How to stop cat sleeping in my bed!

[JulesB86]

Hi all!

I adopted a cat a year ago who was badly treated before so he is very attached to me and quite needy.
From the start, I tried to encourage him to sleep anywhere apart from my bed but he insists every single night on getting into the bed with me and cuddling right beside me (mostly my face!!). The problem is he disturbs me every hour most nights so I am so so tired every day. I have tried keeping him outside of the room but he will scratch the door and scream all night until he gets in (and I can’t let him do that because I am renting and don’t want the door screwed up!) and I put him down on the floor every time I notice he has jumped up but he gets back on my bed every single time no matter how many times I remove him!

Any advice on how to train him to stay out of my bed and my bedroom?

Any help much appreciated!!

Thanks x

 

[di and bob]

He loves you and it is instinct to curl together at night. You will get used to him in bed with you, it just takes time. You will have to make a bed more attractive to him. Get a low table at the foot of your bed, and put a cat bed on it with a cat pad heater. Cats have a hard time resisting the heat. I have even set one on the bed at night where I want a cat to sleep and they use it. You might try it. It is VERY hard if not almost impossible to get a cat to not sleep with you, a dog can be trained through fear. But not a cat. Your not sleeping with him is rejection and it worries him.....

 

[rubysmama]

How old is he? If younger, it might take a bit more time, but eventually he'll learn to sleep through the night. Mostly. My Ruby still wakes me up sometimes during the night, but I usually get back to sleep quickly, so it's not too bad. One thing I've found that will get her to settle back to sleep is putting the covers over my head and staying still till I feel her walk away.

Here's a TCS article on the topic that might have some more tips for you.
How To Stop My Cat From Waking Me Up At Night (step-by-step Plan) – TheCatSite Articles