You might see your blinds as an attractive part of your home decor, but to your cat, they can be an exciting toy. Unfortunately, cats can damage blinds or even hurt themselves by playing with blinds. If you want to keep your kitty from tangling with your blinds, use these tips to teach them that blinds are not toys.
1. Tie Up Tempting Blind Cords
Many cats regard trailing blind cords as cat toys. Install a hook next to each window so you can wind the cords around it, keeping them out of reach of your cat. Remember to wind your cords around the hook every time you finish adjusting the blinds to prevent your cat getting tangled in them.
2. Prevent Kitty Climbing
Discourage your cat from climbing onto the windowsill by moving furniture away from the window. If your cat can't use chairs, tables and other items of furniture to get onto the windowsill, your cat might not be able to reach your blinds.
3. Make Windowsills Less Appealing
Some cats are very agile and can jump onto windowsills without needing to climb on furniture to help them get there. In this case, all you can do is make the windowsill a less appealing place for your fluffy friend to hang out. Try taping aluminium foil onto the windowsill; many cats don't like the crinkling noise it makes when they walk on it. You can also put strips of double-sided tape on the windowsill, as cats often hate getting their paws sticky.
4. Use Cat Repellents
Another way to make your blinds less appealing as cat toys is to spray them with cat repellents. You can purchase commercial repellents from garden centres or pet stores, or you can make your own by adding lemon oil to water. Test your repellent on a small area on the back of the blind to ensure that it doesn't leave a stain. If no stain develops, spray the repellent all over the blinds, paying particular attention to the bottom edge, where cats are most likely to play.
5. Train Your Cat
You can train your cat to stay away from the blinds by squirting water every time your kitty gets close to them. Use a spray bottle to give your cat a quick squirt of water every time for misbehaviour. This won't hurt your cat, but most kitties find it unpleasant enough that they want to avoid it.
Share26 August 2016
Hello. My name is Dean and this is my home and garden blog. Last year, I decided I needed to improve the look of my home. I visited several home and garden centres and various different shops but I just couldn't find the items I wanted. I had this dream of creating a really cool and funky look based on an African design I had seen. My friend suggested that I customise the items to create the look I wanted and began to give me some lessons. I really enjoyed the process and I learnt a lot about how to improve your home and garden.