Getting your cat to sleep outside your bedroom: managing the change
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To get your cat to sleep outside your bedroom, put their new bed where they already sleep, with fabric that carries your scent, then move it in stages towards the chosen room, and only close the door once they sleep there by choice. Expect a few restless nights: your cat is losing a habit, not just a spot.
Why is your cat so set on sleeping in your bedroom?
A cat that sleeps on your bed finds your scent there, along with warmth, room to spread out and a quiet spot away from the comings and goings. For them to accept sleeping elsewhere, the new bed has to give back part of what they lose: a plain cushion in the hallway won't do it.
According to the AAFP and ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines, a safe place is a private, secure spot that gives a cat a sense of shelter; when the cat is relaxed, it can also serve as a resting or sleeping area.
| What your cat finds on your bed | What the new bed needs to offer |
|---|---|
| Your scent | A piece of fabric you have worn, placed inside |
| A sheltered, tucked-away spot | Walls and a roof, with a single view onto the room |
| Room to stretch | Enough space to turn round without touching the sides |
| Your presence | Nothing replaces it: this is the part you have to accept losing |
This is where an enclosed bed such as the villa cat house earns its place: a little house with a roof, big enough for your cat to get right inside, with only their head poking out to keep watch without being seen.
Where should your cat sleep at night, if not in your bedroom?
The right room is quiet and comfortably warm, with the bed kept well away from your cat's other essentials. According to Cats Protection, a bed belongs away from noisy appliances such as the washing machine and busy areas such as the hallway, out of draughts without sitting right next to a heat source, and well apart from the food bowl, the water and the litter tray.
- The living room: often the best choice, in a corner that stays quiet in the evening.
- A study or spare room: works well, with the door left open or the room set up with everything they need.
- The bathroom: it is often where the litter tray lives, and in some homes the washing machine too. If it is the only option, keep the bed as far from the tray as you can.
- The hallway or entrance: best avoided, as these are places people pass through.
The criteria for choosing a spot anywhere in the home are covered in where to put your cat's bed.
A hideaway to rival your bed
The villa cat house is an enclosed house with a roof, roomy enough for your cat to turn round, in grey, coffee or pink so it can stay in your living space. Discover the villa cat house →
How do you manage the move out of the bedroom, night by night?
The change happens by moving the bed, not the cat: you put the cat house in their path and let them come to it.
- Put the bed where they already sleep. At the foot of your bed, door open.
- Add a piece of fabric with their scent, or yours. The AAFP and ISFM guidelines recommend the cat's own bedding or an item of clothing carrying the scent of a familiar person.
- Then leave them to it. Don't push them inside, and don't disturb them once they settle in.
- Move the cat house in stages. Near the door, then just outside it, then into the chosen room. Only move on to the next stage once they have slept in it several nights in a row.
- Close the door last. Only when they already sleep in the new room by choice, with their litter tray and water within reach.
Keep the entrance facing into the room, never towards a wall, and don't swap the fabric along the way.
When a cat house isn't enough to get them sleeping elsewhere
A cat that sleeps against you for the contact won't trade you for a cat house. There will be a few difficult nights, and no bed stops meowing or scratching at the door. If it is mainly the dawn wake-up calls that make you want to close the bedroom, read my cat wakes me up at night instead.
A cat that likes to sleep out in the open may prefer an open bed, such as the woven cotton rope cat bed, provided they sleep curled up: its 39 cm diameter suits an adult cat of standard build. The comparison enclosed cat house or open bed will help you decide, and all our cat beds are gathered in one place.
With several cats, the same guidelines call for at least as many safe places as there are cats, each with more than one entrance so that one cat cannot block another's way in. The villa cat house has a single entrance: in a multi-cat home it doesn't meet that standard, so set up hideaways with more than one way in alongside it. For a kitten who has just arrived, the first nights follow a different logic.
Finally, if your cat suddenly changes the way they sleep, the AAFP and ISFM guidelines point out that a change in behaviour can signal an underlying medical problem: talk to your vet.
Frequently asked questions
Can you shut your cat in a room for the night?
Yes. According to the Cat Protection Society of NSW, shutting your bedroom door or keeping your cat in one part of the house overnight is not unkind, as long as they have a litter tray and fresh water. For a cat you would rather kept off the bed, The Ohio State University describes a quiet refuge with a bed, food, water, a litter tray, a scratching post, a perch and toys. Keep the tray well away from the bed.
My cat has slept in my bedroom for years: is it too late?
No, but a long-standing habit can take longer to change. Keep the same method and stretch out each stage: more nights near the bed, shorter moves. For an older cat, Cats Protection also advises a bed that is easy to reach.
Should you wash the fabric that carries your scent?
Not during the change. After that, wash the bedding in rotation: Cats Protection advises always leaving one bed that keeps your cat's familiar scent. For the villa cat house, the product page recommends surface cleaning; check the label before putting it in the machine.
What size of cat house for a cat that sprawls across your bed?
One they can turn round in on the spot: if they have to back out, it is too small. The villa cat house comes in S (39 × 32 × 31 cm), M (44 × 36 × 35 cm) and L (49 × 39 × 41 cm), external dimensions supplied by the manufacturer; the L is meant for cats that stretch out. Measure your cat from nose to the base of the tail, and their height sitting.
Key takeaways
- To get a cat to sleep outside the bedroom, move their bed in stages, starting from the foot of your bed.
- The night-time bed belongs somewhere quiet, away from the washing machine and the hallway, and at a distance from the food bowl and the litter tray.
- A piece of fabric that carries your scent links your bed to their new one.
- No cat house stops meowing: a cat that seeks your company will mean a few difficult nights.