How To Cat-Proof Your House from Living Room to Bedroom

• Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.

Everyone knows the importance of puppy proofing. But did you know that our feline friends also demand the same attention before their arrival? As independent and intelligent as cats are, cat-proofing your house is a must.

Good cat-proofing means staying one step ahead and taking proactive measures to prevent destructive behaviors. Don’t know where to start? With expert insights and practical tips from feline behaviorists, we’re here to arm you with actionable steps, achievable goals, and easy ways to make your house a safe haven for your cat.

General Cat-Proofing Tips

When cat-proofing a home, Albert Colominas—a cat trainer, behaviorist, and founder of Outdoor Bengal—focuses on three main pillars. “Keeping the cat safe, keeping the property safe, and providing the cat with environmental enrichment,” he says.

Providing plenty of enriching activities for your cat—like puzzle toys, scratching posts, play tunnels, and cat towers—can keep their curious minds busy and help prevent accidents, injuries, and damage to your home.

“Many destructive behaviors are the result of cats not being able to engage in natural behaviors, boredom, or stress,” explains Joey Lusvardi, certified cat behavior consultant and founder of Class Act Cats.

With that in mind, here are some general rules for cat-proofing your home.

• Prevent access to cords. Cats can suffer electrical shocks and burns from nibbling on electrical cords and wires. Cover them with cord protectors or put them in organizers in areas your cat can’t easily reach.
• Use baby-proofing kits. Child safety latches are very useful for keeping cats out of cabinets, cupboards, drawers, and even trash bins.
• Be choosy with plants. Many plants and flowers are toxic to cats. You might need to consider taking them out of the house, potting them outside, or rehoming them. For cat-safe plants, you can consider putting them in a terrarium or moving them to a separate area your cat can’t reach.
• Secure screens and exits. If there are any weak spots in doors or windows, repair, replace, or secure them to ensure your cat doesn’t escape or get injured.

How To Cat-Proof Room by Room

Cat-proofing your home doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Here’s how to break it all down without breaking the bank.

Living room

There are all sorts of cat-attracting temptations lying in wait in your living room: TV and tech cords, nice furniture with enticing textures, and multiple surfaces to climb. Limiting access and securing what’s already there are key to a cat-safe space.

Here’s how to secure the living room:

• Fix bookshelves and free-standing shelves to the walls.
• Place cords on curtains and blinds out of reach or consider removing them entirely.
• Use cord protectors to hide wires from tech.
• Consider covers for couches and furniture.
• Add a multi-tiered cat tower with carpeted shelving for your cat to jump and climb on without the risk of heavy furniture falling on them.

Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most irresistible rooms for cats. It has jumpable and climbable counters, holds a buffet of food and treats, and is often where all the action goes down.

Here’s how to secure your kitchen:

• Physically block your cat from a hot stove (a tall baby gate can help).
• Put away sharp objects like knives and breakable glass items when you’re done with them.
• Put food away when you’re done cooking and eating.
• Put dirty dishes and utensils out of reach in automatic dishwashers or dishpans full of soapy water in the sink.
• Make sure your trash can is not easily opened, and take any potentially poisonous trash outside right away.
• Consider installing child safety latches if you have an especially “paw-sy” cat on your hands.
• Keep cleaning chemicals out of reach in a child-proof cabinet.

Bedroom

Some cats are fixated on making the section under your bed their own personal den. This dark, hard-to-reach space makes for the perfect secret hideout, especially for anxious kitties. However, our inability to access that part of our bedrooms is exactly why it’s so problematic. In an emergency, like a natural disaster or when a cat eats something toxic, it can be too hard to get them out.

Closets can also be an alluring place to hide and just as filled with potentially harmful items: tight spaces, knick-knacks, and clothing with parts that might pose choking and strangulation hazards.

Here’s how to secure your bedroom:

• Block off access under your bed.
• Keep your closet closed when not in use.
• Secure easily climbable furniture, such as bookshelves, dressers, or nightstands.
• Keep curtains and any decor that has tassels, cords, or strings out of reach.
• If you keep medications by your bed, always make sure the caps are secured and that they’re put away after you take them.

Bathroom

One of the most straightforward tips for making your bathroom cat-safe is the simplest: always keep your toilet seat down. While kittens are more at risk of drowning, Lusvardi says cats of all ages can end up with serious injuries.

Playing with toilet paper can also cause issues, especially if your cat actively ingests it. If it’s attached to a freestanding or loosely attached toilet paper holder, which are often heavy, they can crash down on your kitty, causing injuries.

Here’s how to secure your bathroom:

• Always keep the toilet seat down.
• Attach the toilet paper stand to the wall.
• Get a cover for your toilet paper holder to prevent the temptation to unroll it.
• Keep cleaning products, toiletries, and easily breakable objects like glass bottles and jars securely locked up and away from places a cat could knock over or spill.
• For the things you can’t put away, secure them with museum or earthquake putty (an extra layer of security that Lusvardi suggests).

Yard or patio

“The best way to cat-proof a patio is by installing a catio,” Colominas says. Catios provide a safe area for cats to experience the outdoors without the dangers and risks of predatory animals, speeding cars, toxic plants, pesky parasites, or fights with neighborhood cats.

Regularly supervising your cat while they’re outside in their catio is crucial, especially if your yard isn’t fully enclosed with a sturdy fence or if you’re in an area where a lot of free-roaming wildlife enter your yard. Make sure sharp or dangerous garden tools are secured, and keep fertilizers and other yard necessities far out of reach of your curious kitty.

How To Cat-Proof Your House When You’re Away

Hiring a trustworthy pet sitter is one of the best ways to cat-proof your home while you’re away.

“If something happens to your cat, the pet sitter will be able to intervene and get them emergency veterinary care if needed. As a bonus, the extra play and attention will help keep your cat’s stress as low as possible [and] reduce the risk of your cat having stress-induced behaviors like peeing outside the litter box.”

Lusvardi and Colominas recommend these cat-proofing tips when leaving your kitty home alone.

• Installing a pet camera.
• Keeping the windows closed to prevent accidents, such as falling through a screen.
• Making sure appliances are unplugged.
• Checking there’s nothing around that could create a fire hazard.
• Putting all wand toys, string, yarn, or other choking hazards away.