Cats on outdoor furniture

[MistyQuigley]

There is a cat that keeps sleeping on my outdoor furniture, the cushions are all covered in fur and smelly/dirty almost every morning, I don't want to have to pack away the cushions every night, and even when the cover is on the cat can get under the cover and onto the furniture. Has anyone tried anything that can be sprayed on the cushions that might work to deter cats?

Just take the cushions in. The cat sleeping on a hard surface won’t mess it up.

I wanted to avoid having to do that really, I don't have anywhere to store them downstairs, in the winter I keep them in a cupboard which I can only get to through one of my children's rooms so don't want to wake them bringing cushions in every night. Over the summer I usually just cover the whole lot with the cover overnight. I had thought about buying an outdoor storage box to put them in so maybe that's an option.

I wouldn’t leave cushions out overnight anyway as they would get damp. Even under a cover. The only other alternative is to do something to stop the cat coming in the garden. So something to the fence or a kind of cat deterrent.

Yes, a cat deterrent is what I am looking for, any suggestions on what might work?

How smelly and dirty does a sleeping cat make cushions, really?
Can you weight the cover down with bricks at the bottom or something?

Honestly they are noticeably dirty and very furry. They are light coloured cushions.

I have tried weighing the cover down, but don't think I did a great job! I'll give that another try.

You could try an anti cat scratch spray from amazon.

I used it to stop my cat scratching furniture, but the smell might be enough to stop the cat wanting to sleep there.

Poor cat. If your cushions are that dirty/smelly from a kitty sleeping on them overnight then it sounds like this poor animal may need help. Makes me sad that humans get so bothered about silly, material possessions with not one thought to the well-being of a living creature 😞

Hah, honestly, if the cat wants to be there, you're gonna struggle to deter it. You can try laying tin foil on top, they don't like that. Other things that deter cats will likely be inconvenient for you too, like pepper or citrus.

Best bet, lay down a towel for it, it'll probably sleep on that.

Go out at random times for a few nights and fire a water pistol near it........ but not at it. That should give it the idea that its not welcome.
Really annoying that you cant fully enjoy your garden the way you want to.

Could you not get one of those small garden storage things for the cushions? They are made from plastic . It would be a lot more cost effective then buying and trying different sprays etc.

Its the owners responsibility to care about the cat not the op.
When I was a kid we had a perfectly loved and cared for cat - its cushion wasnt one I was a fan of! The op has every right to value her "material possessions" over someone elses cat!

But that's my point Yfory. This poor cat might be a stray and need help

I do know where the cat lives, and he is not neglected or in need of help. We live in quite a rural location, so he spends a lot of time in the fields catching mice (and often leaves these for us in our garden too!) so I think that's where he gets quite dirty, and he has long hair so that's why there is a lot of fur. But he's absolutely fine and healthy and not neglected. I'm not an animal hater, I just would rather this cat that doesn't belong to me would choose to sleep somewhere else.

A well-looked-after cat doesn't make things dirty and smelly. Furry, perhaps. It could have been abandoned/straying, possibly injured with a wound that needs treatment. But so long as the cushions aren't spoiled then who cares. Sad 😞

Following as I've had the same issue and looking for solutions. Neighbours cat on my new garden furniture and scratches the cushions too. Also I am extremely allergic to cats so do not want their hair on my furniture. It's a sofa set so an awful lot of cushions to pack away overnight.

Can you tie the bottom of the cover so that it can’t get in ? Put a ring of those elastics with the hooks on, the type you use for attaching things to cars, around the bottom.

I’d probably just lie something on the cushions to make them less comfortable. Or pile them all up.
I think there is a cat deterrent spray but I’m not sure how effective it is. Worth a go?
I have two beloved cats and unfortunately they are very determined and not much puts them off trying to get their own way so a garden bunker does seem like best idea. I guess in long run you can use it all winter too so more useful.

Really surprised they get under the covers. I put the back cushions down and the cover on top...and they sleep on top of the lot!

If all else fails cover it with an old sheet/towel.

Peppermint or citrus smells- you often see lemon/orange peel recommended. My cat hates my May Chang scented moisturiser!

Tin foil or bin bags might work too

Hmmm not sure I agree with you there and I say that as the owner of 3 very spoilt and dearly loved cats. Two of my cats spend a lot of time in the fields and come home covered in mud and more recently came home black after I can only assume having a nosey through an old bonfire.

However, I agree with others about putting away your cushions. My cats love to sit on our patio furniture especially when the cover is over it. Do you have room for one of those storage boxes for the garden? That's where we keep our cushions. If not I think you need to take them in each night.

A good and cheap alternative to tin foil is a foil blanket. Larger and easier to put on/take off. I had a cat that would pee on my sofa and I just used one of those blankets to cover it at night and it solved the problem. I got them from Amazon.

The cat will keep the foxes off though!

Misses the point entirely. Unless it IS a fox, and not the cat.

I like cats, but some are really smelly! And flea ridden!