Those of us who share our home with one or more kittens probably know that not everything is rosy in this coexistence. At the same time that they are capable of showing us immense affection and surprising us with their great intelligence, they can also give us some headaches. Not infrequently we find guardians complaining about certain inappropriate or destructive behaviors of their kittens and that lead them to ask themselves questions such as: “ how to prevent my cat from climbing on the furniture?”.
The good news is that there are solutions to this little day-to-day conflict and, in this article on our site, we share our best tips to prevent your cat from climbing on the sofa, your bed or other home furnishings. Keep reading!
Why do cats climb on furniture?
Before starting with the advice to prevent your cat from climbing on the furniture, it is important that we stop believing in false myths about cats. When we reproduce statements like “cats raise themselves”, “they don't need as much care”, “they completely ignore their guardians” or, worse still, “they are impossible to educate”, we move away from the possibility of reaching a deeper understanding not only about the nature, intelligence and language of cats in general, but also about the personality of our cats. These statements, which are completely lacking in scientific or empirical foundations, often prevent guardians from providing the best care and an optimal quality of life for their kittens. So why should we keep holding them?
It is much better to spend our time living with our cats, perceiving the peculiarities of their character and implementing positive techniques to get them to behave in the way we expect. Because yes, cats are possessors of remarkable intelligence and sensitivity, being able to experience numerous emotions, assimilate gestures and behaviors of their guardians on a day-to-day basis and can assimilate different training orders, as long as they have a caregiver who has the knowledge and patience needed to teach them appropriate behaviors and encourage their learning.
So, the first thing is to really understand why your cat climbs on the furniture and, from there, you can take the most appropriate measures. Although there is no single explanation, in many cases, cats carry out this behavior when they do not have an enriched environment where they can exercise, play and entertain themselves freely, which leads them to look for other non-positive ways to express themselves and release the accumulated tension. The absence of an enriched space can lead, among other things, to the development of stress symptoms and behavioral problems, such as aggressiveness or destructiveness.
On the other hand, if your cat tends to climb on the couch or bed, it may simply be looking for a comfortable place to lie down, rest or enjoy your daily naps. In this case, perhaps, you should check if your kitty's spaces are properly equipped with the necessary elements to provide him with the comfort and security necessary for him to enjoy an optimal quality of life. In addition, it is possible that your cat wants to enjoy your company or sleep with you, which could also explain why he climbs on your bed or on the couch, especially when you are in these places. There is nothing wrong with sleeping with your cat, as long as you provide him with adequate preventive medicine, respecting the correct frequency of application of his vaccines and antiparasitic treatments.
Another possibility is that you unconsciously reinforced this behavior when your partner was still a kitten. We will talk a little more about this issue in the next section, but you should know that unconscious training is real and much more frequent than we usually imagine, generally occurring in the early stages of the animal's development, when we allow or even reward (we reinforce certain behaviors through the delivery of rewards, such as food or caresses, considering them tender or harmless, promoting their assimilation as a habit, but, with the passage of time, we perceive that these same behaviors are not pleasant or may involve some risk for the safety of the animal or individuals around it.
Finally, if you notice that your cat develops other unusual behaviors or that his character seems to have changed, we recommend consulting the vet. There are different he alth problems that can cause changes in your partner's behavior, making him more nervous, fearful, hyperactive or even aggressive.
Once these brief initial considerations have been made, we can get fully into our tips to prevent your cat from climbing on the furniture and let's start by keeping ourselves in this same line of reasoning.
What to do so that a cat does not climb on the furniture?
Below, we share three basic and essential tips to prevent your cat from climbing on the furniture:
1. Teach your cat not to climb on furniture
As we have been saying, it is possible to train a cat, but we must be clear that it is not a simple process, not because we are talking specifically about kittens, but because any education process, independently of the species, requires time, patience and knowledge
If we think about our own education, how many times have we had to read and reread a paragraph to fully understand it? How many times did we have to practice and practice a little more until we completely mastered a technique? Well, the same thing happens with our four-legged companions and each individual will have their own learning time, just like humans. Each cat will take their own time to assimilate an order, behavior or task and, as guardians, instead of imposing our expectations on them, we must stimulate their learning gradually, using those things that they like the most as positive reinforcement (treats, caresses, etc..).
In this sense, it is important to highlight the difference between training and educating an animal. The main purpose of training is to get the animal to perform an action after receiving a specific order, which can be indicated by a gesture or a word. For example, when we present the command "sit" to a dog, we expect it to sit, obeying the command that was given to it. In turn, educate is a broader concept, whose main purpose is to teach the animal how to behave appropriately in different circumstances or situations that may arise in their day to day, socialization being a key piece for a good education. This process is essential both to prevent the animal from carrying out behaviors that put its well-being and that of everyone around it at risk, and to prevent behavioral problems, such as aggressiveness, and unwanted behaviors, such as climbing or scratching the home furniture.
So what's the best way to keep your cat from climbing on furniture? Well, teaching him from his first days at home that this is not appropriate behavior If you allow the pussycat to climb on the furniture when he is still a kitten, it will be more likely to assimilate this as a habit when he reaches adulthood. And it is that cats, like all species, cling to a routine (and the habits that are included in it) to feel more comfortable and safe, avoiding exposing themselves to unnecessary risks.
