Some cat owners lock their cats up in a room at night because they’re mischievous and make nights unbearable with their meowing.
Other pet parents confine their cats to a room when night falls for safety, as cats usually break things and climb over everything. They’re also excellent escape artists, so there’s a risk of your cat running away at night if they’re in heat.
But, can cats stay in one room?
If you’re keeping your cat locked in a room at night for safety reasons, that’s acceptable, but you should ensure they have everything they need in their room.
In this article, I will discuss the good and bad things about keeping your cat in a room at night. I will also share care tips, so let’s jump in.
Should I Confine My Cat at Night: 3 Possible Downsides
You could confine your cat at night, but that doesn’t mean you should.
I’m strongly against confining pets to a room at night unless it’s for safety reasons. If you decide to limit your cat’s freedom at night, you risk ruining your bond.
Moreover, doing so will likely make your kitty feel stressed and anxious. And instead of getting a good night’s sleep, you will get scratched doors and meowing.
If you need sleep because you work in the morning or have someone allergic to cats staying the night, you may have no other choice.
However, it would help if you learned about the risks of confining cats.
As I already mentioned, when you consider your cat’s safety, there’s little chance of hurting your furry friend. Unfortunately, many pet owners lock up their felines before bed, thinking it’s appropriate and harmless.
Confining a cat to a room at night comes with a few risks, such as psychological and emotional issues that can appear after such treatment.
Let’s discuss some of the downsides of confining your feline at night.
1. Increased Need for Freedom
All animals need their freedom, including cats. They’re still highly sensitive and take every change seriously, whether small or big.
Moreover, since they’re creatures of habit, cats dislike routine changes. Therefore, if you lock your feline in a room at night, you will likely stress them out.
Moreover, your indoor cat will see your action as torture and prefer the outdoor over your household as soon as they leave the room.
2. Scratching, Meowing, and Climbing
There’s a possibility that your cat could get hurt locked in a room at night. The worst part? When you close your cat in a room, don’t expect them to just lay down and fall asleep.
Cats aren’t nocturnal, but they’re crepuscular. So, they’re mostly active at dusk and dawn. If you lock your cat in a room at night, they will likely meow loudly, claw at the door and scratch everything they set free. (*)
Moreover, they will likely climb over every surface in the room, looking for a way out and possibly injuring themselves.
3. High Stress and Broken Trust
Stress isn’t common in just people but also in animals. When under great pressure, cats can refuse food, suffer weight loss, act aggressively, and fall sick.
Locking up your small or senior cat can induce stress.
Moreover, if your kitty has existing health problems, stress can worsen their medical condition, especially diabetes, high rise syndrome, urinary tract infections, etc.
Some cats can refuse their litter box, get depressed, and avoid people when under stress. So, think twice before locking your cat in a room at night unless it’s for their safety.
Lastly, remember that locking your cat in one space at night, such as the bathroom, can damage your connection. Your cat will no longer trust you and feel comfortable in your presence.
In fact, once you start locking up your cat in a room when night falls, they won’t trust anyone in your household. And cats who no longer feel safe and comfortable in their home typically run away.
Confining Your Cat At Night: 5 Justifiable Reasons
Most cat owners don’t like locking up their pets in a room, even for a few hours.
That’s why most cats and dogs roam freely in their humans’ homes; however, some pet owners must limit their cat’s movement at night, as they have no other choice.
Valid reasons for locking up your cat in a room at night include safety and recovery. Let’s discuss these and other justifiable reasons for locking up a cat in a room.
1. Safety
If your feline often plays with electrical cords or wires in your presence, they’ll likely do the same when left unsupervised at night.
Other safety hazards include sticking their head everywhere possible, picking fights with other cats or dogs at home, and climbing over every surface. If your cat checks all the boxes, it’s probably a good idea they stay in a cat-proof room at night.
If you can’t make yourself lock up your cat in a room at night, you can explore other solutions such as binding up your wires with wire protectors and electrical tape.
That way, you will keep them off of your feline’s radar. Additionally, remove anything chewable that’s unsafe for cats in your household.
As for fighting with other pets at night, you can call a behavioral expert for help. You can also discuss the issue with your vet and ask for advice.
2. Recovery
If your feline has recently been spayed or neutered or underwent surgery, confining them to a room where they can’t hurt themselves is a good idea.
You can keep your ill, recently operated, or spayed or neutered cat in your bedroom for supervision, so they can feel at ease, knowing you’re nearby.
3. Adjustment Phase
If you’ve recently moved into a new home or adopted a new cat, your kitty will likely need time to adjust to their new environment.
That being said, if you keep your feline in a particular room, they won’t get stressed. In fact, the room or cage will serve as a safe zone where your cat can hide and chill until they become familiar with their new home.
4. Hyperactivity
Some kittens go crazy at night because their energy levels go up late.
Also known as zoomies, these kittens keep their owners up at night, so they decide to keep them in one specific spot.
If you care for more than one cat and they’re all acting crazy at night, you can lock them up in separate rooms where they can chill. Or you can play with your cats for about 15 minutes at least twice daily.
That way, they won’t have as much energy to roam your home at night.
Regular playtime can also prevent energetic kittens from scratching, meowing, and breaking things around the house when left alone.
5. Temporary Confinement
Most cats hate going to the vet. Furthermore, they can actually sense when you’re getting ready to take them to the vet and hide in their favorite spots.
Not being able to find your feline when you’re late for your appointment can be very frustrating. To prevent this from happening in the future, you can keep your cat in a particular room about one hour and a half before your vet appointment.
How Long Can You Keep a Cat in One Room?
Keeping a cat in one room at night isn’t always a good option. However, it’s actually necessary for some cat owners.
