Cats think differently than dogs. Any attempt to change what a cat wants to do is seen by them as an obstacle to overcome. The only way to thwart a cat's plan is to make it so the cat no longer wants to do the thing that is annoying you.
My cat tried this as a kitten, as well as, waking us to play at all hours of the night. What I did was get a large dog cage and put a small litter box on one end, a padded stool for him to sleep on on the other end, with water and a bit of dry food under that.
