Are you lying down in bed when suddenly you hear a boom and rattle at your door?
If so, you probably were very surprised and found yourself asking, “Why does my cat body slam my door at night?”
Although it is not well known that cats can do this, it is a common thing to have happen.
So, why does your cat body slam your door at night?
Here are the most common reasons why.
Surprised and confused to find your cat body slamming your door at night like a pro wrestler? The most common reasons why your cat will do this are the following: your cat is bored at night; your cat is seeking your attention; you have reinforced this behaviour before in your cat; your cat is hungry; your cat likes the sound of the rattle of the door; cat is curious; your cat has separation anxiety; and less commonly, your cat has a health issue. Often, underlying many of these reasons is your cat’s natural sleep cycle. Your cat may not be adjusted to your sleep-wake schedule; they are naturally most awake in the evening and night and looking to play!
The reality is that your cat may be bored. Are there toys available to them while you are trying to sleep? You could make sure that some toys are lying out so your cat can easily see them before you head to bed. They may play with these instead of your door.
If this doesn’t work, it may be that your cat has learned that you are the most entertaining toy! Your cat wants to have a great time playing with you and doesn’t understand that you need your beauty sleep.
If you think about your history with your cat, at some point you may have gotten out of bed to attend to them. For example, did you ever get up when they slammed the door? If so, you may have intentionally or unintentionally reinforced their behaviour.
Kitty now knows that if they rattle or slam the door, there is a chance that you may get up for them. And, if they are bored and looking for something to do, they have all night to do it!
It may be wise to do a mental check to see if your cat is getting enough to eat. Did you accidentally forget to feed them dinner, or did you feed them a little less than usual? Are they getting enough to eat during the day?
Some cat owners report that their cat needs a bit of a snack before they go to sleep, otherwise, they will be asking for food during the night.
Your cat is smart, and if they run out of food, they know that you are the food source!
Sometimes kittens need more food than we expect because they are growing.
Your door may have become a new toy. It makes a pretty amazing rattle and boom when your cat hits it, and this may amuse and entertain your cat.
To rectify the situation, you can put a towel over the door and shut it. You can also stuff clothes or a towel underneath, but your cat may be able to rip those out.
We all know that cats are curious. When you go to the other side of that door, your cat may be wondering what you are up to.
After all, you go there, so it must be interesting on the other side!
Your cat may have separation anxiety, due to usually having a lot of contact with you. This is a real condition that your cat can get. If your cat is used to a lot of time and/or attention from you, and this is taken away, separation anxiety can develop.
Covid Kind
During COVID-19, many kitties got used to their owners being home from work. If this is you, you may want to pay special attention to your cat. Cat owners are reporting more separation anxiety in cats due to the Covid 19 epidemic, as they went back to work, removing the constant reassurance of their presence for their cats.
This can also happen when you do something simple like shut the door to your bedroom.
How To Handle
It is important to discuss your cat’s condition with a vet. You can journal their behaviour, record them on video when you are out of the house, or ask someone you trust to check in on them. Ask your vet to help you with anxiety in your cat (particularly separation anxiety) and to screen them for any other health issues that could be causing the behaviour.
If you do this, it’s a good idea to have them listen for yowling before they enter the house, which would show you that your cat is distressed. (Cats will yowl when lonely).
As a temporary measure, until you sort things out with your vet, introduce new toys and favourite toys for your cat to play with while you are gone. This will give them something that they love to do and distract them.
Puzzle feeders can also be used to distribute food slowly to them, as they solve the puzzle- thus engaging their brain and at least temporarily removing anxiety.
As well, it’s also important to play with them at home but also to teach them to play on their own at times (perhaps with a favourite toy). This will help teach them to play on their own when you are not around.
Cats are crepuscular, which means that they are the most active at twilight.
Naturally, this leads to funny behaviours in your cat that you have probably witnessed, like ‘night crazies’ or ‘zoomies.’
For example, my cat started to show up at my house every day, until we decided that he probably didn’t have owners already and we adopted him.
If you are wondering, cats can adjust to your sleep schedule. Before my cat was fully adjusted, when twilight came, he was ready to hunt and full of energy. This resulted in him zooming wildly around the house suddenly, for no apparent reason! Sometimes he would run sideways, back arched like a Halloween cat!
These are the night crazies or zoomies.
Your cat is wired to be awake around this time. This may be why they are body-slamming your door at night! They are awake, full of energy, and trying to release it somehow.
Solution
1) Try to change your cat’s sleep schedule
(This is possible! It may require time and patience, but it can be done. I trained my cat to sleep when I do, and previously he had been living in the wild, awake during the night).
2) Make sure your cat exercises during the day to get that energy out.
(Most people don’t realize that cats need exercise and play, but they do! At least 15 minutes a day!)
Key Takeaway: Your cat may be body slamming your door because they are sleeping during the day and awake in the evening and night. They also may be body slamming because they have too much energy that they need to get rid of through more exercise.
—>>>For more on how to exercise your cat, see our exercise guide here.
—>>>If your cat is body slamming you and not your door, see our article on cats body slamming humans here!
Caught off guard by your cat slamming into your closed bedroom door at night?
You are not alone!
Carefully analyzing the most common reasons why cats do this will help you to find the reason why your cat may act this way.
If you find yourself confused and asking, “Why does my cat body slam my door at night?” review our most common reasons here, and you will be well on your way to finding the answer.
Does your cat body slam your door at night? Feel free to leave your story below in the comments! We would love to hear it!
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