I do not believe that cats recognize the difference between the leg of a dining table and a tree trunk. Nor do they make a distinction between a bed and a grassy meadow, nor between a padded chair and a soft bed of leaves.
I have lived with cats that were born indoors and never allowed outside. I am telling you those kitties were still cats like all cats. They participated in all sorts of shenanigans just like the feral rescue cats who also lived in the house.
Cats are still animals of the wilderness. They rely on us to show them how to not ruin the furniture.
5 Ways to Protect Your Furnishings from Your Cat
1. Put Decorative Porcelains in a Display Case
Cats will sometimes paw at an object to satisfy their curiosity about it. If that object is a porcelain figurine, it may end up falling to the floor.
And cats may leap up onto a table even though it may be decorated with delicate pieces. Agile as cats may be, they still could knock something off.
Come to think of it, our fellow humans have also been known to break things.
Perhaps displaying these items in a curio or china cabinet might promote a more worry-free environment for you in your home.
You would still be able to enjoy seeing your treasures, and to still share that pleasure with your company. Plus, you won’t need to dust them as often. (I am referring to dusting your treasures, not your company.)
Additional action you can take to discourage your cat from wanting to play with things they should not be playing with is to visit my blog post How to Chose Cat Toys and find some really groovy toys for your kitty to have fun with.
2. Lay Washable Covers on Your Sofas and Chairs
Removable covers are much easier to clean than a sofa or a chair. There are various fabrics that you might find to cover some of your furniture and still be decorative. You may already have something that would work stored in a closet.
Not only would such covers make it easier to deal with soil and hair, they might also offer some protection from scratching paws.
Guests might also welcome this concept because you could remove the covers when company is coming, and with that action take away any soil or hair from where your guests might sit.
I might also say that your should choose a fabric that will not be easily snagged by your cat’s paws. No fabric shy of cast iron will completely resist cat scratching, but do the best you can.
This idea of covers could be something you could do to protect your furniture. You would just need to look for covers that would be an appropriate fit for the shape and design of your furniture. Here is one suggestion to illustrate what I mean:
Sofa Slipcover available on this Wayfair website page
3. Provide Alternatives to Unwelcome Behavior
When cats are not sleeping, they are usually either doing something or thinking about doing something. The good thing is, if they are doing activity A, they cannot be doing activity B at the same time.
So if activity A is okay with you, and activity B is not, then give them lots of opportunities to participate in activity A. For instance, activity A might be scratching on scratching posts, and activity B might be scratching on the furniture. Therefore, having several scratching posts in your home might be a good way to discourage furniture scratching.
My blog post How to Choose a Cat Tree includes information on scratching posts.
The concept of giving your cat a choice and giving them a chance to be a good kitty strikes me as more beneficial than trying to force them to do something or attempting to fool them. Remember, they are both stubborn and smart.
4. Anchor Your Television Sets
I don’t know how you feel about it, but I have always thought that those big flat screen TV sets are not provided with a very substantial base. In other words, with a little help, they can tip over.
I am not saying they tend to tip without a bump from a stumbling adult, a rambunctious child. or a cat.
Visit my blog post Do Cats Like to Watch TV? and you will realize that cats not only like to watch a TV, they are inclined to interact with it.
They may paw at the TV, or even try to get behind the TV to see if those things they see on the screen are actually back there somewhere. I have witnessed this behavior on more than one occasion.
Cats think what they see on TV is real life happening.
One thing you can do to prevent your TV tipping over is anchor it to a wall or to the cabinet surface it is sitting on. There are various ways to do that, and I leave it up to you to decide whether or not you want to look at that as a possible preventative measure.
5. Interrupt Any Furniture-Related Misconduct That You Witness
When you witness your kitty doing something on the forbidden list, take action, but do it in a way that will not upset your cat. Your cat will probably not associate an overly dramatic reaction by you with the activity they are engaged in. They will most likely think you are just mad at them.
Cats do not react well to tactics such as shouting or getting shot with a water pistol. Instead, try to safely and gently redirect their efforts towards a more acceptable activity.
If they are scratching on a table leg, place a scratching post next to them and encourage them towards it. If they are on a sofa, place a cat bed nearby and move them there. Try to be patient with them.
Don’t Give Up
Human habits are difficult to break. Just think how hard it is to break habits ingrained by animal instinct.
Keep trying. They will love you for it.
Learn More About These Wild and Crazy Cats
My blog post Living With Your Cat will give you more information about how to create a great relationship with your cat.