How To Keep Cats Off Outdoor Furniture (9 Ways)
There really is no greater joy than lounging out in the sun, right where your favorite spot is, and plopping down on your favorite outdoor furniture. It’s just a kind of bliss unlike any other and nothing could really ruin that divine moment – or almost nothing.
One major pet peeve for homeowners is discovering that their sacred outdoor space has become a playground or worse, has become a urinating spot for local strays. It doesn’t matter if you’re a cat lover or are someone who is completely averse to pets; either way, this can still be a total mood killer.
You can still take care of your outdoor furniture without making them welcoming to the neighborhood cats. Here are a few things you can have up your sleeves to not spoil your outside experience and keep unwelcome cats at bay.
Liquid Cat Repellent
It might surprise you but liquid cat repellent is something that you can easily buy up from the stores. Most of these liquids have a staying power of over 24 hours per application.
Although this is something that will have to be a constant part of your daily routine as you will need to reapply daily to your sofa or outdoor cushions in order for it to be effective; it can still turn out to be a nifty and life-changing solution.
Information is everything and although most of these cat repellent sprays are actually stain-free, it would still be best to read up on the labels just to make sure you know what you’re spraying onto your outdoor furniture.
Ultrasonic Repellent
In the event that a mild liquid cat repellent doesn’t work, you might need to take stronger measures. This is where an ultrasonic repellent will come in.
This acts like an electronic outdoor fence. It is basically a device that works by emitting an unpleasant ultrasound that can be quite an irritant to cats. Cats are highly sensitive to certain pitches of sounds so this can work perfectly.
If you’re worried that this can go off all day, it certainly does not. Most of these devices are motion sensor activated and will only turn on when it spots motion or movement of any kind.
It is also worth noting that most of these devices are solar-powered and are actually quite waterproof; simply put, they have almost no maintenance requirements at all. You can get them installed and forget about them and live the rest of your outside life completely cat-free.
Vinegar
To discourage a cat from sitting on furniture, scratching upholstery, or even sitting on a windowsill or countertop, spray the area with Heinz White Vinegar. – Joey Green. Joey Green’s Amazing Pet Cures: 1,138 Simple Pet Remedies Using Everyday Brand-Name Products. United States: Harmony/Rodale, 2011.
If you’re a homeowner who isn’t really into using chemicals or products, thankfully, you can go down the natural route. Cats are highly sensitive to smells, and some smells, they dislike more than the others.
Vinegar makes for a great natural cat repellent. Mix it in a spray bottle with one part vinegar, one part water, and one part dish soap and you’re good to go.
Double-Sided Sticky Tape
Cats are also known to dislike sticky surfaces. One smart trick that really works would be to put in strips of double-sided sticky tape at the base of your outdoor furniture in order for you to effectively deter them from approaching.
You can also create patterns according to your liking to help keep these cats at bay.
Lemon & Orange Peels
Meanwhile, a study claims that cats dislike the smell of citrus. This is something that you can use to your advantage if you would like to keep them away from your outdoor furniture.
However, we highly advise that you proceed with caution. Citrus juice is a form of natural bleach and might fade out the color of your cushion covers or even the stains in your furniture.
Aluminum Foil
Cats are iffy to the sounds of aluminum foil. This is a well-known fact and something that you can actually use to protect the base legs of your furniture.
Wrap some strips of your aluminum foil around your furniture legs and they are sure to stay away. You’ll have one less thing to worry about.
Naphthalene Flakes & Mothballs
If you are a pet owner but are quite keen on keeping your cats away from your patio furniture, you need to be careful with the use of naphthalene flakes and mothballs.
Although it cannot be denied that they can be quite effective in deterring cats, they might be toxic if ingested accidentally. To be on the safe side, you might want to keep this material encased in something.
Train The Cat
This is a simple enough concept. If you don’t like your cats to be around your patio furniture, keep a handy spray bottle of water around.
Cats naturally don’t like to get wet so whenever they get near your furniture, just spray them with water as a form of discipline to keep them at bay. Take note though that this only works whenever you are around.
Use A Scratching Post
If you want to keep cats away from your outdoor furniture but still want to indulge them a little bit, a scratching post might turn out to be the perfect solution.
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, either. A simple wooden post that they can scratch their nails on may be all that’s needed to keep them away from your precious furniture. [Source: anticruelty.org Keeping Cats Off Countertops and Tables]
Best Way To Keep Cats Off Outdoor Furniture Cushions
Outdoor furniture cushions can receive weather damage and get faded out over time. And if you have stray cats in your outdoors, it might shorten the lifespan of your cushions even more.
The best way to keep them off of the cushions would be to protect your investment and have a safe place to store your cushions away.
Take them out only when you’re actually about to use them, and none would be the wiser. It’s an elegant solution as well as a pretty simple one and is sure to keep cats away since they wouldn’t have anything soft or comfy to lounge on.
Do you have any tips or tricks to keep animals like cats and dogs off of patio furniture? Let us know the steps you use in the comments. For more content like this visit our page about the house plants that are safe for cats.
