When Cats Scratch Closed Doors: Training

Many cats tend to scratch on closed doors – whether their caregiver is inside or outside the locked room. If you want to break this behavior from your cat, he has to learn that closed doors are not a bad thing. With a little practice, patience, and treats, the scratching will soon come to an end.

Most cat owners are probably familiar with the problem: there is a draft, they close the door and three seconds later the cat, which was just lying comfortably on the sofa, decides that it now urgently wants to get out. You get up, let her out and close the door again. As soon as you sit down again, someone scratches the door from outside. So it can go in and out for hours until even the most patient cat owner gets annoyed. However, with a little training, this behavior can be avoided.

Positive Associations with Closed Doors

Slowly start by closing any door in your home behind you and your cat for a few seconds at a time. Immediately do something good for your cat. Give her a treat right away, pet her, or play with her. After a few seconds, open the door again.

Repeat this exercise several times a day for some time. Slowly you can increase the period that the door is closed. It is important that you only open the door again when your cat is calm and well-behaved. Otherwise, your furry friend will easily conclude that doors will open if you scratch them.

Scratching on Doors Doesn’t Have To Be!

Once you’re comfortable dealing with closed doors when you’re in the same room with your pet, you can go one step further: close the door between you and the cat. Open them again when your little one is quiet, but leave them closed when they scratch it because they shouldn’t. Again, you can gradually increase the time from a few seconds to a few minutes. Your four-legged friend will soon have learned two things: Every closed door will eventually open again and it is not worth scratching.

Locking Up is Not an Appropriate Parenting Measure

Never lock your four-legged friend in a room as a punishment and never alone for too long. If you need to lock him out for more than a few minutes for any reason, like moving house, make sure your cat has everything they need:

● Toys
● Activities
● Snuggle corner
● Water and food
● Litter box

This is how you make your furry friend’s situation as comfortable and stress-free as possible.