Climbing and jumping are inbuilt in cats. Cats in the wild climb trees and leap vast distances to navigate their territory, evade predators, and find food.
As a result, it’s no wonder that many domesticated cats try to exercise these tendencies even when they’re indoors. This can lead to cats jumping onto items in your home that you don’t want them to.
You’ll need to devise methods to keep your pet off of counters, tables, and other surfaces.
So, how can you keep cats off shelves?
You can keep cats off shelves by providing an alternative place for your cat to climb, by the use of sandpaper, and by discouraging your cat’s behavior.
This article will provide you with an in-depth guide on how can you keep cats off shelves.
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Do Cats Like Shelves?
Yes, cats like shelves, because they are high up and cats are fond of climbing and jumping.
We need to consider how our living surroundings will affect our feline companions when we live with them.
You may need to plan your home around your cat’s social and developmental needs. Installing cat shelves in your home is one of the ways you can make your home more comfortable for them.
Experts, explain, “Cat shelves are shelves specifically created for cats.” “Cats enjoy being up high, and having cat shelves in rooms makes cats feel safer, enriches their lives, and provides them with a place to go when they are stressed by other animals, children, or other people who may enter their typical living environment.”
Experts explain that cats enjoy looking out from high places and watching the world go by. Installing cat shelves gives your cat extra high places to climb, making them feel safer and more secure in your home.
The shelves also provide an escape route for your feline buddies if they feel threatened or simply want some alone time.
Why Do Cats Like Climbing Shelves?
Cats like climbing shelves because it’s in their DNA. Cats instinctively want to climb, scratch, and jump on pretty much everything.
Before you can take efforts to deter your cat from climbing on the shelves, you must first understand why they want to do so.
Consider this: cats enjoy hunting birds, and the majority of birds live in trees.
Small rodents and ground-based prey, on the other hand, are easier to grab from above.
Climbing also aids cats in keeping predators at bay.
Your cat will often seek out high places in your home to act on these inclinations.
Shelves will provide them with the best view in the room. Your cat may seek out your counters to avoid interaction with other pets or little humans who spend a lot of time on the floor.
When cats are seeking to get away from other animals, they will instinctively climb objects such as shelves. It’s possible that your cat is doing the same thing.
To put it another way, your family might have become a little too rowdy. So your cat has taken advantage of the opportunity to escape by climbing up your shelves.
However, a dog isn’t the only source of this apprehension. Loud noises are another annoyance for cats, which might cause them to climb on shelves.
Many people believe cats will be lazy and overweight. They resemble characters from a Garfield comic.
However, this belief does not apply to all cats, as some will be quite active. It shouldn’t come as a surprise because cats have a natural instinct to hunt and kill.
As a result, they’re constantly on the lookout as they move throughout your house. It’s why people who have rodents or other tiny animals aren’t always good cat owners.
As a result, these indoor cats frequently have a lot of pent-up energy. It motivates them to do things like climb up your shelves.
Some cat owners misinterpret this energy as schizophrenia or madness. However, it’s just your cat attempting to expel all of the fuel they’ve accumulated by napping all day.
You’ll probably catch them doing these strange things in the middle of the night. Playing with your cat on a regular basis is an easy method to avoid unwanted tendencies.
Playing with toys on a regular basis will help to release this pent-up energy and save your shelves.
Cats, as previously stated, have a natural desire to climb. Your cat is usually climbing up the shelves because it is a fun activity for them.
If your cat has been acting strangely, it’s likely that they’re having fun scaling the shelves. Their climbing will have a certain amount of randomness to it, as though nothing is compelling them to do it.
Climbing on shelves is frequently a result of a cat’s desire to play. It’s a simple method for them to get some exercise and have fun.
This energizing playing frequently occurs in the early morning or late at night in these instances. These are the periods when cats are most active.
Almost every cat wants to climb, so this is more of a redirection than a complete stop.
How To Stop Cats Climbing On Shelves?
You can stop cats from climbing on shelves by following these steps: –
1. Use Double-Sided Tape
Since cats loathe the sticky sensation it gives their paws when they step on it, double-sided tape is a great deterrent for keeping your cat away from your bookcases.
Simply apply strips of double-sided tape along the edge of your shelf’s surface where your cat frequently jumps up, and voilà ! You are all set.
2. Use Cat Repellent
A natural cat repellent spray is a great method to keep cats off your shelves.
Citrus scents are repulsive to cats. As a result, placing orange peels on your shelves or spraying a mixture of lemon, garlic, and pepper on your shelves can drive them away.Â
They are also repulsed by the smells of vinegar and certain plants such as lavender, rosemary, and thyme.
3. Use Plastic Carpet Runners
Place a plastic carpet runner on the spot where your cat frequently leaps, with the nubs facing up.
Because of the nubby texture, it will make the shelf unpleasant for the cat to land on, causing him to stray away.
4. Use Sandpaper
Sandpaper sheets have a gritty feel that cats despise when they step on them. As a result, placing sandpaper sheets on the surface of your shelf is an efficient cat deterrent.
5. Clean Off Shelves
Make sure that any clutter on your shelves is removed so that your cats are not tempted to jump on them.
A key, a pen, food, or a delicate figurine may pique his interest and pique his curiosity. To prevent your cats from knocking fragile items off your shelf, keep it clear of unneeded items.
6. Make A Loud Noise
Noise is something that cats despise in general. Cats have a hearing range of 64 kHz, which is 1.6 octaves higher than humans. This indicates that they are sound-sensitive.
As a result, loud noises such as clapping, blowing a party whistle, or shaking a soda bottle full of money can evict them from your shelves.
