# guarding the door



## Cam (May 6, 2011)

This is a problem that isn't huge but doesn't seem to be going away...
We have a door separating the living/dining/kitchen/cat room from the rest of the house (bedrooms, bathroom). Bertie isn't allowed through this door, mainly cos all the doors to the rooms swing shut and he can't get back if he goes through one. That, and there are dangerous things like the chemical toilet behind some of the doors. 
The problem is that Bertie has learned to anticipate when we are going to bed and doesn't want to be left alone, so he guards the door! When either of us moves towards the door, he sprints for it, and if you try to pick him up to move him out of the way he swats at you with his claws. Sometimes he even jumps and claws at your face! He's learned to anticipate our move-him-out-of-the-way tactic. He gets really quite aggressive - if I do pick him up - and my boyfriend won't - he claws and bites and struggles til I put him down and then bolts straight back for the door.
If he gets throuh we have to chase him around for ges, and he knows what's coming so he stays pretty clawy and bitey.
Distracting him with food doesn't work - as soon as you move away he beats you to the door.

So we don't really know what to do! This doesn't happen every night but when it does it's so frustrating. And sometimes it happens when I'm on my way to work, which is worse. 
When we do get through the door, he yowls for ages too! I know he just doesn't want us to leave him, but he also knows we will be back!

We tried a couple of times to have him sleep in our room, but we have to prop the doors open so he can get out to pee, and he thinks it's acceptable to wake me up at 5am by standing on my face while licking my nose and purring loudly! So that's not ideal!

Any ideas to dispel this behaviour?


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## cooncatbob (May 27, 2011)

I keep the dangerous cleaning supplies in a cabinet where kitty can't get them.
I don't try to keep the cat out of any rooms.
If kitty wakes me up in the middle of the night I hiss at her and go back to sleep, she soon learned not to wake up Papa.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

A couple of things you can try, throw a treat behind him and then go out the door while he's eating it.

Go up to the door, and turn your back to the door to face him and tell him to "Stay"---give a hand signal at the same time---straight arm with palm up and fingers spread----like a cop. Don't pick him up to move him out of the way. If he makes a move, stamp your feet on the floor, and repeat "stay". If he's sitting and not moving, say "good boy!" and back out the door. You can reward his "stay" with a treat. If he's_ really_ persistent and tries to squeeze through your legs, gently step on his paw and say "stay". Right now he's really bullying you and you shouldn't put up with it. Give us an update.


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## Mom of 4 (Jul 29, 2006)

Put a litter box in your bedroom at night. Just clean every night and it should be fine.
i just ignored the cats when they tried to wake me up. it took a little training over a few weeks, but i can sleep in without the cats bothering me. 
Push dinner back a bit or give a bedtime snack, even move some food into the bedroom.

It sounds like Bertie wants to be with you.


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## Cam (May 6, 2011)

Hello
Thanks for the replies- 
@Cooncatbob - it's hard to put away a chemical toilet! We don't have a choice about that one. While I don't think he _is_ silly enough to lick the chemicals, I don't want to chance it. We also have mousetraps down cos something keeps peeing on our towels, so another reason to keep Bertie out of that side of the house. 

@ catloverami, I will try that. The problem is getting between him and the door! It's usually the other way around! 

@ Mom of 4 - yeh I know he does want to be with us. But we didn't want him to sleep in our room in the first place - and it's too small to put a litter tray in! We have just walking space around the bed! Also, he usually does his business outside and the only cat door is in the back door. I shut him in one night cos there was a big neighbourhood cat trying to get in, and the poor wee thing held it all night rather than go in the litter box! (Which was clean and fresh - no problems there)

For us the ideal solution is that he accepts that we sleep in a different room. He gets attention from us all evening, and he settles down and stops crying eventually. It's just the transition period that's difficult and I want to try and make it smoother.


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## Dace (Apr 16, 2011)

I'm also keeping my cat out of my bedroom during the night - of course he didn't like it at the beginning, he was crying and scratching the door but he got used to it in 3-4 days. Now he has found his favorite sleeping spot in our living room and seems happy with it. If he wants his breakfast served, he'll make sure to wake us up either way


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