Cat sleeping in a finished basement?

[catkin56]

I have adopted dogs and cats my whole life. When my husband and I split up he took our remaining elderly dog. I now live in an apartment in New England, moved this year from LA; my landlord allows one cat and I adopted an adult Siamese cat,.He is the most affectionate kitty I've ever had, loves to be cuddled, has never hissed. His former person got rid of him because she took in a new cat and he would not tolerate the cat and he started to spray. He's never done that here.

When I first got my cat, he kept me up at night, but he has settled down and I try to give him enough playtime before bed so that he'll sleep when I do. He still sometimes makes noises pawing/plucking at the bottom of the bed (he was declawed as a kitten) and playing. He has nipped me a few times but I'm now so tuned into his body language that if he gets near my face or arm during the night I wake up and say "No biting" and give him a gentle push and he lies down elsewhere and I go back to sleep.

Anyway, I have a boyfriend. He took me to pick up my cat when I adopted him and they get along great, in fact the kitty loves nothing more than to snuggle across both of our laps when we are sitting on the couch. However, my boyfriend cannot sleep through the night over here because of the cat jumping on his legs and making noise.

We are now planning to move in together and I have been very worried about this situation, but today my bf mentioned that a lot of places in the area have finished basements and that the cat he had for 17 years used to sleep in one and was fine with it. I figure as long as it's warm and there are places for him to lounge and perch he'll be fine. I could make it cozy and hang out there with him  during the day; I work at home. Only thing is he's used to being able to sleep on the bed. I guess it will need to be out of earshot if he meows at first   

 

[red top rescue]

Siamese tend to be possessive and very attached to their owners, so I'm not sure if suddenly confining him to a basement would work.  He would probably use ALL of his Siamese voice to complain about it.  My husband and I got a Siamese kitten (years ago) and set her up a very nice bedroom next to the kitchen, but she would have none of it.  She howled so loud we knew she would wake the neighbors (we were in a duplex) and so we brought her into bed with us, and that's where she slept for the rest of her life.

You may be able to get the cat to sleep properly by (1) giving him a DaBird session right before bed and then feeding him then.  That's the cat's natural cycle -- hunt, eat, sleep.  See how that goes.  He can still play with DaBird even if he has no claws.  If he does bother you at night, then you put him out of the bedroom.  (Get earplugs so you can ignore him then.)  Keep giving him chances.  He will learn that if he wants to sleep with you (and the BF will have to be tolerated by the cat), he will have to be quiet and still.  They DO learn this, but just like with children who resist bedtime, you just have to be consistent.  He acts up, you put him out of the bedroom for the rest of the night.  Then you love all over him in the morning.  ALL my cats are great to sleep with because they know if they aren't, they will be out of the bedroom.  I have earplugs and no amount of noise will get them back in. 

Do give him extra love during the transition time.  Moves are hard on cats.  But that's another thread entirely.