How To Train A Cat To Stay Off Furniture

Introduction

A cat on a table can be cute. A cat on a table eating your dinner? Not so much. Sometimes, the most loving choice is to teach a cat not to come onto furniture and other household items. A cat’s flexible habits mean they can learn to stay off furniture with a little bit of effort and without too much trouble. I’ve been there, training my own cats to stay off the kitchen table and chairs. My advice for you: don’t give up! Even if it takes months of work, you and your favorite piece of furniture will be happier after the fact, and your furry friend will still love you unconditionally.

Remove all cat bedding, toys, and other items of interest from inside the house.

Remove all cat bedding, toys, and other items of interest from inside the house. Don’t forget to remove items from under the bed, in closets, in kitchens and bathrooms.

Set up a kennel area that only your cat can access. Put food and water in the kennel initially and let her eat in there.

• Set up a kennel area that only your cat can access. Put food and water in the kennel initially and let her eat in there.
• The kennel should be a safe place for your cat to go when she needs to get away from other pets or children. It should be located where there are no distractions and no one else will be able to bother her while she is there. If you have other animals in the house, this may mean moving all of them out of their normal living areas during training so that they don’t interfere with her learning process.

Once your cat becomes accustomed to eating in the kennel, put her bed and favorite toys in there as well.

Once your cat becomes accustomed to eating in the kennel, put her bed and favorite toys in there as well. Make sure to leave the food out at all times so that she always has access to water, which can be quite important for cats who have been traumatized by moving into their new home. Make sure that everything is comfortable for her so she doesn’t feel like it’s a jail cell; this helps her get used to being locked away from time-to-time.

If she starts getting used to those items and sleeping in the kennel at night, give her treats for going in there for naps or when you are not home.

If she starts getting used to those items and sleeping in the kennel at night, give her treats for going in there for naps or when you are not home. The treats will keep the association positive, and she’ll be more likely to want to use it as a place to relax when she can.

If you leave the house without being able to get her into the enclosure, spray water on her from a spray bottle when you find her on furniture.

• Water is an effective but short-term way to discourage your cat from jumping on furniture. By the time she runs away, you might be gone for hours. If you leave the house without being able to get her into the enclosure, spray water on her from a spray bottle when you find her on furniture.
• Clap loudly or shake a can of coins at her as she’s about to jump up and down in order to scare her into choosing another area. This is not recommended if you have more than one cat, however; it could startle them all into running away from home in search of a safer place (and then where will you be?).
• Say “no!” in a stern voice as your cat jumps up onto something she shouldn’t be on. If possible, scoop her up and put her back into the enclosure immediately after saying “no!” so that there is no confusion about what behaviors are acceptable and which aren’t; otherwise, she may think that because she was able to jump up once before without consequence (i.e., getting scolded), doing so again wouldn’t result in punishment either! Don’t use physical force—it only makes things worse!

If you catch her getting on furniture while you are home and you have time, clap loudly to startle her and say “no!” in a stern voice. Then put her back into the enclosure. Do not use physical force.

If you catch your cat getting on furniture while you are home and have the time, clap loudly to startle her and say “no!” in a stern voice. Then put her back into the enclosure. Do not use physical force.

Your cat will learn that the kennel is a happy place after a little bit of training!

The key to training your cat not to jump on furniture is consistency. You need to be very consistent with your kitty and use positive reinforcement when he or she does what you want. This means that you should give treats, lots of praise and love when your cat does the right thing. It may take a few days for the training to begin, but it will soon become second nature for both of you!

Conclusion

Of course, you don’t want to leave your cat in the enclosure all the time. If you need to go out, you can put her in there for a little while until she learns to stop climbing on furniture and stay off of it when she is not in the kennel. But if your cat does not seem stressed by enclosed spaces, you could leave her in it all day. After four or five days, when she has stopped getting on furniture entirely or only occasionally gets up there but immediately gets down after a loud noise (like clapping), then let her out of the cage and see how long it takes for her to climb back onto something again.