If you ask me, there’s no greater blessing than your cat doing you the honor of going up to your bed, sleeping with you – even if it means that every morning you wake up sore and numb! But the moments of affection with it are undoubtedly priceless!
But there are many of you who, for various reasons – mainly allergies or phobias in case your cat carries some bugs or parasites (“contracting biting lice” is always relevant) – send me the agonizing question, “How can I keep my cat off the bed?”
How To Keep The Cat Off Your Bed - 7 Simple Tips
So, let’s look at 7 simple ways to discourage our cat from climbing into the bed without disturbing it too much!
1. Get Your Cat An Attractive And Comfortable Bed
The most obvious thing you can do to discourage your cat from getting on your bed is to offer it its own comfortable bed, which will be so attractive that it won’t even cross its mind to abandon it for the sake of yours.
Its bed should give your cat a sense of security and at the same time be particularly comfortable because, as we all know, a cat that respects itself always chooses the most comfortable spot available.
And if you’re your cat’s favorite, place the bed close to yours so that your cat feels close to you!
2. Use Double Sided Tape
The double-sided tape works perfectly on several occasions, such as when you don’t want your cat to climb on the kitchen counter, table or can hinder the bed situation. Cats are very annoyed with the feeling of double-sided tape on their legs and discouraged from climbing on the bed. Try putting double-sided tape around the bed or even around its usual climbing spots, and if your cat is prevented several times and stops, you can probably remove it!
3. Close The Bedroom Door
Another obvious measure you can take is to close your bedroom door and prevent your cat from entering. But this might not have the desired effect. Many cats sit outside the bedroom door and either meow brazenly or scratch it!
However, there’s also the possibility that after finding the bedroom door closed, it won’t act up on its desire to make itself comfortable on your bed and have the whole place to itself and roam unchecked. A test will convince you!
4. Teach Your Cat Not To Climb On Your Bed While It’s Still Young
When the cat is young, it’s more malleable, more available for formation! After all, if a cat isn’t allowed to freely climb up the bed from Day 1, it won’t know what it loses and has no particular interest in it.
On the contrary, if a cat has learned to climb on the bed, it will be difficult to break this habit!
5. Give Your Cat A Nest/Bed In An Elevated Spot
One of the advantages of the bed that your cat finds appealing is that it’s located at a certain height, something your cat appreciates. As a predator and potential prey, the cat likes to be in high places, from where it can safely inspect the space below!
So choose an elevated spot such as this (ex. on a chair or a bedside table) to make there a nest for your cat. It will certainly appreciate it!
6. Say ‘No’
Contrary to what you probably think, your cat can comprehend up to 500 words, and one of them is the word ‘NO.’ You can use it in an attempt to discourage your cat from climbing into bed! But you have to be persistent and firm and look your cat straight into its eyes when you do.
If the cat has already climbed to bed, take it down with a gentle, cuddly gesture and then tell ‘NO.’ If it goes up again, repeat. It’s very important to be light and calm throughout this process.
7. Use Toys To Distract It
A cat gets bored very easily in a house environment, and even if you forbid it to go to bed, the combination of boredom and prohibition will make the bed look more attractive!
Make sure to offer your cat various toys – not necessarily expensive toys, but improvised ones, too, such as a foil ball, a torn paper bag, a cardboard maze to keep your cat busy and engrossed with them so as not to give much importance to the forbidden fruit of the bed.
Concluding this article, which I hope gives satisfactory answers to the question, “How To Keep Your Cat Off Bed?” I’d like to urge you to enjoy its presence in bed and leave the prohibitions on other, more important issues. But, at the same time, I’m certain that you know best how your relationship with your cat works for both of you.
