is there any way to get a cat used to being in a small bedroom?

[terestrife]

my cats are used to roaming a two story house. but the place i live in, my niece isnt careful with the doors, ands shes constantly complaining about the cats. i have barely slept tonight. shes put some cheap gate up on the stairs to block the cats from coming upstairs. she wanted to put her childs play area in the middle of the upstairs. elsa is skinny enough that she goes through the bars of the stairs, so the gate does nothing. im tired of them getting yelled at and her complaining.

my one cat hates being locked up. whenever i lock her up for safety reasons, she'll wait by the door and dash out into the rest of the house.

Is there any way to train her to be happy in my bedroom?

 

[Maria Bayote]

I am so sorry that you have to contain your cat amidst a constant complaining niece. I know exactly how you feel as I used to live with a flatmate who also complained all the time about my cats. Is it possible to put a mini catio attached to your bedroom window? At least your cat could get additional space.

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

Mine used to have full range as well, and was locked up for similar reasonings.
I was a stupid teenager at the time so I didn't moniter her well. My family would feed her table scraps and unhealthy foods and once she started having blood in her stool as a result of that mixed with the fact that they free fed cheap 3$ disgusting quality kibble.
They'd open the door and let the cats out constantly. And they'd squirt the cats and throw shoes when they "misbehaved" finally I got sick of that and kept her in my room.
For a while, she rebelled.
Though, door dashing is easily preventable via your legs and reflexes. A skill for sure, but all the otherwise possible.

Now she gets scheduled times into a certain part of the house, and daily walks, and the room is catified and enrichment is changed up and added constantly; plus she has a tablet w cat tv. (birds/fish) She is content now. Make sure you follow jackson galaxys tips on Cat Basecamps; he's got a youtube video about it.

I scatter boxes everywhere and change things up very often, she's got tunnels and I've set up a few toys that hand from the ceiling in such a fashion that she can't hang herself or anything; but still can idle play when left alone.

I suggest daily scheduled play times and harness walks if possible. Routine is key. These are intricate creatures filled with curiosity who require daily mental and physical stimulation. (hence walking, that's mostly mental.)

I can also show you a cool homeade "puzzle" toy I make a lot and my cat personally has a BALL with! It's her favorite things to do. I made many and put them in strategic areas.

You don't really need the fancy cat-shit, I use cardboad, boxes, and discarded / not in use / or even IN use furniture to create platforms. Just remember this is not your room anymore. It's theirs. Tailor it to them as you can leave; but they can't. I've bought carpet tiles and put them on tables and desks and shelves for example; that works as a anti slip platform. I usually tape toys to the under side or on the side connected with a rope because she likes reaching over the side and smacking them.

Feel free to DM me as well for more ideas. I'm full of em. LOL!

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

Oh and I don't know how you feel about bugs, but a terrarium of sorts filled with bugs or fish or whatever works WONDERS. Mine loves that. I had a woodlouse culture she used to hover and watch 24/7. And a roach colony. Turns out I killed them on accident but when winters over I'm gonna do more. Little bugboxes; and little fishtanks are a blessing to create interesting environments in and little societies of animals (bugs) to live and exist within that your cat will probably be ever curious about. I had a large earth worm in the pill bug colony that came out at night and I'd always hear my cat going apeshit whenever she saw him.

That's... Where headphones, ear muffs, and noise blockers come in.

 

[ArtNJ]

Cats can get used to anything, more or less. Going from outdoors to indoors, from a big house to a bedroom. It mostly just takes time and the willpower to deal with the whining and scratching for weeks while they protest. And, as was already stated, the ability to stomp your feet to secure safe passage in and out of the room in question.

Now if your question is or includes "how can I help my cat have as much activity and stimulation in a bedroom vs a house" that is harder. I'll leave that one to others to answer (if that turns out to be part of your question).

P.S. Confining a cat to a bedroom where you sleep is a particularly unpleasant choice unless the bedroom has its own attached bathroom or you sleep straight through the night. Because you don't want to be stomping your feet or dealing with an escaped cat at 3 am when you have to go to the bathroom. This is potentially fine once the cat gets used to things, but its sure going to make for a harder transition.

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

P.S. Confining a cat to a bedroom where you sleep is a particularly unpleasant choice unless the bedroom has its own attached bathroom or you sleep straight through the night. Because you don't want to be stomping your feet or dealing with an escaped cat at 3 am when you have to go to the bathroom. This is potentially fine once the cat gets used to things, but its sure going to make for a harder transition.

To this, sorry for jumping back in, but this is why maintaining a routine and rhythm is so important! Seen more in depth in jackson galaxys video, "how do i train my cat to let me sleep."
My cat's routine is 8AM play + harness walk outdoors + exercise; nap. 4PM play + harness walk outdoors + exercise. A routine can stop nightly waking; she then now wakes at about 10pm to do weird night stuff which is fine because I'm sleep by then.

I again find that.. Opening and closing the door with your foot and knee up against it at first is a very easy way to prevent dashing.

 

[terestrife]

I am so sorry that you have to contain your cat amidst a constant complaining niece. I know exactly how you feel as I used to live with a flatmate who also complained all the time about my cats. Is it possible to put a mini catio attached to your bedroom window? At least your cat could get additional space.

my room is on the second floor. so im not sure. also, i kind of want to put aside all my extra money to move out, so i cant be spending right now. thats a good idea though.

Mine used to have full range as well, and was locked up for similar reasonings.

They'd open the door and let the cats out constantly. And they'd squirt the cats and throw shoes when they "misbehaved" finally I got sick of that and kept her in my room.
For a while, she rebelled.
Though, door dashing is easily preventable via your legs and reflexes. A skill for sure, but all the otherwise possible.

those are all really good ideas. im just dreading locking up my cat Kitty. She is very spoiled and can complain loudly when shes unhappy. i also have allergies, so im going to have to get on medication again.

im debating bringing them to my room, or just sleeping on the sofa to avoid them going upstairs. the only reason they want to go upstairs is to see me anyway. not sure yet what i am going to do.

Cats can get used to anything, more or less. Going from outdoors to indoors, from a big house to a bedroom. It mostly just takes time and the willpower to deal with the whining and scratching for weeks while they protest. And, as was already stated, the ability to stomp your feet to secure safe passage in and out of the room in question.

Now if your question is or includes "how can I help my cat have as much activity and stimulation in a bedroom vs a house" that is harder. I'll leave that one to others to answer (if that turns out to be part of your question).

P.S. Confining a cat to a bedroom where you sleep is a particularly unpleasant choice unless the bedroom has its own attached bathroom or you sleep straight through the night. Because you don't want to be stomping your feet or dealing with an escaped cat at 3 am when you have to go to the bathroom. This is potentially fine once the cat gets used to things, but its sure going to make for a harder transition.

i can just imagine that happening. nope, there isnt a bathroom attached to my bedroom.

the good thing is that i only leave my room if i have to use the bathroom or cook something i am always in my bedroom.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If there is enough room, put a cat tree next to a window. That can give hours of pleasure to a cat. ANYTHING to enrich the room and make it more interesting to her will help.