How To Keep Cats Off Outdoor Furniture? The Complete Guide

Is your outdoor furniture is frequently scratch by your cat? Many cat owners face this problem throughout the summer, especially. In this article, we are going to explain how to keep your cats off outdoor furniture. After reading this article, do not forget to implement what you have learned here.


The backyard is a significant part of every house. It is a perfect place to relax, sit with your loved ones, have the morning coffee, play with your children, and many more.

So, one can always keep some furniture in the backyard to take respite from daily life.

However, the presence of stray cats in the neighborhood or having cats in your household creates various problems, including spraying on the outdoor furniture, destroying the sofa by scratching, tumbling down garbage bins, etc.

One should not punish the cats for behaving like small children. There are several ways to restrict the access of cats or drive them away without scarring them for life.

In this article, we will discuss all the methods that one can follow to mitigate the situation.

How to keep cats off outdoor furniture:

 

No one in their right mind would want the expensive outdoor furniture to be in a miserable condition.

Cats can destroy a good piece of furniture in a few days, and if the one does not keep the situation under check, they will need to get new furniture frequently.

You can follow the simple methods in this section to get rid of the problem instead of buying new furniture. It is better to be safe than sorry.

  • Vinegar
  • Mothballs
  • Citrus based products
  • Cat Repellent
  • Aluminum foil
  • Ultrasonic sound
  • Double-sided tape
  • Train cats
  • Use a scratching post in the household

In the following subsections, we will explain each technique in detail and help one understand the usage and repercussions of each method.

1. Vinegar:

There are quite a few chemicals available in the market which one can use to drive cats away. But no one likes to use harmful chemicals in their backyard.

One should not use these chemicals if there are animals in the house. So we have a natural and easy method to keep cats away from the outdoor furniture.

Cats dislike the odor of vinegar, and they find it very irritating. Cats are very picky about smells. Cats spray if they do not like the smell of a place or mark their territories.

 

Having a very unpleasant smell can drive the cats away from that place and find a more suitable location for them.

So, one can mix equal amounts of vinegar, water, and liquid hand soap to spray the furniture’s solution.

This solution can keep the cat away from the outdoor furniture. However, one should not use the solution in large quantities as this can cause fungal infestation on the cushions or sofa.

This solution works like a charm but needs regular maintenance. One can also spray the liquid on the furniture’s legs so that there are no strains on the costly furniture.

2. Mothballs:

Mothball, or specifically PDB mothball, is an efficient alternative for keeping the cat away from outdoor furniture.

Mothballs are chemicals that kill moths and moth larvae. One can also use this insecticide to repel the cats away.

Cats do not like the smell of this, and they prefer to stay clear of the place. One can put the mothball inside a pillowcase and keep it on the outdoor furniture so that cats do not digest it by mistake.

This harmful chemical is not very toxic if one does not ingest it. So, one should take special care so that the mothballs stay hidden from them.

There are two variations of mothballs. Those are- PDB mothballs and Naphthalene mothballs. PDB mothballs are comparatively less lethal, and one can use it to steer the cats away from outdoor furniture.

Naphthalene mothballs are very toxic, and one should avoid using these at all costs. One can also keep the mothballs inside a closed container with holes so that cats or dogs do not ingest them.

3. Citrus based products:

One of the best homemade solutions to this problem is making a basket of dried citrus-based fruits and peels. Cats hate the smell of lemons or any citrus-based products.

The mixture of dried fruits and peels is called potpourri. One can make a citrus-based potpourri using lemon, tangerine, lime, and orange peels.

Using lemon juice, citronella oil, and water can multiply the effect as it brings out the potpourri’s aroma.

One can also add a little bit of lemongrass to amplify the smell. The mixture of dried fruits and peels is a cheaper and more natural solution that one can buy in shops.

One can make the potpourri and keep it near the base of furniture. Cats will stay clear of the outdoor furniture if they sense the odor of citrus near it.

One can also keep bags of potpourri inside cushion covers to have a long-lasting effect.

4. Cat Repellent:

Cat or dog repellents are the most used products for these purposes. One can find these chemical cats repellent online or at any pet store.

Using cat repellent can keep cats or dogs away from outdoor furniture for at least 24 hours. This safe solution needs to be applied every day to make it efficient.

One needs to make sure that the cat repellent doesn’t strain the cushions. Checking the bottle for the instruction should help one in this regard.

One can use garden granules for prolonged effectiveness. Keeping it under the furniture should be enough for keeping the cats away.

5. Aluminum foil:

One can also protect outdoor furniture using aluminum foil. If back porch furniture does not face wind or rain, one can wrap the furniture with aluminum foil.

Cats do not like the sticky nature of aluminum foil under their paws, and they prefer to avoid it at all costs.

If the place doesn’t have wind problems, one can cover the cushions with aluminum foil whenever one is not using it.

However, this solution is not universal, as some cats like to walk around aluminum foils. One can always try this cheap solution and move onto other solutions if it doesn’t work out.

6. Ultrasonic Sound:

The liquid cat repellents can be problematic when there are plenty of stray cats in the neighborhood. If one cat disrupts the cat deterrent by spraying, the back porch will be crawling with cats.

There is an easy but costly way of dealing with the problem if other solutions do not work. One can buy ultrasonic devices and install them in the backyard.

It comes with motion sensors. As a result, it will emit an ultrasonic sound whenever it detects any movement.

This sound is undetectable to humans but steers the cats away. These ultrasonic cat repellers also come with solar panels.

So you can forget the existence of these after installing and have a cat-free backyard. However, this solution will not work if there is a cat in the household as it will make the life of the domestic cat a nightmare.

7. Double-sided tape:

One can use a cat’s dislike for sticky surfaces to keep the cats away from outdoor furniture. Double-sided tape is a solution to this problem.

One can cover the handles and base of furniture to make it cat-proof. The shiny double-sided tape will attract the cats and soon make them hate touching it.

One can watch video tutorials regarding the places where one can put the double-sided tapes on the furniture without making it unusable.

One can use double-sided tape on one side of the cushions to restrict the cat from destroying it. Keep the corner with double-sided tape up when one is not using the furniture. This process can save furniture from cats effectively.

8. Train cats:

Cats are a creature of habit. If one can train the cats not to use the outdoor furniture, it will not destroy it.

A simple method of doing that is to keep a water spray near the furniture. Whenever a cat comes close to the furniture, one can spray some water on it.

Cats do not like to get wet, and one can use this displeasure to their advantage. If one sticks to this regime for a few days, the cat will avoid coming near the furniture even when one is not present to spray water.

However, this process has disadvantages. The most significant disadvantage of this method is that one needs to start this process as soon as one gets the house’s furniture.

Starting the habit as early as possible is probably one’s best bet. Another disadvantage is that one cannot begin this process on stray cats as they won’t come near the furniture when someone is around.

Conclusion:

By now, one should have an overall idea of keeping the cats away from outdoor furniture. With a little care and observation, one can keep the furniture in pristine condition.

Following the methods mentioned above should help one have a relaxed afternoon on the couch and enjoy a book alongside a nice coffee cup.


Related:

  1. Do scratching post even work?
  2. How long does it take for a mother cat to forget her kittens?

Reference:

  1. https://www.beanbagsrus.com.au/blog/how-to-keep-cats-off-outdoor-furniture-cushions/
  2. https://okpatio.com/how-to-keep-cats-off-patio-furniture/
  3. https://budgetfriendlyfurnishing.com/the-complete-guide-to-keep-cats-off-outdoor-furniture/
  4. https://www.hometalk.com/1339345/q-how-do-you-keep-cats-off-of-the-outdoor-furniture

 

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