Question
During the day, my cat loves to jump on my bed to groom himself there or have a nice nap. But I don't like that, because I don't like cat hair on my bed, and also as he is free to go out, he brings in some dirt on his feet.
Each time that he does jump on my bed, I rush to take him off and make some kind of threatening sound like "heeeyyy", but this does not prevent him from doing that again as soon as I'm not paying attention.
I have put soft cushions spots around the room, but he is uninterested. His favorite spot remains to be the bed. His next best favorite spot is my desk's chair, but that is usually occupied by myself during the day.
So wondering, what are some simple and humane solutions to dissuade him?
Answer
Cats like their comfort, so this is a tricky one. Also, they don't respond well to negative training, since they are not pack animals. In this regard, they are as crafty as old men.
You could cover your bed with something, e.g. chairs, to make it less inviting, or you could put something on it that your cat knows that it's OK to sleep on. My cat uses an old gardening jacket that I have provided. Generally, he stays on it (see photo). Oddly enough, cat hairs are not much of a problem, since he is very fastidious about grooming himself, and I normally groom him when he comes for a cuddle.
I also have a cat bed that hangs on my radiator, and is comfortably off the floor (and nice and warm when the central heating is on). He seems to like being near me during the day, and to be able to sleep off the floor. Shelves are also good places for cat snoozes, providing they are accessible.
Edit:
Thinking about it a little more: my old gardening jacket does get dirty and needs washing regularly, but it attracts few cat hairs. However, a cotton winceyette blanket that he also sleeps on does attract a lot of hairs, so it very much depends on the type of material that you use. The jacket has a fairly loose "twill" weave, if that is helpful.
Canac Cat Radiator Bed
Answered By - Mick