Cats are creatures with a mind of their own, constantly focused on their own mission at hand, regardless of the furniture that may be in their path. When your cat chases after an elusive insect, without notice or care, suddenly your furniture is covered in little paw prints. In addition, your sofa cushions are much more comfortable to your cat than the bed you set up for them.. all of this adding up to your cat wreaking havoc on your furniture.
Learning how to keep cats off furniture is not an easy feat. You must stick to your guns and never give in to your cats being on your furniture, not even one time, or you are in for a lifelong battle. With some informative tips (like these below) and some perseverance, though, you can save your most valued furniture from your cats.
Set Realistic Expectations
A number of experts agree that keeping cats off every piece of furniture in your home is not a realistic task to accomplish.
It may be possible to learn how to keep cats off furniture in some cases if your cat learns exceptionally well, but keeping all of your furniture kitty free may be expecting too much. Cats have an inborn need to elevate themselves in order to feel safe.
Persistence – Patience – Consistency
Your level of persistence and patience has a great deal to do with the success of training your cat to keep off your furniture. If you have a tendency to become frustrated easily, it is best to not even attempt such training. Inconsistency is also a downfall when it comes to training cats. Cats have an instinctive sense that allows them to pick up on even the smallest inconsistencies so they can use them to their own advantage.
If you want to train your cat to keep off the furniture, you need not waste even the smallest amount of time. If you let them on the furniture when they are kittens, you had better get used to the idea of a full-grown cat lounging on your furniture. It is possible to train a full-grown cat to keep off the furniture, but it is much more difficult than training a kitten.
Methods For Keeping Cats Off Furniture – That Work!
Hitting or spanking your cat is not an effective training method. They understand nothing beyond the violence. Cats are not likely to make the connection between being on the couch cushion and being smacked on the fanny. Cats simply do not understand such reprimanding, thus violence toward him or her should always be avoided.
Some methods for keeping cats off furniture include:
- Spraying the furniture with a lavender solution or covering the area in aluminum foil for a while.
- The most effective method to keep cats off furniture is to move them. When you see them on the furniture, remove them from that spot with a firm “no”.
- Another method is to get them their own cat furniture, giving them praise when they use their own furniture and a firm “no” when they decide to use yours will pay off over time.
As long as you are consistent with your rules, your cat will learn. However, you should not be surprised to learn they have been in forbidden areas in your absence, as cats will be cats.
If you have any other great tips on how to keep cats off furniture, please add them to the comments below!