While you can keep your feline locked in one room at night for safety purposes and other justifiable reasons such as the ones above, you should never leave your kitty alone as a punishment for bad behavior.
In my opinion, that’s animal abuse because your cat can’t understand what they’ve done wrong; hence they won’t “learn their lesson.”
So, never unnecessarily leave your kitty trapped in one room for too long.
It’s acceptable when owners put their cat into a particular room after sundown, but if you suddenly lock up your cat in a room, they will feel as if they’re being abandoned or punished if you don’t show up for a long time.
What Do Vets Say About Keeping a Cat in a Room?
Most vets agree that you shouldn’t leave a cat locked in a room for over 24 h.
However, your cat should be fine as long as their room has all they need, like a bowl of food and water, a clean litter box, and a comfortable bed where they can chill. Make sure you leave a few toys that will keep your feline amused while you’re gone.
If you leave your feline in one room for too long, they might feel sad and unloved. Or worse, your cat can lose trust in you. So, if you’re locking your kitten up for the night in a room, make sure they’re out first thing in the morning.
What Kind of Room do Cats Like?
Most cat owners put their cats in the bathroom at night. In my opinion, that isn’t kind of the owners. No cat deserves to be locked in such a nasty place.
Instead of locking your feline up in your bathroom, ensure a comfortable, open room that’s germ-free and odor-free. Also, don’t forget that cats shouldn’t be left in a room for too long. Otherwise, they might feel as if they’re being punished.
Additionally, remember that if you leave a cat in one room for too long, they will look for ways to entertain themselves. In other words, they will destroy your room.
The worst part? If you leave your cat in one space for too long, they can climb over every surface or chew things they’re not supposed to and hurt themselves.
Therefore, ensure your feline isn’t locked up for too long and provide interactive toys that keep their brain busy.
If you have many cats, you should know how they act when left unsupervised. Keeping your cats in the same space at night isn’t a good idea if they fight.
How To Make A Confined Cat Comfortable?
Many vets and behavioral experts suggest that if you’re going to keep your kitten in a separate room, you should provide enough training and time so your kitty can get used to staying alone at night.
Have Your Cat Explore Their New Cat Room
Instead of abruptly putting your cat in a new room and causing unnecessary stress, have your feline explore their new sleeping area.
That way, they can get familiar with the room and feel at ease at night. You can also try to keep your cat in the room for a few hours at the same time of the day for a few weeks before turning it into their permanent sleeping place.
That way, your feline will get used to sleeping alone in a new room.
If you follow these steps, your cat will likely enjoy their new sleeping space instead of freaking out when left alone at night.
Cuddles and Treats for Breakfast
You can make your kitten feel better by providing treats and fun toys whenever they enter their new cat room. If your cat gets a treat or toys every time they stay in their new space, they will start associating it with positive things.
Additionally, ensure you provide enough time, attention, and treats when they’re out of their cat room, so they don’t feel lonely, anxious, or confused.
Ensure They Have All Necessary Things
Ensure your kitten has everything they need to feel more at ease in their new room. For instance, provide a clean litter box, a warm cat bed, food, and water.
Moreover, don’t forget your cat’s favorite toys, so they have something to do without you in the room. Leave interactive toys along with soft blankets. Some owners even leave a t-shirt with their smell.
If you leave a piece of clothing that smells like you, your feline will feel more secure. You can also install a calming cat diffuser if you recently moved to a new home. It’s great for calming anxious cats.
Install Cameras in Your Cat’s Room
Some cat owners purchase indoor security cameras to monitor their cats at night. If you’re worried about your cat’s safety, install a nanny cam in their room.
If your kitty starts meowing in the middle of the night, instead of getting up, you can check the nanny cam and see if your cat needs help or they’re bored and looking for attention.
It sounds a bit extreme, but trust me, many owners who’re worried about their cats or dogs install cameras around the home so that they can observe their actions.
Should I Let My New Cat Roam the House at Night?
All animals need adjustment time when entering a new home.
Therefore, if you’ve recently adopted a new kitten or changed homes, you should let your animal explore their new home.
However, you should also provide a secure place where they can hide and chill. The small hiding place will give your pet a sense of security.
Once your feline becomes familiar with their new home, family members, and other pets, they can freely roam your house at night.
If your cat starts meowing every night, perhaps they’re scared of their new home. In this case, consider keeping your kitten in your bedroom or some other room of your home where they will feel safe at night.
Lastly, don’t worry about your cat destroying your home. Kittens love exploring new territories. However, they’re not destructive by nature.
If you keep your feline happy, they will return the favor.
Overall, if you’re not worried about their safety, you can let your cat roam freely and explore every corner of their new home after sunset.
Extra tip: If you have a cat flap that gives your feline access outdoors, find a way to block it. Otherwise, other animals could break in and scare your cat; worse, your cat can run away and get lost in your new neighborhood.
Final Thoughts
You can keep your cat locked in a room overnight, but most experts don’t support this tactic. If it’s for safety purposes, it’s acceptable. However, keeping your cat isolated in a room as a punishment for bad behavior is cruel.
You won’t teach your cat a lesson because cats aren’t capable of understanding the purpose of punishment. However, they can associate your actions with negativity or develop hostility towards you and your family members.
And if you’re locking your pet up in a particular room because they roam your house at night and you can’t sleep, that’s not good either. If you limit your cat’s movement at night, they will probably scream and scrape at doors.
So, ensure you slowly introduce the new concept of sleeping to your cat. That way, they will have time to adjust to the new settings. Moreover, your feline friend won’t feel stressed when you keep them in a separate room.
See more: How to keep cat away from furniture
*image by Demian/depositphotos