If you notice your cats having a weird relationship with your room, there may be multiple reasons for it. You probably know how sensitive cats are, which is probably why you can not figure out why your cat is behaving a certain way sometimes. Luckily this behavior is common in many cats, and 95% of the time there is nothing to worry about so let’s look into why your cat waits outside your bedroom door.
In this article, we will go over the possible reasons your cat sits outside your bedroom and what you can do to fix the issue if it persists.
Why does your cat wait outside your bedroom?
Cats communicate in very specific ways. Most of the time, it is up to us to figure out what they are trying to tell us, which is not easy.
So what does it mean when it randomly comes and waits outside your closed bedroom door?
This can depend on a number of things. Your cats’ personality, the kind of relationship it has with you, and also based on what the situation calls for.
The good news is that many cats have similar behavior, and in most cases, there is nothing to worry about.
So let’s take a look at the reasons your cat may wait outside your bedroom door, and what you can do to stop it from doing so.
Reasons your cat waits outside your bedroom door
There are a couple of explainable reasons why your cat may wait outside your bedroom door. Some of them reveal a more serious problem, which you will have to look into with the help of a certified vet.
Let’s look at some.
It could have some sort of sickness
Cats are usually very secretive about any diseases they might have, which is why you may have to be extra aware when you see them behaving differently.
When a cat sits outside your bedroom door, it could be feeling many things. But illnesses are usually paired up with minor symptoms that confirm that your cat is sick.
Common illnesses in cats behaving this way are kidney problems, stomach issues, and other problems affecting organs.
These will also result in symptoms like urine spraying, leakages, nausea, and sometimes diarrhea, so start observing your cat if you suspect anything.
If you feel that it has some sort of disease, then you want to go to the vet as soon as possible.
It is scared of your room
Cats are so sensitive, they get scared very easily.
But to be fair, sometimes there could be something actually scaring your cat, and it may just be trying to warn you with its unusual behavior.
Young cats especially, can get scared by any shadow or an object in your room, such as a bunch of clothes piled up on a chair.
It could also be a lamp, a window through which it saw something creepy, and sometimes even the presence of an unfamiliar person scares them.
Now, these things may not necessarily be scary for us, but the fear can have a negative effect on your cat if it continues for a longer period of time.
If your cat is behaving this way, you need to gently teach it that the room is safe, and there is no need to be afraid. It will soon stop sitting outside your bedroom.
However, if this problem persists, then seeking medical attention would be the way to go.
Cat wants to go outside
As much as indoor cats love staying indoors comfortably, they still need to have their time out in nature, just like us humans.
The difference is, that a cat’s natural environment is actually out in nature , not inside homes.
This does not mean that you should not keep them as pets, but you should give them proper time outside to interact with other cats and gain familiarity.
However, when you get a new cat, you may be skeptical about letting it outside, and also might find it difficult to come up with a balance of how long you should let your cat stay outdoors.
So if your cat is constantly waiting outside your bedroom even during the day, then it can be your cat telling you to let it out for a longer period of time.
You can then adjust the time it is let out again to when it stops waiting outside your bedroom and let you live peacefully!
Installing a small cat flap door to let your cat go in and out as it pleases is a good idea too, if it is an old cat.
Or you could use other methods. (as mentioned below)
It is guarding you
Guarding their owner is a very dominant characteristic of canines. But it is also seen in some bold cats who have a strong bond with their owner.
Cats may not necessarily show their affection through their actions, but guarding you while you sleep is a strong indication of its love for you.
But how do they protect you?
Your cat will make itself aware of all the entrances and exits to your house, and then place itself in a location where it can see those places.
So if anything happens, it will be the first to let you know because it will be outside your bedroom door.
If your cat does this, you should consider it as a compliment, because it shows that your cat trusts you and loves you, and it wants to keep you safe from any harm.
It wants to spend more time with you
You know sometimes when your cat is following you around the house and just will not stop?
That is actually a good thing! It just means that your cat is trying to tell you to spend more time with it.
Unfortunately for cats, many cat owners do not get the hint, so cats resort to waiting outside the bedroom door as soon as their owner closes it.
They may also meow occasionally and try to make noise with their paws on the door to get your attention.
So what do you do when this happens? Well you give your feline friend attention of course!
You can pick it up and take it with you to the room, pet it, and play with it. These are all activities that will bring your cat closer to you and bring it to have trust in you.
How to stop your cat from waiting outside your bedroom door
Teach your cat to not wait outside your door
This is easier said than done because teaching your cat new habits proves to be difficult most of the time.
But if you start slowly and remain patient through the process, your cat will learn and adapt.
Some tips you can start with is to try to make it aware that you do not like its action. Do not be harsh and do not use negative reinforcement with your cat.
Instead of this habit, you can introduce it to another habit that does not involve waiting for you no matter where you are.
You can give it treats to encourage it from staying away, but this can form its mindset that you will give it a treat every time it goes to another place, which is not healthy.
Spray an unpleasant odor to the cat so it stops coming
Spray some scent or odor that you know your cat does not like outside the room. This will discourage it from spending hours waiting for you outside your bedroom door.
Make sure the odor is non-toxic, just unpleasant, as that mostly seems to do the trick.
Hopefully, this should just discourage your cat from waiting outside your door, but it still wants to spend quality time with you when you are awake.
Make your cat’s own area attractive to it
Chances are, your cat actually likes your room a lot, which is why it spends so much time there when your room is closed.
This is easy to figure out, if your cat spends a lot of time in your room during the day, your suspicions may be true.
What you can do in this case is make the cat’s own bed and area equally attractive, so it wants to spend time there instead of your room.
This can be done easily as you can place some cat friendly toys, scratch poles and a clean litter box in its area to make it a happy place to spend time in.
Spend some time with it before closing your bedroom door
The final tip we can give you is to give your cat some of your attention before you go to bed.
If you know that the reason it waits outside your bedroom door is for attention purposes, then you must do this for a peaceful night’s sleep.
Petting it for some time, rocking, and even playing with it for some time should more than satisfy your feline friend, and you can bet that both of you are going to get a good night’s sleep!
Conclusion
In conclusion, why does your cat wait outside your bedroom door?
The truth is, there are a variety of reasons, and it is up to you to observe your cat’s behavior and figure out the exact reason for its behavior.
It could want some of your attention before you close the bedroom door and call it a night.
It could also be scared of your room, which explains why it would wait outside the room and not get in.
Another reason can be that it wants to go outside more often, or that it is trying to let you know about an underlying illness.
Most often, this is a consequence of a good bond between the cat and the owner, in which case it is considered to be a good thing.
However, if this behavior persists, you may have to train your cat to let go of this habit, and if needed, even seek medical attention.
Lastly, if you do not like this habit, do not be harsh with your cat as it is only trying to express its love for you.
If you are not gentle, you might break the bond and cause implications in yours and your feline friends relationship.
Use methods like spraying unpleasant odor or spending quality time before bed with your cat as a good way of maintaining the bond.
Cats show strange behaviour such as sleeping between legs, moving its kittens, scratching mirrors, tail hitting, bedroom door waiting, eye sniffing, chin biting, black boogers, foot standing, back jumping, sighing, peeing in the bathtub and toe licking may actually have solid reasons behind. Its important we educate ourselves about possible reasons and then act timely for any fix.
