If you’re getting a cat, you may not know just how destructive they can be. Cats will get their claws into anything, and they just love jumping up onto surfaces and knocking things over. However, there are some simple methods you can employ to prevent your cat from causing any unnecessary damage, and here are some to keep in mind.

Close Your Cupboards and Drawers

The simplest thing you can do is prevent your cat from getting anywhere you don’t want it to go. Cats love exploring. They are naturally curious, and they will find dark cupboards and drawers irresistible. If you keep your clothes or any other fine fabrics in your drawers and cupboards, make an effort to keep them closed.

Protect Your Car Seats

It only takes one scratch of a paw to damage your lovely leather car seats beyond repair. While you may not make a habit of taking your cat in your car, you may have to take your cat to the vet, and this is when the damage can occur.

For a start, carry your cat in a bag or box designed for cats, which provides them with plenty of space but prevents them from getting their claws into your car’s interior. (You can find some good tips for a stress-free trip to the vets here.) But even this is not foolproof. You may have to open the carry bag for some reason, which is when the damage can occur.

To protect your car seats, use special protective covers, like those provided by Shear Comfort. This can give you peace of mind that your car seats are protected not only from cats but also spills and tears caused by other things—like kids.

Stick Your Fine Ornaments Down

It’s not only fabrics that you have to worry about when you get a cat. Cats also love to jump up onto countertops and shelves, where they will happily prod anything that looks interesting, knocking it to the floor and breaking it.

To protect your belongings from being broken, have a good think about whether you really need those expensive vases balanced precariously on the shelf in the first place, and move them if necessary.

If you decide to keep them there, you may want to consider investing in some museum putty (you can find out more about how to use it by watching this video).

This putty is used in museums around the world to keep precious objects in place and prevent them from being knocked over. You can buy it online from a number of places, and it could well save you a lot of money and heartache.

Buy a Scratching Post

A good scratching post should be one of your first investments when you get a cat. Make sure it is big enough for your cat to use comfortably, and place it in a location where your cat has easy access to it.

Then encourage them to scratch it by placing food and treats around it, and spray it with catnip spray.

This doesn’t always work—some cats just love the furniture too much. But a scratching post should always be an essential purchase.

Apply Sticky Plastic Strips to the Furniture

The sofa and chairs tend to suffer the most from cats who just love to scratch. There is nothing worse than finding your new sofa has been torn to shreds in the course of a few hours.

Prevent the damage from occurring by sticking on strips of sticky plastic. There are various products available from different manufacturers, so you may want to try out a few. Cats don’t like them, and over time they will stop trying to scratch your furniture.

Protect Your Home from Your Cat

Cats make wonderful pets, but they can try your patience when they start destroying all of your favorite things. Use these tips to help protect your clothes, car seats, furniture, and more from their claws. They are simple to implement, and they can save you a whole lot of trouble.

Summer Parkes is a Mom of 2 human kids plus 3 furbabies! Life is rather crazy but Summer wouldn’t have it any other way. When not running around after the family she enjoys blogging, her articles having been published mostly Mommy lifestyle sites thus far.