Therefore, the best time to teach them how to behave appropriately at home, which places they are allowed to go to and which ones they are not, is during their “childhood”, since, in the early stages of their physical and mentally, the kittens have a more flexible character and are still assimilating the codes of their social behavior. Therefore, if you indicate that it is not appropriate to climb on furniture during these stages and, in addition, you teach him which are the most appropriate places to rest and entertain, you will most likely not have to deal with this habit in the future.
If you want to learn the best techniques to carry out this learning process with your kitten, be sure to read the following article: “How to train a cat from a young age?”
two. Prepare special areas for your cat
Who doesn't like to live in a comfortable home where they feel safe and welcome? To us and to the cats too. Your cat will need to have well-appointed areas with the necessary elements and a positive environment to feed, rest, make their bowel movements and, of course, play. It is important that these areas are properly separated, as cats hate having their litter box and food bowl in the same space.
Now, if you don't want your cat to climb on the furniture, then provide him with a bed, a cushion or a shelter where he finds the necessary comfort to enjoy his naps and moments of leisure. In case you notice that your cat shows little interest in lying down in his new rest area, in this article we will teach you how to help him adapt to the new bed: "How to teach a cat to sleep in his bed?"
To prevent your cat from scratching the curtains, the sofa and other household items, incorporate a scratching post into his environment and you will see that In addition to keeping him entertained, this simple toy will help him clean and polish his nails. You can even make a scratching post at home, easy, cheap and more environmentally friendly!
If your roommate enjoys jumping and climbing around the house, it might be a good idea to install platforms, shelves or hangers to cats on the walls, at different heights, forming a circuit with different levels of difficulty. You can also choose to acquire or make a scratching tree at home, which combines the classic vertical scratching posts with ladders, "shelter boxes", balls or other hanging toys and other accessories to stimulate your cat to practice exercises and, at the same time, to express his intelligence and instinct of a good hunter.
Remember to pay the same attention when preparing their feeding area, choosing the most appropriate feeder and drinker for their physical characteristics and preferences, in addition to having the guidance of a veterinarian to define the most beneficial nutrition according to your nutritional requirements.
3. Enrich your cat's environment
Beyond correctly choosing the basic elements that your cat needs to have a minimally comfortable and hygienic life, it is important that you bet on environmental enrichment to provide optimalphysical and mental stimulation , in addition to promoting he althy weight management.
In an environment enriched with toys, scratching posts, visual stimuli, platforms and other structures that you can create yourself using, for example, cardboard boxes, your cat will be able to regularly practice physical activities and, at the same time,, stay entertained even when you're not at home. All this significantly reduces the chances that he will carry out inappropriate behaviors due to stress or boredom, but it also helps us prevent some common he alth problems in cats, such as obesity.
Another interesting option may be to incorporate olfactory stimuli into your kitten's routine, such as the famous catnip (Nepeta cataria), which encourages movements and games, stimulating the body and mind of cats. However, be very careful with toxic silvers and very intense odors, which can cause allergies and other symptoms.
Lastly, we also recommend you to propose intelligence games to your cat, because, in addition to stimulating his intelligence, they are an excellent way to enjoy quality time in his company. Discover the best intelligence games for cats in this other article.
How to prevent a cat from climbing onto the sofa or bed?
If you don't want your cat to climb on the sofa or bed, the most important thing is to not allow it under any circumstances. When they are puppies, we may be tempted to want them by our side at all times, even when we find ourselves lounging on the couch or in our bed. However, as we grow up we change our minds and prefer that the animal stop climbing, what to do then? Cats are creatures of habit and they don't understand why we have suddenly changed our minds and, overnight, they can't go on doing what they did every day: getting on the sofa with you or in your bed. Therefore, it is essential to establish rules to comply with them from the first. There is absolutely nothing wrong with letting it go up, but if we don't want it to do so, we must always remain firm in this position.
If we have not been able to do it for whatever reason or it was the cat who has suddenly started to climb on the sofa or bed, we must find out if the problem lies in thatyour bed is not comfortable Thus, as we said in previous sections, it is essential to offer the animal a comfortable and safe place to rest. In fact, it is also very positive to have several spaces like this, for example, located in different rooms or at different heights, since there is the possibility that your cat will climb on the couch or your bed because he likes to rest up high.
To get a cat used to not climbing on the sofa or your bed, you should not scold, punish or hit him, but redirect the behaviorthrough positive reinforcement. In these cases, it is best to place his new bed nearby, encourage him to lie on it and reward him when he does. At first this process may be long, but with patience and perseverance the animal will understand that where he should rest in that place, not on the sofa or in your bed.
If the problem is that your cat scratches the sofa, then we advise you to consult this other article: "Solutions so that your cat does not scratch the sofa".
When to see a professional?
If after putting all the above tips into practice for a considerable time you notice that your cat keeps climbing on the furniture, then you should dig a little deeper into the cause and enlist the help of a feline educator or an ethologist. Also, don't forget to go to the vet if you notice unusual symptoms that may make you think that your little one has a he alth problem.
