An early morning bout of meowing or door-scratching by your cats - whether they miss you or just want to be fed again - can really disrupt your sleep cycle. Here are some creative ideas passed down by cat people on how to deal with this:
¢ Set up a fan outside your bedroom door pointed at the lower part of the door. Cats hate having air blown on their face so they might give up coming in.
¢ Keep a spray bottle of water handy and when he begins meowing, either spray your cat's paws under the door (if the crack is wide enough) or open the door quickly and spray his body with a little water.
¢ If your cat scratches your door instead of meowing at it, try putting up bubble paper, or some double-sided tape on the lower part of the door where his claws are scratching.
Comments
Cait McKnelly 9 years, 11 months ago
My kitties sleep with me. The old neutered tom snuggles down under the covers with me and his purring is just the right white noise to send me to sleep. The kitten will bite my toes and wake me up if they poke out of the covers but a couple of well placed "warm boots" will take care of that. My bedroom door stays open. And like a previous poster I worry that one of them is mad at me for some reason if they don't get in bed with me.
gr 9 years, 11 months ago
If your cat is scratching, try ripping his claws out.
yankeelady 9 years, 11 months ago
It isn't/wasn't common to declaw all 4 feet and pull kitties teeth out. I think that qualifies as cruel.
gr 9 years, 11 months ago
"I hope the people who did that to her were found and prosecuted."Ummm... I don't know about today, but it was fairly common to rip a cat's claws out in the past. It was done and paid through a vet, so that made it ok. Just like killin' a baby ya don't want - well not through a vet, usually."What if I hurt her feelings or something ?"But, then maybe you were just being funny.
Newcomb 9 years, 11 months ago
My cat will shred the toilet paper any chance he gets. Should I wrap it up in bubble wrap as well? Any ideas?
Bunny_Hotcakes 9 years, 11 months ago
I never fail to be amazed at the people who try to un-cat their cat. (There used to be a declawed on all four feet and defanged cat up for adoption at the Lawrence Humane Society. WTF kind of monster does that?) If you want an animal that comes when it's called and can be trained to stay off the furniture, get a damn dog. I will also personally guarantee that a fish will never shred your toilet paper, pee in inappropriate places, or try to sleep on your face.I love my cats, but I also love and accept their inherent catness.
Gina Bailey-Carbaugh 9 years, 11 months ago
Bubble paper on the outside of the door? I don't think they've tried that on While You were Out.I've found a shoe thrown across the room to be quite effective.Disclaimer: no cats were ever injured during such an event.
alm77 9 years, 11 months ago
Once we got our cat neutered he settled down so much we opened the door and now he sleeps in our room too or comes and goes as he pleases. I've had to push the purring furball off my side of the bed a couple of times but that sure beats having to get up and deal with him scratching at the door.
Ronda Miller 9 years, 11 months ago
Allow your cats to do whatever they want. Cats rule! And they are nice to allow us to live in their home and sleep in their bed - what is the fuss about?
Flap Doodle 9 years, 11 months ago
I thought this was a story about Ted Nugent..... never mind.
sdinges 9 years, 11 months ago
Front claw declawing is quite common in the United States (and Canada), where indoor-only cats are the norm. In places where outdoor-only or outdoor-indoor cats are more the norm, declawing is extremely uncommon and sometimes even illegal!My mom adopted a cat who ended up having to have its fangs removed because they were rotted with cavities. It was pretty funny looking when it opened its mouth, but the cat didn't seem to notice much.But a cat who has all four paws declawed and fangs removed and then winds up in a shelter was probably an extremely problematic cat who needed a patient and hands-on owner - hopefully it ended up with one!
jonas 9 years, 11 months ago
Our problem is that, when they all come in in the morning to let us know they are still alive and want food, one of our cats then closes the door behind them, trapping them all in. I'm not sure about the specific motivations, but I feel its probably akin to the old explorers burning their ships when they landed to further motivate their troops.
yankeelady 9 years, 11 months ago
I worry when the cat isn't curled up next to me on the bed. What if I hurt her feelings or something ? And if she was doused with water or some such, who knows what might happen. I do remember the poor cat that was at the shelter. I hope the people who did that to her were found and prosecuted.
gr 9 years, 11 months ago
Thank you Multidisciplinary and sdinges for describing your experiences. I didn't understand all the issues, but knew it was common. Yankeelady seemed to imply otherwise. Maybe they aren't quite so "aware" of their world."Like taking apart chicken bones, a vet amputates the finger between joints, then closes the wound."Thank you for making it so "civilized".Yes, it's not "ripping" the claws out - as in yanking them out. I don't think anyone thought that. And the cat is out during that time, too! But, effectively it is the same - lost claws - a lost joint.Would you also glorify killing babies by saying they were "terminated", "harvested", a "procedure performed", or otherwise slaughtered and removed from the mother?By the way, I'm not sure a cat can climb trees without their front claws.
gr 9 years, 11 months ago
"just felt I couldn't write the more image filled response I might on another site."'Uncle'.;-)
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