For Context:
My partner and I have 2 cats \[9F (spayed) and 1M(neutered)\] Our girl was my cat long before I met my partner, I’ve had her since she was a kitten, she’s my best friend in the world. She loves me and my partner so much, and loves to snuggle. I thought she was clingy, but boy I had no clue what was coming.
About 6 months into my partner and I living together, we adopted our boy cat. He’s a rescue. He was 4 months(ish) when we got him, and he’s the sweetest little guy, but he is an absolute terror.
The Problem:
Our sweet boy cat is hell on wheels. He gets lots of play time during the day (I’m a SAH cat mom), and he gets lots of attention from both me and my partner. This cat is my partner’s first kitten and his bestie. He follows both of us, but he goes EVERYWHERE my partner is. This is very cute, HOWEVER…
He is not allowed in the bedroom.
Boy cat is not allowed in the bedroom because he is a FELON. He chews on cords, gets behind our tv and tries to climb up the back of it, knocks stuff off our desks, gets under the bed and claws at the mattress, unplugs phone chargers, tries to climb the walls, tries to climb the window, The list goes on and on.
Both kitties have a solid bedtime routine: they get a little supervised time in the bedroom, then they go out to the kitchen and I give them their dinner, and everyone gets calming treats (except me. I promise I am not eating cat treats). Then the bedroom door gets closed. Occasionally, my girl cat will ask to be let in. And because she is not a felon, I let her sleep in the bedroom with us when she asks (she’s very polite). But regardless, every night, without fail, boy cat will DEMAND entry into the bedroom. He will throw himself at the door, yowl and scream all night, scratch the door, pace, stick his paws under the door and shake the door, etc., etc., etc.. we have held firm. He does not get rewarded with being let into the bedroom for this behavior. But OH GOD AM I TIRED. He is so incredibly loud for a little 10lb beast. And he makes some seriously pitiful pleas to be let in, but for his own safety and our own sanity, he cannot be in the bedroom unsupervised. We intentionally keep all our corded electronics in here, so he is safe from them and vis versa.
We have tried everything: calming treats, feliway in every area, extended his play time before bed. He has a 6 foot tall cat tower and literally hundreds of toys, 4 scratchers and a tunnel that all stay in the living room. We don’t engage him in play in the bedroom to try and condition him that this isn’t where the play area is, this is where we rest. Nothing has helped.
The Question:
How do we find a happy medium? I know this is as stressful for him as it is for us. He really is a sweet little guy, but as I mentioned above he is a felon and can’t be trusted to be in the bedroom. What are we possibly missing? What could help us help him not be so stressed at bedtime?
Sincerely,
A very tired cat mom