In this article you’re going to learn how to stop your cat scratching the bed at night. You’ll learn why your cat is behaving like this. And of course how you can stop it.
So if you finally want a good night’s rest, keep your bed safe, and have a happy kitty, this is the place for you!
How To Stop Your Cat Scratching The Bed At Night
We have all been there. It’s been a long day, and you are ready to curl up in your cozy bed and go to sleep.
Then you get awoken by a sound that all cat parents know. Scratching!
When you don’t see your cat right away, we all get worried. What are they scratching?!
So, you look beside your bed and there you see your cute little furbaby. Looking cute but devilish, like they know they’re doing something wrong
Scratching away at your bed! Whether it is scratching under the bed, scratching your bed post, or something else near your bed. It can be a frustrating experience.
You get up, they stop. You climb back into bed, and just as you are falling back asleep you hear them scratching again.
It’s frustrating right? So why in the middle of the night is your cat scratching the bed? It’s one thing if they do it every once in a while. But every night…that starts to get annoying to say the least.
The truth is, there are so many reasons why your cat is scratching. And depending on the reason, we will talk about what you need to do to stop your cat from interrupting your sleep and ruining your bed.
Why Is My Cat Scratching The Bed At Night?
So as much as I know you just want the easy solution to stop your cat from scratching. But first, we need to understand why your cat is choosing to scratch the bed.
There are a few possible reasons.
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They are bored
If your cat is bored at night, then they may want you to entertain them. And what is the fastest way to wake you up, scratching the thing you are sleeping on! Now if you’ve woken up once to attend to your cats need then your cat will remember this. And they know this is how to get you up and give them the attention they crave. So, they will come back and wake you up, again and again. If you want to stop them from scratching the bed, you have to break this cycle.
How? One of two things, either ignore your cat while they are scratching until they learn that it will not get the attention they are wanting.
The other thing is to make sure to play with your cat at night. Tire them out before you go to bed. That way, even if they don’t sleep through the entire night they should be sleepy enough to not want to play in the middle of the night.
Chances are, even if they do wake up, they will want to just cuddle up next to you instead of being ready to play like mad kitties.
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They Just Wants To Scratch!
Sometimes, cat just need to scratch. Cats need to scratch for a number of reasons. It’s a form of stress relief for them, it keeps their nails at a manageable level, and sometimes it’s just a comfort for the.
So if you notice your cat scratching in your bedroom, make sure there is a scratching post in your room.
It doesn’t have to be an entire cat tower. If you want to kill two birds with one stone, you can always get a scratching perch that has a hammock on top. So your cat can scratch THEIR bed, before hopping into bed.
This is a great way of keeping your cat busy at night too. If your kitten does awake from their slumber and want to play, at least they have something to scratch INSTEAD of your bed. It could potentially wake you up the first few times you hear them scratching.
But once you learn that they are scratching what they are supposed to, you will quickly sleep through the night.
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Your Cat Is Hungry
If you are someone that locks your cat in your bedroom at night. There is a chance you’re your cat is hungry.
Sometimes your cat will wake you up at 2am because they’re hungry. But we have all been there, you wake up in the middle of the night STARVING.
But there are a few things you can do. Make sure you feed your cat before bedtime. If their scheduled time to eat is hours before you go to bed, make sure they have SOME food and water to snack on if they get hungry.
If you want to watch how much food your cat gets in a 24 time period, you can get an automatic cat feeder. Then even if your cat is hungry in the middle of the night, they can get a certain amount of food.
Also, if you’re out of the house then at least you know that your cat has access to food! You don’t have to rush home because your cat is typically fed at x time and you are busy doing something else.
Problems Solved!
How To Stop Your Cat From Scratching The Bed
Once you understand why your cat is scratching on the bed, you should hopefully have a few resources to help them stop the nasty habit.
However, like everything else change takes time.
If you are worried about your cat ruining your bed, you can help your cat break the habit while they are working on their next solution.
A super easy and simple solution is to add some double sided sticky tape . Cats don’t like sticky tape. So once they try and scratch, they will hate the feeling of the sticky tape and stop scratching that area.
But remember, your cat will look for somewhere else to scratch. Make sure you have an alternative, whether it is a scratching post, a hammock, a cat tree, or something of your own creation!
That way you can divert your cats attention to the scratching post
In Conclusion
If your cat is scratching the bed at night, then it’s a sign that your cat is try to tell you something.
You just have to figure it out. Is it going to be easy? Depends on how quickly you can guess what your cat is trying to tell you.
But once you do and get your solution, it’s back to sleepy nights and a happy kitty.
You know your cat better than anyone, so you’ll be able to find out exactly what they want!
Our cat is 13 years old started to jump on the bed at night and scratch us for attention why ?