How can I classically condition my two cats to not scratch on my bedroom door at night?

Question

I have two cats (one female and one male) that get along very well and are very personable. They love being around people especially my boyfriend and I which is not ever a problem besides when we go to bed. We lock them out of our bedroom at night and have tried very hard to classically condition them to be okay with this but they keep acting out. The male cat will scratch (putting his nails on the door to make a noise - not ruining the door at all) and the other cat will cry outside the door because they want to have access to the bedroom.

I tried for months to spray them with a squirt bottle the second they start doing the negative behavior but they still do it. The female cat will just sit and get sprayed with the water till she is soaking wet and the male cat hears me getting out of bed and runs and hides under the coffee table where I can't spray him as well.

We have now resorted to locking them in the spare bedroom at night but that involves moving the liter box every single night which is a hassle. I'd like them to have access to the living room and spare bedroom at night (where ever they sleep they always have access to their food, water, and liter box so that is not the problem) but I can't take getting woken up at various hours of the night or 6am because they want in our bedroom.

Any suggestions as to how I could train them to be okay with not sleeping in the bedroom without locking them in the spare room?

Answer 1

The first goal should be to make some place (not your bedroom) a much more entertaining place to be than with you. Set up some toys in your living room or some other place like a puzzle feeder, automatic wand toys, or other toys that they like. In the morning these toys should be put away to keep their interest level in them up.

Then, make your bedroom door as uninteresting as possible. You can use motion activated air sprayers at the doorway, but most importantly NEVER ANSWER THE DOOR MONSTER. My husband and I have been "trapped" in bed for up to an hour before because we didn't want to reinforce "cry at the door, get attention". It's super annoying, and you may need a white noise generator for awhile, but don't answer the door!

Last, take advantage of the cat's hunt, feed, groom, sleep cycle. Use an interactive toy for awhile right before bed, then give them some food. They should settle down pretty quickly after that and hopefully you'll be asleep before they get energy again (it works amazingly well on our youngest).