How do I keep my cat off the furniture?

[AngelBiscuits]

She KNOWS she is not allowed on the furniture, but of course, she hops up there when we're not looking anyway. She's not allowed on any of it because she has acid reflux and even though she's on medication she still has episodes where she vomits all over everything (it's usually just a little but it makes a ******** of a mess!) The first three vets insisted there was nothing wrong with her so I'm glad we took her to another and got an answer, but there isn't much we can do to help her aside from raising her dish and giving her medication.

Anyway, "everything" generally consists of my sofa and our chairs. At least once a week we wake up to vomit on the sofa. We've got into a habit of tipping the chairs against the table and desk before we go to bed so she can't sit on them, but it's not as easy to do with the sofa. We've never had a problem with the pets on the furniture before, but we don't think this is particularly sanitary.

We've made sure she has her own furniture (some in the form of cardboard boxes because those can be tossed if she vomits in them and a cat tree) to make up for it so there is no shortage of places for her to sit and sleep.

We've tried putting tin foil all over the couch and she just pushed it around, crawled under it or just slept right on top of it and we tried tape, but she doesn't even care that it gets stuck to her. Both deterred the other cat, but not this one.

How do I keep my cat off the furniture? Suggestions? We've inherited a leather sofa set from my husband's grandparents and we don't dare bring it in until we can get this sorted out.

I've heard citrus sprays help, has anyone had any luck?

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

I don't have any experience with teaching a cat (or dog) to permanently stay off furniture, especially stuff like the couch, but alternatives while you teach her may be:
- separation/containment/exclusion - she's not allowed in the room when she can't be supervised
- getting a cover that you can throw over it at night/when you're away from home - I'd either go with something more absorbent than just a standard sheet/thin blanket or plastic or something (you don't want it to soak through and into the couch after all)

You could try deterrent sprays/scents but there's a chance that the cat will eventually grow indifferent to it (or the scent will fade enough that it doesn't bother the cat but you might not notice till an accident has happened).

[Faith.Riddle]

From my own experience I know it's nearly impossible to keep cats off furniture. Have you tried a cat repellent spray? You have spray bottles that leave a scent that cats find unpleasant, but you probably don't want that kind of stuff on your couch... You also have these spray cans with motion detectors in them. They basically spray air when anything comes near it. Most cats will run away from it. I've tried PetSafe Ssscat Spray to keep one of my cats away from clawing at my bedroom door at night and it worked. Unfortunately, the refills are quite expensive. :/

[AngelBiscuits]

~ Aki - Fairy ~

Unfortunately we live in a really small apartment and we can't really put her anywhere while we're not with her, the bathroom is inconveniently shaped so we can't fit her litterbox in there (we've tried putting it in the bathtub but she's too scared of the tub to hop in there to use the litterbox and just poops on our mat instead), and the only other alternative is the bedroom -and we don't really want her in there, either. We've tried putting things on the couch to protect it but she just pulls it off or digs her way underneath no matter how well we tuck it in and around it. She's like some sort of houdini. She is super smart and we love her for it, but it's kind of frustrating sometimes, haha....

I guess I'll have to try a spray and figure something else out later if it stops working.

Thanks anyway though, I appreciate it!

[xXAibuXx]

The only thing that could maybe work is making a loud noise or spraying her with water any time she is in the act of getting on the furniture, but that won't stop her from not doing it when you aren't looking because cats do what they want. I've never been able to teach a cat not to do something, especially when I am not home or not looking.

Another thing that could really help, is making sure she has furniture that is hers that she likes, and redirecting her to it any time she gets on the furniture.

[Ms Nooks_]

Good luck with that! I don't have that problem with Loki. I mean she does test me, but i show her who's boss.

Loki is allowed on my furniture just not the dinner table or counters. she has yet to get on the counters. but tests me on the table.

She owns one cushion of the couch where i lay a blanket down for her (Fuzzy baby blanket) and she for some reason knows that her spot. So when i watch tv and she wants to come hang out with me, she jumps and lays right there.

Maybe try that? giving her a blanket on the couch and letting her know that her spot only if she wants on the couch? that way if she pukes on it, its an easy wash.

as for the table, once she up there, i pick her up and put her down telling her no! and if she keeps doing it repeatedly after i do this, she gets sprayed with a water bottle. but usually it just me holding it to scare her off.

[Henrika]

Out of curiosity, what do you feed her?


Also, while its not impossible to persuade her to spend time elsewhere than the sofa, getting a waterproof cover is likely going to be your best bet.