How do you keep a cat off a tv?

Question

My cat constantly jumps on the tv. Normally, I wouldn't mind, but I'm afraid that one day it will fall because every time he jumps, the tv moves slightly. What methods do you use in order to deter your cat away from a particular away? Would spraying a towel with repellant work? Are there any homemade repellants? Thanks!

Answer 1

I suggest you take gift wrapping tape, double sided sticky tape would be best but not absolutely neccessary. Make nice sized rings of the tape with the sticky part on the outside of the ring. Then sticky these rings on top of the tv. When your cat jumps on top of the tv, he is going to pick up some of these tape rings on his feet. Cats hate that.

Another one is using aluminum foil wrap. You have to secure it (by tape is good) to the top of the tv, but you also have to leave it loose enough so that when he jumps on top of the foil it makes that weird noise and movement that foil makes. Cats hate that too.

Yet a third one is putting something like the foil mentioned above on the top of your tv. Then put some Vaseline on top of the foil. You need to put enough where the cat is flicking his paws and trying to get it off his feet. The Vaseline has an added advantage of helping with hairballs, lol! But don't put so much that he eats hugh amounts of Vaseline. There is such a thing as too much.

These three suggestions work while you are away from the house and should be used as such. When you are there in the room, you could use a water pistol and squirt him with it when he goes to jump up on the tv.

Some people don't like to startle or yell at their pets, but one good deterrent or discipline I use with my cats is to clap my hands and loudly command them by saying "Down!". Works everytime.

Good Luck. Sounds like he likes the warmth from the television. You could try to find a warm spot in another place for him. Maybe a cat tree with a nice cozy knitted sling on it. Or a catbed near the heating vent.

Answer 2

I train my cats when they're kittens to stay off of things that I don't want them on simply by snapping my fingers. I don't know if it'll work for your cat because I'm not doing it. Most people don't want to train their cats they simply want to have a meaningless conversation with them but if you do this very simple thing all you will ever have to do is snap your fingers and the cat will respond.

The cat's nose is very sensitive. If your cat gets on an object (in your case the TV but in mine it's usually the kitchen table with the food on it) you walk up to it and say "down" (make sure you say down - very important - not "off" not "see here you can't do that" - say "down") of course the cat will not know what you're saying but will here the definite "d" sound and the "ow" (personally, I think that this is why this word works so well) sound - the "n" just lets the cat know that it's ended.

But like I said the cat at the first will not know what this word that you're saying to it means but when you snap your fingers and rake the middle finger hard against the nose (it must be a quick strike - not a hard strike - quickness is what counts the sharpness alerts the cat quickly and is stunned - because of this it will remember this event). In cats and in dogs the memory is directly connected to the nose so no other spot will do on either. I children, of course, it must be connected to the fanny but, I digress.

Once done (right) you'll be amazed at the results. It'll only take a couple of times before you see the cat move when you snap your fingers (and don't forget to say "down") - this is a reaction now and not because you're hurting it but because it has been hurt in the past and knows to get away from whatever it was doing. After doing this for a 1/2 dozen times the cat will find another place to go to sit (it's probably doing this because the TV is warm so find a warm place and fix it so it'll want to go there instead).

This works on dogs too but I have more experience with cats. How many? Oh, near a hundred or so - not all at once but we had a couple of females when I was a kid and I trained them all before we found a home for them and because I did this, I think, that it wasn't hard to find the kittens homes because they were all trained so well.

Try it - it's not that hard and, of course, you have some stubborn cats out there as well, so adjust according to the cat but I've trained the cats too - they sometimes respond quicker than kittens.

Answer 3

The only way that I've seen work is to get a spray bottle and fill it with water. Whenever the cat jumps on the TV, the table, etc. or scratches the couch, curtains, or whatever it does that isn't good, spray it with the squirt bottle in the face. Since cats typically dislike water, they'll eventually learn that whenever they do the bad behavior, they'll get sprayed, and will stop.

Answer 4

The towel might work because the cat will slide off the TV with the towel there.

You could also try putting a strip of that clear vinyl stuff intended for putting over high traffic areas of carpet... turn it upside down and it has hard plastic pokers that make it uncomfortable to lie on.

Answer 5

put a bit of vinegar around the TV. this usually keeps cats at a distance. they dislike the smell. I have only seen one cat that does not mind the smell.

Answer 6

Taser Felix

Answer 7

spray bottle every time cat goes near the tv spray the cat soon she will get the message

Answer 8

you know those plastic mats for your car with the little plastic spikes for traction?..... get some of that material and put it on top of it... it will make it uncomfortable for them to jump up onto or lay on.

Answer 9

tie a dog to the tv