Where should I put my cat at night? The quick answer is that you should try to leave your cat outside your bedroom in an area of its own. You should be careful to make sure the area is large enough and has facilities so your cat is not overly restricted. Consider turning a room into a cat room over night!
Read on to learn more.
After the third night in a row with your new kitten, you’re at the breaking point. Just as you fall asleep, they either jump all over you to wake you up, sit on your head, or decide to chase a moth around the living room for an hour.
Hey, that’s life with cats, and owners need to understand how their kitty sleep cycle works. Cats are crepuscular animals, with an instinct that makes them most active at dusk and dawn. So how do you stop your cat from running around at night?
Fortunately, you can train this behavior out of your kitten by keeping them up during the day instead of letting them sleep. Feeding them before bedtime also helps to break the habit of wanting to stay up all evening.
Most owners let their cats sleep in their bedrooms, but don’t be surprised if your cat wakes you up a few times a week. While it’s possible to train the nocturnal behavior out of them, they’ll stay up late from time to time.
If you want to get a peaceful sleep, what should you do with your cat? You’ll need to put your cat in another room!
Where Should I Put My Cat At Night?
What should I do with my cat? Is it ok to put my cat in one room at night? What about keeping my cat in a playpen at night?
Setting up a room for your cat or “cattery” is the best way for owners to ensure they get an evening of undisturbed sleep. A cattery is a separate room in your home dedicated to your kitty.
Cats like to know they have a space they can go to when they feel anxious or insecure. A room for your cat gives your kitty a room for their space, boosting their feelings of confidence and security.
You get good sleep, and your cat gets their own room, and they don’t even pay rent. Sounds like a great deal all-around. Who says cat owners are push-overs for their animals, right?
A cattery is also a good idea for senior cats that might have an injury or illness, and they need to spend some time by themselves, without people or pets bothering them.
Kittens are a handful for any pet owner, and whether your cat had a litter or you adopted a few kittens, giving them a separate room in the house for their home is a great way to keep them safe and secure.
Cat rooms are also a good space to have in the home if your cat has unwanted aggression issues. If people come over for a visit, you can leave the cat in their room while you entertain your guests.
Cat rooms are also good for owners that live in cities and need to leave their cats indoors during the day. Cats can suffer from boredom and separation anxiety if they have to sit inside all day. Having a dedicated play space makes them feel less anxious and insecure while you’re away at work.
Finally, a cat room makes for an excellent time-out zone for rowdy and unruly cats. If your frisky feline is going hyper or it won’t stop bothering you while you’re trying to finish that paper, send them to their room. A cat playpen just won’t be big enough for the task!
How To Prepare a Cat Room.
A cat room can have different designs. Some cat owners don’t have space at home to dedicate an entire room to their cats. Instead, you can set up a four-person dome tent on one side of the room, and it serves the same purpose in a limited space.
Preparing your cat room requires you to give your kitty everything they need to create a self-contained space. That means you’re going to need to give them access to clean water, food, and a litterbox nearby.
Taking care of your cat’s needs requires you to understand what they want during the day or night while they’re apart from you. We recommend you consider the following criteria the minimum standard for designing your cattery.
Food and Water
Keep your cat’s dinner dish or a separate dish in the cattery. Make sure there’s always fresh water in the water bowl. If you don’t provide these basic necessities for your kitty, they wander around the house to find them.
If you’re dedicating an entire room to your kitty, keep the litter box in one corner. Don’t leave it inside a tent or playpen, as your cat won’t like to relax in the same area it poops.
Bedding
Your cat likes to sleep on soft surfaces. That’s why it probably likes sleeping on the bed, making a nest on top of your head on your soft hair, or sleeping on your chest.
Giving your cat plenty of soft blankets in their bed keeps them comfortable and warm. Use lighter blankets that provide good airflow through the bed.
Scratching
Cats love to scratch. If you don’t give them an outlet to unleash their claws, they’ll take it out on your drapes and furniture. Buying your cat a scratch post is the best way to give them relief.
The cat scratch post can come with other toys mounted into it or hide spots. Choose a post with durable materials that outlast your cat’s scratching fury.
Playtime
Make sure you bring all your cat’s favorite toys into the room. If they drag a toy out to another area of the house, take it back to the room.
The cattery’s goal is to give your cat everything they need to avoid boredom and anxiety, where they might decide to come looking for you.
Security
The cattery needs to provide your kitty with a sense of confidence and security. Cats feel secure when they have areas to hide, out of the view of people. This hiding tactic helps your cat overcome any anxiety.
If you’re using a tent, you might want to add some smaller hide boxes inside the tent to give your cat a smaller space to feel secure.
Temperature and Lights
Your cat room needs to be the “purr-fect” temperature to keep your cat comfortable.
Do the cats like the lights on or off? It makes no difference, cats are perfectly happy in the light or the dark. It probably makes more sense to turn lights off to encourage rest at night.
Music (Additional)
Some cat owners raise their kittens, listening to classical music. It helps with socialization and anxiety relief. Playing some soft classical music in the room for your cat might ease their boredom.
How Can I Get My Cat to Sleep At Night Alone?
Now that you know a cattery’s specifics let’s talk about getting your cat to sleep in the room.
You can’t pick your cat up and place them in the room and expect to have them understand this is now where they must remain during the nighttime.
It’s going to take several weeks to train your kitty to get used to the room and to stay in it alone. If you take your cat and lock her in the cat room overnight, you’re going to create stress and separation anxiety in the feline and an aversion to staying in the room.
They’ll think of it as a prison – and would you want to go to prison?
Start with spending as much time as possible in the cattery with your cat. Play with her and introduce her to her toys. Give the cat a few treats, and leave a treat toy in the room.
The more time you spend in the cattery with your kitty, the more they associate it as a place they can play with you and enjoy your company.
Start with making your cat tired in the evening through play, feed them and leave them in the room when you go to bed. Chances are they’ll get up and try to sleep with you in their normal sport in your room.
Pick them up and return them to the room a few times until they understand. If your cat insists on sleeping with you and wakes you up, take her to the cat room when she wakes you up and try to get her to stay there.
It’s going to take some time and training, but they’ll eventually get it.
Ideally, you don’t want to close the door on your cat; you want her to stay in the room. In these first few weeks, you might have to close the door to get her to stop coming into your room.
When you close the door, don’t give in to the cats crying and scratching on the door for at least an hour. As long as they have everything they need in the cattery – they’ll be fine.
However, if they severely complain for extended periods, go into the room and comfort them instead of just opening the door. It will be hard on you for a few weeks, but it’s worth the effort in the long run.
Key Takeaways
- A dedicated cat room for your kitty helps you get a good night’s sleep.
- Cat rooms serve purposes for many reasons, such as soothing anxiety.
- Cattery’s come in different design ideas, from tents to entire rooms.
- A cattery contains all the essentials your cat needs to avoid boredom and anxiety.
- It takes time to train your cat to remain in the cattery at night.
- It might take several weeks until you get results, but it’s worth it when your cat finally understands.
