Hi there,
We have an 18 month old cat who in most respects is lovely, coming for cuddles and attention through out the day. However every morning at around 4am, as I'm sure most cat owners will experience, he begins scratching persistently on the door to the extent that he can pull it open slightly (but not fully) so that it continuously bangs shut. We have tried reinforcing the door, tried the sticky tape around the door frame, tried ignoring but nothing works.
I could never rehome him as he is much loved but me and my partner cannot keep being kept awake daily from 4am. We would let him sleep in the bedroom but as it's carpeted he just starts scratching that for hours, therefore keeping us awake anyway.
I feel bad because he's not doing it to be fed as that doesn't deter him, he seems to have attachment issues and just wants to be with us. I have thought of a few solutions but feel uneasy about them so wanted some input. One of these options was to cage him in a large dog crate for a couple of hours (pop him in there when he starts to scratch just for an hour and a half until we get up anyway). I don't like this idea but wondered if it would be ok just for a short amount of time- he usually has the run of the house. Alternatively we could try and shut him in the bathroom but it is a windowless room that he never goes in as he doesn't seem to like it. Or we could just carry on and start spraying him with a water bottle every time he scratches and see if this deters him in the long run? (I would feel so mean doing this).
If anyone could help that would be great!
We have an 18 month old cat who in most respects is lovely, coming for cuddles and attention through out the day. However every morning at around 4am, as I'm sure most cat owners will experience, he begins scratching persistently on the door to the extent that he can pull it open slightly (but not fully) so that it continuously bangs shut. We have tried reinforcing the door, tried the sticky tape around the door frame, tried ignoring but nothing works.
I could never rehome him as he is much loved but me and my partner cannot keep being kept awake daily from 4am. We would let him sleep in the bedroom but as it's carpeted he just starts scratching that for hours, therefore keeping us awake anyway.
I feel bad because he's not doing it to be fed as that doesn't deter him, he seems to have attachment issues and just wants to be with us. I have thought of a few solutions but feel uneasy about them so wanted some input. One of these options was to cage him in a large dog crate for a couple of hours (pop him in there when he starts to scratch just for an hour and a half until we get up anyway). I don't like this idea but wondered if it would be ok just for a short amount of time- he usually has the run of the house. Alternatively we could try and shut him in the bathroom but it is a windowless room that he never goes in as he doesn't seem to like it. Or we could just carry on and start spraying him with a water bottle every time he scratches and see if this deters him in the long run? (I would feel so mean doing this).
If anyone could help that would be great!