How To Stop Cat From Jumping On Shelves?

Your furry friend doesn’t jump on shelves to piss you off but rather because it’s rooted in its genes. Instead of scolding your cat, be understanding and provide it with a worthy alternative.

Of course, there’s no guarantee your cat will like the alternative more than shelves, so you should also know how to deter a cat from shelves correctly.

Mistakes in training a cat can have lasting consequences and only reinforce bad habits, so consider your strategy beforehand and avoid negative reinforcement.

Provide Your Cat with Alternatives

Cats love elevations. Wild cats climb trees to observe their surroundings, hiding from larger animals and looking for potential prey. Although domestic cats only hunt for flies and cheese, their instincts remain strong.

Jumping and climbing are also excellent exercises for felines. Elevations are crucial for your cat, so you cannot blame it for jumping on shelves if it has nowhere else to jump.

You should discourage your cat from jumping on shelves, but first, you should provide it with an equally amusing alternative. For example, get your furry friend a cat tree or make small platforms on an empty wall.

The best cat trees are tall and have multiple levels for your cat to jump on. The cat tree must also have resting spots, scratching areas, and toys.

If you meet your cat’s needs, you will find training much easier. When your cat jumps on its tree or another legal target, reward it with a treat, praise, or its favorite toy.

Rewards help your cat build positive associations with the cat tree. Positive reinforcement is the most effective way to train a cat. The trick is to be consistent and reward your cat at the right moment.

Reward your cat as soon as it jumps on the cat tree because cats have a short attention span. If you reward your cat later, it won’t draw connections between its action and treats.

Use Deterrent Sprays

Punishment doesn’t help train a cat. Your cat shouldn’t think you forced it to stay away from shelves. You should make your cat think it has voluntarily lost interest in shelves.

One way to do so is by using cat deterrent sprays. You can find them in pet stores or online. However, commercially produced cat deterrent sprays are expensive and rarely work because they actually have a pleasant smell.

DIY cat repellent sprays are more effective, and you can make one from ingredients you might already have. One cat repellent spray recipe involves mixing several drops of lemon essential oil with a cup of water.

Most felines can’t stand the smell of citrus, so you can also use lemongrass or orange oil. Alternatively, try lavender, eucalyptus, or mint oil.

Dry citrus peels on the shelves also help, but you will need to replace them frequently because they quickly lose the scent.

Another homemade cat repellent spray is made with white vinegar, hand soap, and water mixed in 1:1:1 proportion. However, this spray might damage some objects on your shelves, such as books.

Some cats don’t mind the smell of citrus but hate spices. Mix black pepper, cinnamon, clove, and dry mustard with water and apply the solution onto your shelves.

Lastly, many cats hate the smell of green tea – you don’t need to mix it with anything. Simply spritz it on your shelves.

Use Aluminum Foil or Sticky Tape

Cover the shelf edges with sticky tape or aluminum foil if your cat’s interest in your shelves prevails over repulsion from deterrent spray smell. Cats hate the feeling of aluminum foil and sticky tape on their paws.

Aluminum foil has a weird texture and makes an unpleasant noise when a cat steps on it. Plus, it reflects light, and many cats don’t like reflective surfaces.

The problem with this method is that glue can damage your shelf surface and leave residue. If you want to try this method, start with a small area and check whether the tape damages the shelf material.

Alternatively, cover the shelf surface with sandpaper because cats can’t stand its rough texture.

Hang Towels on the Edge

Cats tend to avoid areas they associate with unpleasant experiences, and falling from a shelf certainly isn’t fun. You can hang tea towels on the shelf edge so that they slide off when your cat jumps.

This isn’t the safest way to keep a cat from jumping on shelves, but it works. Only use this method if the shelves aren’t too high to prevent injuring your pet.

The drawback of this method is that your cat might try to jump on the shelf later, so you will need to hang the towels back every time until your pet gives up.

Keep the Shelves Uncluttered

Cats like elevations, but it isn’t the only reason cats jump on shelves. They are curious creatures that like exploring new things, so the more objects are on your shelves, the more tempting they are to your pet.

Try clearing your shelves for some time and see whether that helps. Of course, keeping the shelves empty doesn’t make sense because storage is their primary purpose, but you can at least keep them free of clutter.

Furthermore, small items are a choking hazard because cats love to nip on everything. You don’t want your cat to choke while playing with a hair tie, keychain, or dice.

If you only have a few objects on your shelves and your cat is already familiar with them, it won’t jump there constantly.

Take Up the Entire Space with Books

Another option is to take up the entire shelf space with books or other bulky objects so that your cat has no way of jumping there. And even if it attempts to jump, it will fall – perhaps, together with a book or two.

If you already have books on the shelves, but your cat still jumps on them, move the books closer to the edge. There can be a gap behind the books – most importantly, it should look like there is no free space left.

You can also trick your cat into thinking the shelves are full by placing books, kitchen trays, or placemats standing around the shelf’s edge.

This creates an illusion of full shelves, and you can still store small items behind the improvised wall.

Cover the Shelves with Glass

This option might not work for any shelf and is pricey, but it helps if your cat jumps on shelves despite your efforts.

If you have an open bookshelf, you can add glass doors to it to prevent your cat from accessing your things. Also, doors protect your books and other items from dust and mold.

Glass doors streamline bookshelf cleaning and prevent you from throwing clutter on the shelves when you don’t know where else to put it. Glass doors can also be a stylish touch to your interior.

If you’re concerned that your cat isn’t that bright and might bump into the glass, consider wooden doors in a matching color.

Evaluate the Space

Look at the room and think – how does my cat get on the shelf? Sometimes, cats jump directly on the shelf, but in other cases, they use a “trampoline” like a cat tree, couch, or desk.

If the shelf is located high, your cat likely needs aid reaching it, so you can stop this annoying habit by removing that aid.

For example, if the shelf is close to a cat tree, move the cat tree to a different corner of the room. Unfortunately, sometimes, moving furniture around isn’t as simple.

In that case, consider whether your cat has an elevation that provides an equally great view of its surroundings as the shelf.

Perhaps, your pet likes the shelf solely because of its location, and you can provide it with a legal jumping alternative nearby.

Things to Avoid

Learn about the mistakes in disciplining a cat before you do them because incorrect training methods can backfire. Never scold your cat for jumping on shelves, although it may seem like a logical thing to do.

Cats aren’t children. They follow instincts and don’t understand that jumping on shelves is wrong. Punishment will only make a cat despise you and behave worse than ever. Positive reinforcement is significantly more productive with cats.

Some guides recommend making a loud noise to scare the cat and make it jump off the shelf. This might work, but don’t confuse loud noise with shouting. You shouldn’t make the noise – otherwise, your cat might start avoiding you.

Instead, you can clap your hands or drum a pan, ensuring your cat doesn’t see it. However, this method is risky because a scared cat can tip something off the shelf while running away.

Never push a cat off the shelf because it can injure itself.

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