New cat - locking out of bedroom

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laprof

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:yeah:

I'd move those storage boxes out of the room and put a cat tree in. Or buy actual furniture to store the items in and attach the furniture to the wall with safety straps and there's still room for a small cat tree.

Tips on how to sleep at night: How To Stop My Cat From Waking Me Up At Night (step-by-step Plan) – TheCatSite Articles
Thanks for that article! I've been playing with him the last few nights before bed and then feeding him. I took out the two smaller boxes, but the others are full and heavy enough that I don't think he could knock them over - or am I deluded? :cool: I am going to invest in a cat tree.
 

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Maybe? My cats can push a 10 lb dumbbell around. To be safe, stack the boxes no more than 2 high.
 
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ladytimedramon

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That is a great idea! I think he'd be able to jump over the baby gate. How did you make the cardboard extension?
I actually cut up the box, then ziptied the cardboard to make it taller. I'll try to find a pic on my camera later. The trickier part was finding all the little holes that she kept squeezing through. When I adopted her she was only 4.5 pounds and she turned into a little houdini.
 

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My husband and I had to put our cat in a room over night. We adopted her when she was 10 years old. I thought she'd be chiller than she is - but we have learned to love her energy. I loved the idea of cuddling with her at bedtime and she's such a great cuddler, but I was so stressed out because she would wake me up at 5 am. We tried the automatic feeder - having it go off at 5 am - she would then wake me up at 5:15 am. We tried all out ignoring her hoping she'd learn...You know what she learned to do?...Knock our water glasses off of our bed stands, super slowly so you'd jump up and grab the water glass before it landed on the floor and broke. If we closed the bedroom door - she'd howl all night. So, yah, we started locking her in the guest room overnight and it's the best choice we ever made. Don't know why it took us 2 years to do this. We have a bedtime routine. We play with her. We hide treats around the room and in treat toys. Then we say "goodnight." Only problem is, she is starts begging for her bedtime routine at 8 pm, so not binge watching TV for us.
 
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laprof

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My husband and I had to put our cat in a room over night. We adopted her when she was 10 years old. I thought she'd be chiller than she is - but we have learned to love her energy. I loved the idea of cuddling with her at bedtime and she's such a great cuddler, but I was so stressed out because she would wake me up at 5 am. We tried the automatic feeder - having it go off at 5 am - she would then wake me up at 5:15 am. We tried all out ignoring her hoping she'd learn...You know what she learned to do?...Knock our water glasses off of our bed stands, super slowly so you'd jump up and grab the water glass before it landed on the floor and broke. If we closed the bedroom door - she'd howl all night. So, yah, we started locking her in the guest room overnight and it's the best choice we ever made. Don't know why it took us 2 years to do this. We have a bedtime routine. We play with her. We hide treats around the room and in treat toys. Then we say "goodnight." Only problem is, she is starts begging for her bedtime routine at 8 pm, so not binge watching TV for us.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm glad to hear this worked out for you.
 
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laprof

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It's been a week or so, and until today, Otis wasn't waking me up until around 6:15-6:30, which is an improvement! I put a barricade at my sleeping area and when I put it up, he seems to understand that he's not supposed to come in. However, today he woke me at 5:30 again. This after I went to bed later than usual. :D I've ordered one of those translucent screens that's about 6 feet tall, and I'm going to put it in the inside of my area. I hope he won't be able to jump over it! I've decided not to put him in that small room because I don't have central air and it would be too hot in the summer. Thanks to all of your for your advice!
 
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laprof

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Well it looks like we're going backwards. After yesterday, when he woke me at 5:30, today it was more like 5. I don't know why he's gone back to waking me earlier. I tried going back to sleep with him in my sleeping space and just as I was falling back to sleep he woke me. I caved and filled his kibble bowl, but he didn't eat any - what he really wants is the wet food.

Anyway, I'm starting to wonder if my studio apartment is just too small for a cat. I really thought it could work. I am getting that screen in a couple of days, so I hope that will keep him out of my sleeping area.
 
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laprof

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Can you give him some?
I give him wet food 3 times a day. The issue is waking me up so early. I leave out a bowl of kibble overnight, so there is food he can have overnight. He knows where the bowl is and I have seen him eat it. I also play with him at night and give him wet food before I go to bed. The issue is waking me up early for wet food. I don't know why he's reverted to the earlier wake up time. I'm really tired!

When he wakes me up this early, I don't give him wet food right away because I don't want him to expect. it.
 

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Can you leave him enough wet food overnight so that there is still some available for him in the morning? If necessary, you can arrange a dish with wet food over a second dish or bowl that has some ice in it.
 
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laprof

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Can you leave him enough wet food overnight so that there is still some available for him in the morning? If necessary, you can arrange a dish with wet food over a second dish or bowl that has some ice in it.
Thanks, I will try that. I'm also going to hopefully get the screen today to block off my sleeping area. It's 6 feet tall, so hoping he can't jump over it.
 
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