Educating Willow

(Brendan came up with the phrase)
In the summer, Willow has a bad habit of waking up around 4 and wanting to go out to survey his territory. When he wants to get out at dawn, he runs up and down the stairs like a maniac. If that doesn't work, he comes into the bedroom and miaows. If that doesn't work, he jump across the bed or onto the bedside table. Hard to ignore if you want to get back to sleep. As we don't have a cat flap, it means that one of us has to get up and let him out.
This year, after a few bad nights' sleep, we decided we had enough! Closing the bedroom door doesn't work, as he starts to scratch at the carpet at the door in an attempt to open it.
So what we are doing now is closing the sitting room and kitchen doors when we go up to bed, leaving him in that area for the night.
The first few nights were bad - he'd miaow so loud he'd wake you, or he'd be trying to pull the door open, despite the big book we put against it (the big opera book Niall and Rita gave me for my 40th), or he'd jump at the back door, setting off the alarm!
The last 2 nights were better - not a peep out of him. And he'd be all lovey-dovey when I'd get up in the morning and open the door for him. Maybe we've cracked it! I'll keep you up to date on our progress.