how can i stop my cat scratching the kitchen door at night.?

Question

my cat stays in the kitchen at night as he was ran over when he was younger, and since then we have not let him outside at night. we shut him in the kitchen at night because, if we let him have the run of the house then he would scratch the carpet. but he still scratches the kitchen door and cry's. we have tried covering the door with a blanket but he still wakes us up. what can i do.

Answer 1

Hello,

It doesn't sound like your cat has a problem with staying in as he would be scratching at the door that leads from your house. He's scratching at the kitchen door because he doesn't like being shut in one room all alone.

Have you tried providing a scratching post for him? Cat's usually prefer these to furniture & carpet (once you've shown them what it's for). Someone else suggested double sided tape as a deterrent & others say this works too. Try putting the tape on the kitchen door AND providing a post so he has an alternative.

If you really have to keep him in the kitchen overnight, try to make it more appealing to him. Make sure he has a litter tray, a comfortable & warm place to sleep and a few toys to play with when he gets bored.

Hope this helps.x

PS Please don't listen to anyone who tells you declawing is a good idea!

Answer 2

The lesser of the two evils would be to let the cat into the bedroom at night. She is scratching at the door because she's lonesome. She will likely purr loudly for a little while, and even lick a face or neck for a little while. She won't do that all night long, however. Likely, after she shows her appreciation and affection with the purring and licking, she will likely curl up somewhere on the bed, and sleep. Mine purrs, licks, then curls up at the foot of the bed and sleeps soundly. Lets me have a good night's sleep as well.

Answer 3

Don't shut him in the kitchen all night on his own! When he scratches the door and cries it's because he doesn't like being in there. Let him out and give him something he is allowed to scratch and play with to occupy him during the night.

Answer 4

so let him have the run of the house and provide a scratching post.Carpets are nasty unhygienic smelly things anyway.Get some nice clean laminate flooring.
Ignore MMiles and dcuckler, Declawing is not only cruel, but illegal here in the UK where we seem to have stricter animal welfare laws than some other parts of the world.

Answer 5

I use tinfoil and or double stick tape on everything I don't want my cats on.
I put tinfoil around my house plants to keep them from digging up and killing my plants.
Double stick tape on the counter tops and on the door jams to keep the from bothering them.
Hope this helps.

Answer 6

My heart goes out to your cat, as cats are outdoors animals and especially like to be outside at night.
They need grass under their paws, different smells, challenges, seing other creatures (even if it's just beetles)...
Consider raising the fence around your (back) garden so the cat can stay in the garden but cannot go to the road.

Answer 7

get him declawed, if that is not an option, my cats do the same thing, they have run of the house but are closed out of the rooms, they scratch at the door, and put thier paws underneath and pull at it... put a cloth in the door when u close it, put a blanket underneath it, and spread toys and some treats around the floor to keep it occupied.... its easier just to declaw the cat and let him out during the night

Answer 8

lol at "kill the cat" my husband would say the same thing.

tape foil around the doorway. put sticky tape around the door. get another kitty to keep him company. hehe

Answer 9

Tie the cat up with just enough rope so it can't reach the door!

Answer 10

Get some scissors and clip the cats claws off.