Just make sure they don’t hear or see you making the noises, otherwise, they’ll become resentful and lose faith in you.
7. Use Aluminum Foil
One of the most well-known and efficient cat deterrents is aluminum foil. Cats dislike the feel and sound of aluminum foil beneath their paws.
As a result, placing aluminum foil on the surface of your counters will deter cats.
8. Give Your Cat An Alternative Place To Climb
Cats are built to jump and climb by nature. They enjoy climbing because cats hunt birds that are generally found in trees in the wild, and they also hide in trees to defend themselves from predators.
As a result of these tendencies, they enjoy jumping and climbing on the high points of your home.
Provide an appealing alternative for your cherished cat where he may freely leap and climb on to keep them away from harm.
Cat trees are a fantastic way for them to climb, jump, and explore to their hearts’ pleasure.
Can A Cat Climb A Bookshelf?
Yes, a cat can climb a bookshelf.
Climbing, scratching, and jumping on your bookshelf is only natural: cats are explorers that automatically want to climb, scratch, and leap on almost anything, including furniture.
In fact, they’re designed to be used for climbing. They have powerful, muscular legs that let them leap high into the air.
Cats have strong claws that act as natural crampons, allowing them to hold surfaces more securely.
All of this relates to how they obtain their food in the wild.
Cats are tree-hunters who, in the wild, make use of their height to pursue their prey and capture some meal.
Trees give additional safety since they are out of the way of other harmful animals. Our domesticated cats’ wild and natural impulses are what cause them to climb on our bookcases today.
Cats, as much as we adore them, have a number of unpleasant tendencies, such as jumping on our bookshelves and climbing on our furniture.
If not secured, bookshelves, especially those that are big or hold a lot of heavy objects, can be dangerous.
When your cat jumps on one end of a shelf, the shelf may tip and come loose, scattering the objects and your cat.
If your cat knocks over the entire bookshelf, it may break the bookcase, as well as the floor and everything else the shelf touches on its way down.
How to Cat Proof Your Bookshelf?
You can catproof your shelf by following these steps: –
1. Offer An Alternative
Since a cat’s natural tendency is to climb, one of the simplest methods to keep cats from climbing your bookshelf is to provide them with an alternative.
If another opportunity exists, your cat will abandon your furniture in favor of climbing its new toys. Here are a few possibilities:
A. Window Perch
A large cat tree is fantastic, but you may not have the space in your home for one. If that isn’t an option, a window perch is a fantastic alternative.
This just clips onto your window sill, takes up very little room, and is quite simple to put in place.
Because the fleece material is more appealing than a wooden bookshelf, your cat will prefer to perch on this perch rather than on your shelves. It’s warm, it’s practical, and it helps you save money on furnishings.
B. Cat Tree
A good deterrent is a cat tree. Your cat will prefer this to your bookshelf because it has many levels and platforms, giving your cat a variety of climbing choices.
The two hidey holes allow your cat a spot to cuddle up and gain some privacy, just like they do in the wild to avoid predators.
The two hanging balls will also provide hours of entertainment, and the surface is ideal for clawing to keep their talons from becoming too sharp and claw marks from appearing on your furniture.
This performs everything a bookshelf does and more, so your cat will have a new favorite climbing position and you can relax about your furnishings.
C. Cat Shelf
A cat shelf is another space-saving option. This shelf is inexpensive and comes in a variety of colors, so you may find one that complements your home’s decor.
The advantage of buying a cat shelf over a window perch is that you can adjust the height of the shelf.
If your cat is always jumping to the top shelf, hang this shelf high on the wall, and your feline friend will be delighted to have a new perch.
The shelf is also carpeted, making it more comfortable for your pet and a great relaxing spot.
2. Secure The Bookshelf
If you don’t want to spend the money on a new bookcase, securing the bookshelf to the wall is one approach to assist prevent damage.
This will help to keep it stable and prevent harm to the shelf, its contents, and the surrounding area.
This method is also excellent for keeping your cat safe. Toppling bookcases and falling shelves might be dangerous to your pet, so secure it to the wall to avoid any mishaps. Securing the bookcase is a simple modification that makes your home safer in general.
Frequently Asked Questions
What to avoid while trying to keep cats away from shelves?
Cats aren’t fond of being punished. Instead of linking the punishment to an activity, they link it to the person who is punishing you. Do not scream at or smack your cat for getting on the shelf. They’ll be afraid of you rather than the counter. Avoid shoving your cat off of counters and tables. They could injure themselves. Use no deterrents that might harm your cat.
Can cats climb walls?
When necessary and determined, cats can scale masonry walls. However, if there is another route to go where they want to go, I’m sure they’d prefer it than a brick wall.
What is a natural cat repellent to keep cats off shelves?
Natural cat repellents are harmless ways, substances, materials, or scents used to keep cats away from places where you don’t want them. They may be a piece of sandpaper, aluminum foil, and carpet runners, or a cat repellant spray consisting of natural and non-toxic substances like vinegar, citronella, lemongrass, lemon, lime, and other citrusy-scented plants.
Final Words
There are several methods for preventing your cats from jumping on shelves without punishing them. To keep your cat away from your shelf, cover it with aluminum foil, double-sided tape, sandpaper, a towel, or a plastic carpet runner.
You can also buy or make a noise device, such as whistles, or spray a natural cat repellent on the surface to keep them from jumping on the shelves.
Finally, provide your cats with a separate tool or space where they can freely jump and climb as much as they want. Also, keep your shelves clear of any clutter, such as food, that might tempt him to jump up there.
If you have questions, ask us in the comments sections.
