How can I make my cat stop scratching at the door?

We have tried 2 things that have worked over the years.

1. Cover the bottom part of the door they can reach with some plastic material, something like a drop cloth they use for painting. Then cover that with Vaseline.

2. Cover with tinfoil as above (but no Vaseline).

I have a cat who scratches on our bedroom door when she wants in ... but I've been 'working with her' since we got her at eight weeks (she's now just over 6 months), and she's 'much better' about the scratching and yowling. When you first hear her at the door, simply yell 'NO' as loudly as possible (or whatever you want to use, since your cat needs the 'sound' and not the word). When she scratches again, get up and go very quietly to the door and hit it at the bottom as loudly as you can with your open hand. What you want is a sound like a 'gunshot' since cats hate loud noises. When she comes back a third time, do both the word and the 'slap the door' sound. If she comes back a fourth time, you may need to open the door, pick up the cat and 'toss her down the stairs/hallway.' Each time you do something, your cat should take a bit longer before coming back. If necessary, you may need to move a chair or your bed closer to the door until she's trained. Depending on how long you've let this go on, you'll get her trained eventually. You also say you have a ruined door ... so why don't you cover it with some cork or other 'thick paper' padding the screw something she can't catch her claws in ... the padding is so you can get some much needed sleep, the (probably metal) covering is to keep her from doing more damage. When you are sure she's not scratching and yowling any more, buy a new door!

You can use hard plastic to protect the door frame from further damage. You're doing the right thing by not rewarding the behavior by opening the door or speaking to the cat through the door as that would encourage the behavior. You can try to mellow the cat out by giving her some catnip before she goes downstairs for the night. Also, there are sprays that you can buy at the pet store that cats don't like the smell of to keep them from biting at or peeing on an area, and spraying one of those around the door frame may deter your cat from spending her nights scratching at something that smells foul to her. Good luck and don't give in!

I would not use Vaseline as someone recommended; petroleum is toxic if enough is ingested, and even if your cat stops scratching because of the unpleasant feeling of the Vaseline, it will lick the stuff off its paws and get sick.

Well try letting the cats have free reign over the house at night and close your door, but if this is unreasonable than leave the basement door open all day long and put things the cats own or have claimed ownership over down there to make it appear more comfortable to the cats, and if none of this works you can go to the extreme and have the cat's claws removed, but I would never do that because doing so can make the cat MEAN.

Put a large upright vacuum cleaner in front of the door. Run the wire under the door. When cat wants in plug the vacuum in. Don't open the door! This may have to be done twice. Then you can put the vacuum cleaner away and sleep without cats.

Clipping the cats nails might keep em from scratching or make em little shoes out of cloth so that then cannot scratch anymore. Or block the hallway or a part of the house to keep them at a far enough distance from you. Or maybe they get thirsty and hungry and that is why they keep making noise.

The best thing to do is put a scratch post near where she is scratching and sprinkle catnip all over it.

Also, everytime, yes every single time you catch the cat scratching where its not supposed to, pick it up and move it to the scratch post. That way it learns fast where she can scratch and where she cant.

Cats need to scratch, they need their nails, please don't ever remove them, its cruel if you do.

We got our cat a cat condo and put it near where she was scratching (the back of the couch) and she learned real fast to scratch the condo. We also sprinkled it all over with catnip. She loves it! We also got her little fake mice from wal-mart. The mice with fur, so we stick a mouse in her condo to encourage her to play and scratch the cat condo.

Good Luck!

i dont think there is alot you can do really she just doesnt like being confined my cats drive me nuts at night when they want out and if my bedroom door is shut they claw or meow i just shout at them or if that fails throw my slipper at the door why not let them have the run of the house

Hmm, you could try putting something in front of the door, so that your cat wouldnt scratch the door. Or, you could try getting up when she's scratching and meowing, and go and tell her "No!" everytime she does it

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