Once again, your cat just woke you up meowing and scratching the door, it does this even if you ignore it and your sleep suffers. So if your cat meows and scratches the door at night, here is everything you need to know and especially what to do to stop it doing it
Cat meowing and scratching the door at night: How to react?
If your cat scratches and meows at night, don’t punish it, it’s never a solution with felines. Especially since this annoying habit can come from different things. But instead implement the following solutions:
Ignore it
This is the classic solution, because the majority of cats will quickly understand that it is useless and will get used to it. So if you have a rambunctious young cat at night, ignore it so it stops bothering you.
If you open or even talk to him, it’s a positive sign for him, showing that his grievances are effective in getting you to open the door. So dead calm until he’s gone.
Perform a health check
This solution applies to cats over 10 years old, because they have reached old age or certain diseases such as kidney failure can make them suffer and it is a kind of call for help that it sends to you.
If you notice abnormalities, such as a lack of energy, refusal to eat or incontinence, only the veterinarian can help you solve the problem, once cured it will resume normal behavior and stop meowing and scratching the door while you sleep.
All old cats should preferably visit the veterinarian at least once a year to avoid any risk of aggravation of an undetected disease.
Make him expend himself before going to bed
Here, it is especially young cats who are concerned, because they need to expend energy and can wake you up to go play with them. So if your young kitten does it every night, make sure he gets enough exercise.
You can first get him some cat toys, such as a food puzzle or a cat wheel so that he can have fun and stop bothering you to play.
Better yet, playing with him before going to sleep will allow him to exercise enough and not have excess energy during the night.
Put something he hates on the door
If your cat persists when everything is fine with his health and energy expenditure, keep him away from the door by using things he hates. The aluminum foil first of all, which will prevent him from scratching but even more effective in also suppressing meowing and diffusing an odor that he hates like a citrus smell.
Feed him before going to sleep
This solution is very simple, if your cat wakes you because he is hungry, make sure to feed him before going to bed so that he has a full stomach, he will also tend not to ask to go out. if it’s an outdoor cat.
To be absolutely sure that he does not complain when he wakes up, put cat food in addition to the kibble to make sure he eats well and does not snub the kibble. If he knows how to manage his food intake well, a kibble dispenser will be very useful.
Lock him in another room
This is the method of last resort if nothing helps. Make sure he has everything he needs though, like his food, water and litter box, ideally a cat tree so he can spend the whole night in his own personal space. The room should also be wide enough so that he is not afraid and can move as he wants.
Let him be able to go outside at night
If the cat is always waking you up to go outside, a cat flap can allow him to go outside without having to disturb you. This will often be the case in summer and spring, when the night is less cool. You can also lower the shutters to give him just enough space to go out.
What you should not do
You might have certain reflexes to get your cat to leave you alone, but that will only make things worse.
Punish him
Punishing your cat is a catastrophic idea, because he will not understand why and will start to lose confidence in you, the younger he is, the worse the punishment will be.
Deprive him of something
Both positive and negative associations work with cats if made immediately. Depriving your cat of hugs, for example, will not work in this case, because for him the fact that you went out following his calls is already better than nothing.
And if you deprive him of cuddles when you normally wake up, it will be too late for him to make the connection.
My cat meows and scratches the door at night: The final word
If your cat has this annoying tendency and ignores it or does nothing, find the cause that is causing it to wake you up and put in place the most suitable solution to stop it from waking you up.