How to Keep Your Cat Off the Bed Especially at Night

cat lying on bed

Is your cat interrupting your beauty sleep by jumping up on your bed and walking around only to turn around and get back down? If so, you understand how frustrating this problem can be, and you may wonder how to keep cats off your bed.

If this sounds like you, there are millions of other cat parents wondering the same thing and going through the same process. However, we’re going to give you several tips and tricks you can use to win the bedtime battle and keep your cat occupied elsewhere while you catch up on your rest.

Reasons Your Cat Shouldn’t Sleep With You on Your Bed

Unfortunately for cat parents, there are a few reasons why you may not want your furry friend sleeping in the bed with you. These reasons include but are not limited to the following:

  • Play Time – Some cats naturally get more active and ready to play during the night, and your extremities under the covers make excellent play toys to jump on, bite, and kick. Having your cat in bed with you puts you straight in the middle of the action, and this can make it hard to stay asleep.
  • Going to the Bathroom – One unfortunate thing that can happen when your cat is in bed with you is going to the bathroom. Getting cat pee or cat feces out of your bed is extremely challenging, and it can easily soak through the mattress and encourage your cat to come back and do it again.
  • Parasites – Cats can carry parasites like ringworm in their bodies, and this can transfer to you when they cuddle up to you to go to sleep. They can also have fleas that transfer to your bedding, mattress, and your clothing simply by walking across the bed.
  • Allergies – Letting a cat into your bedroom and up on your bed opens the door for cat hair and dander to float around and get stuck in your bedding. This dander and hair can easily cause your allergy symptoms to flare, especially if you lay down to sleep with it by your face.
  • Injury – There is also a chance for injury to either yourself or your cat if you sleep in the same bed. You could startle your cat and get scratched, or you could even roll over and hurt your cat if they don’t get out of the way quick enough for you.

16 Ways to Keep Your Cat Off Your Bed

Fortunately, there are several ways you can use to keep your cat off your bed and out of your bedroom. However, you may have to experiment with different options because what works for one person may not have the desired effect on your feline.

1. Give Your Cat a Bed

This one may seem obvious, but you can get your cat a comfortable bed of their own that they don’t mind curling up and going to sleep in every night. This space can make them feel safe and secure every time they go in it, and it gives your cat’s joints cushion for when they get older.

2. Crate Your Cat

It’s more common to crate your dog at night, but it’s just as easy to crate train your cat to keep them safe and confined during the night. This is especially useful if your cat doesn’t sleep and tends to get into things that they normally wouldn’t because you’re not up to supervise them.

3. Close Your Bedroom Door

One of the more obvious things you can do is close your door when you go to sleep or when you’re not around to make sure your cat stays out. Your cat will have the entire house to roam during the night, and you can sleep securely in your room knowing that they can’t get in and wreak havoc.

4. Try Double-Sided Tape

Line the top of your comforter with double-sided tape where your cat usually lands when they jump up on your bed. They don’t like that the tape feels sticky and pulls at their feet when they walk on it, and this can cause them to avoid jumping up and landing on it after a few times.

5. Cat Repellent

You can purchase special cat repellent sprays that you can spray around and on your be to get your cat to avoid this area of the house. Eucalyptus and citrus scented sprays also work well to keep your cat away due to the strong smell, and they can work to freshen up your room at the same time!

6. Restrict Your Cat When They’re Young

Ideally, you want to restrict your cat’s ability to get into your room and up on your bed from a very young age because it’s twice as hard to break the habit once they form it. You can simply keep your door closed and keep your cat out of your room, or you can train that that your room is off-limits to play in.

7. Have a Designated Piece of Cat Furniture

Cats like to rest in slightly elevated places to be secure, and you can satisfy this need by designating one piece of furniture in your home as the cat’s furniture. Teach your cat that they’re allowed to be on this piece of furniture, and reinforce the fact that they’re not allowed to climb on them all.

8. Motivate with Treats

You can motivate your cat to climb and lounge on their designated furniture by hiding treats in and around the furniture itself. This will keep your cat interested and coming back to the same furniture, and they should lose interest in going on your bed if there is no treat motivation linked to it.

9. Tell Your Cat No

Contrary to popular belief, cats can and do respond to the word no when their human tells them so. You want to be firm and consistent and tell your cat no every time you see them about to jump up on your bed. If they’re already on it, gently remove them before telling them no and scooting them along.

10. Black Out the Room

Low light conditions are ideal for cats to see and play in, but even they can’t distinguish different items in a blacked-out room. Get blackout curtains, cover any light sources you see and swap out your clocks for non-florescent dials. This signals to your cat that it’s time to sleep.

11. Get Your Cat on a Schedule

You most likely have a bedtime routine and a routine when you wake up, and you can establish one for your cat. One of the most common reasons they jump into bed in the morning is to tell you to feed them, but you should wait until you alarm goes off, get up, and instantly feed them, so they learn the routine.

12. Use Plastic Runners

If you don’t want to put tape on your bed, you can easily toss a plastic runner liner over it during the day. Not only does this prevent cat hair and dander from getting on the bed and covers themselves, but it also works wonders to keep your cat off because they don’t like the plastic feel.

13. Clip Your Cat’s Nails

Indoor cats have no need to have long nails, and they can snag in your bedding causes rips and tears. One way to remedy this is to cut your cat’s nails short with rounded edges and make an effort to keep them trimmed to an acceptable length. This can also stop that scratching on your wood paneling or other furniture.

14. Line Your Bed with Aluminum Foil

Aluminum foil serves a dual purpose because it isn’t pleasant for your cat to walk on, but it’s also a way to keep cat hair and dandruff off of your bedding. Spread out sheets of aluminum foil on your bed when you’re not around, and your cat will eventually learn to leave that area alone because it’s not pleasant.

15. Redirect Your Cat’s Attention

If you’re home and you see your cat heading for your bedroom, you can redirect their attention to other areas of the house by calling them, bringing out treats, or grabbing one of their toys. Ideally, this will distract your cat long enough that they’ll forget that they were on a mission to get into your room in the first place.

16. Buy a Deterrent Device

If you exhaust all other methods of keeping your cat off your bed, there are humane deterrent devices available that will scare your cat if they should trigger them. You can simply place these deterrent devices on your bed where your cat likes to walk or lay. After getting scared a few times, they should start to avoid your bed entirely.

Bottom Line

We’ve outlined 16 different ways how to keep cats off your bed, and you can start trying them to see which ones work the best for your stubborn feline. Don’t give up or get discouraged if the first few methods don’t work as you’d like. Keep trying until you’re sure that your cat knows to stay out of your bed around the clock.