don't hear the alarm! We tried lots of things with William, soon figuring out that reacting to him didn't work. He was a big lad at 15 lbs and letting him in the bedroom was a non-starter - he would walk on me all through the night and keep me awake. Or sit on my head. Or pee on the bed. By ignoring him we did eventually get some sleep but his habit of yowling and rattling the kitchen door persisted. In summer he would sometimes like to spend a night out and as we live in a very safe area away from roads we would let him. Then at 4 a.m. he would come and yowl outside our bedroom window. Double glazing cured that but it was hot in summer with the windows closed! Tried leaving lights and radios on, giving him blankets & jumpers, extra food etc. Even other cats didn't help. Don't mean to sound negative but if you find a cure please post it for my future reference! Thanks TonyB |
#9
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wrote in message ... snip First of all, stop being so mean to your cat. Yelling at him, chasing him and squirting him will not work (as you seem to have figured out) and it's abusive. This poor cat has, until recently, spent his whole life sleeping with you and cuddling, and it stands to reason that having that suddenly taken away is upsetting to him. Punishing him so severely and cruelly for what is an appropriate reaction is unfair and wrong. If this were a child I would hope you would approach this with KINDNESS and UNDERSTANDING, and work with him in a way that eases his anxieties about the change and use positive measures to make the change easier. I would suggest that you make the hour before bedtime a special time for you and your cat. Play with him, snuggle him and give him lots of attention. Give him that to look forward to as an alternative to sleeping with you at night. You should also, for now, put a tall scratching post next to your door. Once you go to bed, don't respond to his scratching the door AT ALL. No getting out of bed and chasing him, no yelling, no squirting. Wear earplugs if you must, but stop getting up and negatively reacting to him. Just like children, cats will sometimes settle for negative attention rather than nothing at all. It may take a few days or more, but if your cat doesn't get a response to his scratching behavior he will stop the scratching and settle down for the night. Or maybe not. Ours did it for 17 years despite being totally ignored. He died a couple of years ago and I still miss him but the sleep is wonderful! Soft earplugs do help but sometimes you don't hear the alarm! We tried lots of things with William, soon figuring out that reacting to him didn't work. He was a big lad at 15 lbs and letting him in the bedroom was a non-starter - he would walk on me all through the night and keep me awake. Or sit on my head. Or pee on the bed. By ignoring him we did eventually get some sleep but his habit of yowling and rattling the kitchen door persisted. In summer he would sometimes like to spend a night out and as we live in a very safe area away from roads we would let him. Then at 4 a.m. he would come and yowl outside our bedroom window. Double glazing cured that but it was hot in summer with the windows closed! Tried leaving lights and radios on, giving him blankets & jumpers, extra food etc. Even other cats didn't help. Don't mean to sound negative but if you find a cure please post it for my future reference! Thanks TonyB |
#10
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wrote in message ... snip First of all, stop being so mean to your cat. Yelling at him, chasing him and squirting him will not work (as you seem to have figured out) and it's abusive. This poor cat has, until recently, spent his whole life sleeping with you and cuddling, and it stands to reason that having that suddenly taken away is upsetting to him. Punishing him so severely and cruelly for what is an appropriate reaction is unfair and wrong. If this were a child I would hope you would approach this with KINDNESS and UNDERSTANDING, and work with him in a way that eases his anxieties about the change and use positive measures to make the change easier. I would suggest that you make the hour before bedtime a special time for you and your cat. Play with him, snuggle him and give him lots of attention. Give him that to look forward to as an alternative to sleeping with you at night. You should also, for now, put a tall scratching post next to your door. Once you go to bed, don't respond to his scratching the door AT ALL. No getting out of bed and chasing him, no yelling, no squirting. Wear earplugs if you must, but stop getting up and negatively reacting to him. Just like children, cats will sometimes settle for negative attention rather than nothing at all. It may take a few days or more, but if your cat doesn't get a response to his scratching behavior he will stop the scratching and settle down for the night. Or maybe not. Ours did it for 17 years despite being totally ignored. He died a couple of years ago and I still miss him but the sleep is wonderful! Soft earplugs do help but sometimes you don't hear the alarm! We tried lots of things with William, soon figuring out that reacting to him didn't work. He was a big lad at 15 lbs and letting him in the bedroom was a non-starter - he would walk on me all through the night and keep me awake. Or sit on my head. Or pee on the bed. By ignoring him we did eventually get some sleep but his habit of yowling and rattling the kitchen door persisted. In summer he would sometimes like to spend a night out and as we live in a very safe area away from roads we would let him. Then at 4 a.m. he would come and yowl outside our bedroom window. Double glazing cured that but it was hot in summer with the windows closed! Tried leaving lights and radios on, giving him blankets & jumpers, extra food etc. Even other cats didn't help. Don't mean to sound negative but if you find a cure please post it for my future reference! Thanks TonyB |
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