Cat owners know the havoc their feline friends can cause in the home – pot plants knocked over, books pushed off shelves, sofas clawed, curtains shredded…
Window blinds aren’t safe either. We show you six ways to keep your cat from damaging your window blinds.
Solution 1: Raise the blinds
Cats get tangled in blinds because they want to look out of the window or sit on the windowsill. Navigating the slatted barrier is not easy.
Keep the blinds slightly raised so there’s a gap for your cat to sit in and see the outside world.
Leave the gap open or cover it with light curtaining, which your cat can easily push aside.
Solution 2: Create a barrier
A barrier to prevent your cat from getting onto the windowsill can work, but it has to be strong and high or the cat will jump over it.
Alternatively, the barrier can be kitty-inclusive like the one pictured.
Source: Window Kitty
Solution 3: Keep cords out of reach
A dangling cord is far too tempting for kitty to resist and it poses an entanglement and strangulation risk.
Keep cords off the floor and wrap them around a cleat.
Solution 4: Training or deterrents
You can attempt to train your cat to stay away from blinds by using a deterrent spray such as citrus.
Don’t hit or shout at your cat. Your pet will simply be afraid of you.
Solution 5: Get a different blind
Plastic or aluminium slatted blinds are flexible and easy to break. If your cat keeps getting entangled or bending the slats, consider switching to a different style of blind.
The best blinds for cats
These blinds are not cat-proof but they’re less prone to breaking, bending and entanglement.
Vertical blinds
Vertical blinds swing from a central point at the top and can be easily pushed aside by your cat.
Your cat can walk between the louvres with little risk of entanglement because they’re only loosely attached at the bottom.
Roller shades
Roller shades are a solid sheet of fabric that rolls up and down on a spindle making entanglement very unlikely.
Roller shades that are made from a tough fabric like canvas are more resistant to clawing.
Wooden and plastic Venetian blinds
Venetian blinds have wide, solid slats, particularly the wooden blinds.
A cat can’t bend them or fit between the slats because they aren’t very flexible.
Shutters
Modern shutters, which can double as security bars, are cat-proof, while still providing a window covering that opens and closes. They’re usually made from metal and are inflexible, making damage and entanglement impossible.
