I have a four-month-old cat, who is a "bother" at night -- is it harmful to put him in the bathroom?

Question

We tried keeping the bedroom door closed, but the door does not go down all the way -- there is a gap large enough for him to squeeze through; we tried putting down a towel to block the gap, but he can push through -- and we want to put anything heavier down there because we do have small children and they should be able to get into our room if they need to. I don't mind him wanting to sleep in our room, it's just that he jumps around on the bed wanting to play. And we do play with him A LOT during the day.

My mom suggests keeping him in the bathroom (with litter box, food, water, blanket, and stuffed animal) until he's older and bigger -- so he won't fit under the door or until he's more mellow.

So, my question is: Does anyone have any suggestions about training him to stay off the bed to play at night? Is it 'mean' to put him in the bathroom, or do you have any other comments? Suggestions?

Answer 1

If you take the steps to make him comfortable like you outlined (litter box, something soft to sleep on, etc.) he should be fine.  One of my cats had a previous owner who did it with him for the same reasons.  Not only was the cat fine with it, he got so used to it that after we got him he liked to sleep in our bathroom on his own, even though we did not shut him in there.  He is 9 years old now (and more mellow than in his younger days), but still likes to nap curled up in the bathroom sink or even the bathtub now and then.

He might cry a little the first few nights but he will get used to it, especially at his young age.

wanted to add, of course you need to take the necessary steps to make sure he can't get into any trouble in the bathroom, ie chemicals, sharp objects, etc.

Answer 2

Personally; i think that is a great idea. Especially if you have a small bathroom.

It would provide him with the feeling of having a den. Especially if you ONLY put him in there at night. I'm sure there's a way to train him off the bed, but cats shouldn't sleep with their owners, anyway. A male might mark it as his territory and we all know that's not a good thing! =)

Make sure he has access to water, food, a litter box, a comfy place to sleep, and a few toys to make it homey. Whoever wakes up first needs to let him out. Make sure he has a night light so he can see well enough that he won't get into anything. Remove all things that could fall from your counter, and be sure to close the toilet lid! =)Maddie; our cat; is always put in the laundry room at night. The dryer kept her warm and the vibrating made her happy; so that is now her room.

I think you would be doing him a favor; because this way he will get proper sleep during the night and so will you so you both can be energized and ready to  go in the morning!

Good luck, and hope this helped you out!

-Shelby

Answer 3

No,please don't put him in the bathroom.Cats tend to be curious so if u put them in the bathroom,they might destroy the toilet papers and they could open up any cabinets in your bathroom.And if there are any harmful chemicals in the bathroom cabinets,your cat might just open them and drink them.That could  lead to a stoke,serious brain damage,and even DEATH.So, I  would not recommend putting your cat in the bathroom.My suggestion is take sometime to put your cat to sleep.Like stroke it,rub it gently,or comfort it until it falls  sleeps.But mostly put your cat to sleep in your room then you could go to sleep without any problems.But,since you don't want him on your bed,I would recommend you to put your cat in your living room and comfort it there until it falls asleep.OR if you want it to just play,make sure it has LOTS AND LOTS OF TOYS so it wont get bored.But,if that doesn't work,I would highly recommend bringing another companion cat into your family because your cat might get bored with just playing with toys

Answer 4

I foster kittens, and there is nothing wrong with locking a kitty up in one room - as long as that room is kitten proof.  Cabinets should be closed, etc. and that the kitten is not left alone for extended periods of time.  They need interaction to bond with humans.

Now, kittenhood is very short, and it is pretty critical you do some training for good behaviors now. Teaching a kitten that waking you up is not going to get him what he wants is pretty vital or you are going to end up with a cat who does the same.  Cats are very crafty when you try to teach them a lesson, and will adjust their behaviors very slightly to try to get away with as much as possible.  

When my kitty was insistent that I wake up and play with her, my recourse was to ignore her, and remove her from the situation.  She would jump up and climb over my torso and stick her tushie in my face.  I would pick her up and plunk her on the floor.  So then she'd jump up and walk over my torso and stick her tail in my face - see.. slight change.  back on the floor she went.  So she'd jump up and walk over my torso and lay on my chest.. back on the floor, etc.

You might want to set up the bathroom to put him in at night, but allow him to be out.  do the plunk and ignore until you get frustrated, then put him in the bathroom.  That way he'll learn that if he doesn't catch on to what you want, he'll be locked up and really ignored.

Answer 5

litte r box in the bathroom some where warm to sleep is fine

Answer 6

I had a kitten that would jump on me in the middle of the night while I was sleeping.  My remedy was to put her in the closet and shut the door.  She had food and water and was OK.  She did tear up my closet though.  The bathroom maybe a better idea.  I'm not sure how you can train a kitten not to do that.  They may just have to grow out of it.