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Sleeping in the bathroom

Got a new, young, furry love in your life? This is the place for you to ask all of your questions - big or small! Just remember that you are receiving advice from other cat owners and lovers... not professionals. If you have a major problem, always seek the advice of a vet or behaviorist! Most important is to remember to have fun with your new fur baby.

  


Member Since
02/15/2012		 
 
Purred: Wed Feb 15, '12 8:33am PST 
Hi there..

At first we let our kitten sleep with us - however we would wake up all through the night with her chewing on our arms and legs. Then we decided to shut the bedroom door, and she would meow - but then do her own thing. Now we've moved house, she won't leave the bedroom door, she meows, but the main problem is she attacks the door continuously (the door is old and always stays slightly ajar, so I think she thinks she can get in if she goes crazy at it) and it's very loud and she's damaged the door.

So now I've had to move all her toys, food and bed into the bathroom and closed her in there at night. Where she meows but settles after a while.
Is this ok? It's not cruel is it? I don't see any other way of finding a solution to us actually sleeping...

Any suggestions on calming cats for the night?
Also how long will she be so active for??

Thanks, Ella (kitten is 15 weeks).
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Emily

Don't pet, play!		 
 
Purred: Wed Feb 15, '12 8:49am PST 
I don't think it is cruel at all (assuming she has water, soft bedding, toys, litterbox, etc..) Young kittens often feel secure in a small room. Ours slept in the laundry room for the first weeks in our home (and they were fine with it.) As far as how long she will be so active...that depends on her personality, which is hard to determine at such a young age. Cats usually calm down a bit as they age...but develop along different timelines.

She can be trained to sleep with you more peacefully, but hopefully others will be able to advise on that topic. We don't sleep with our cats (they are happy with the run of the living area at night), so I can't be much help there. I do know the basic priciple of ignoring any attention getting behavior while you are sleeping.

Cats will be calmer at night if their big meal comes at your bedtime. Also, a good interactive play time where you wear them out with a wand toy or laser pointer before the big meal will help. It mimics their natural pattern of hunt, feast, groom, sleep.

Edited by author Wed Feb 15, '12 8:54am PST

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Maple

1234316		 
 
Purred: Thu Feb 16, '12 1:37am PST 
Thanks very much for your response, makes me feel a lot better. I would like to let her just run around in the living area, but she just sits at our bedroom door and attacks it. She just wants to be with us I think.

Well, Maybe i'll delay her feeding time till we go to bed then and see how that goes smile

Thanks again!
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CK Angel R.- Knowles

I'm a Carolina- Kitten in New- York!
 
 
Purred: Thu Feb 16, '12 7:00am PST 
Wow-we just a long time ago accepted that cats are by nature nocturnal. Now in order to have our attention, they have realized that they need to be awake at some times w hen we're up, and with the exception of Natalie and our foster (who do quiet down at night-they are in the bedroom with us), they sleep and play and sleep some more and then all felines wake at 4am with Daddy who feeds them and then gets ready for work. I know thats an early morning for some, but we find it's helpful. They then sack out for another couple hours til 6am when Mom gets up and they get 'second breakfast'.
When CK first came he was very active at night and in the morning. We started playing with him alot in the evening and the morning...and he enjoys playing with the others too.
We find a good play session can calm them before bed. Feeding right before bedtime can help too.
Hope this helps some.
We don't confine anyone to the bathroom...they have company here with each other, though the first week we got CK he slept in the bathroom at night in a little bed with a blanket and his box and water and food only because we wanted to make sure he'd be ok with everyone else.
Now he runs them in circles!
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