Spiked rubber balls, about the size of a tennis ball. When you leave the house, put caltrops on sofa, chairs, bed, laundry, and any other place where cats aren't wanted.

Inspiration: RPG dungeons often feature caltrops.
-- Zora, Jan 19 2004

Scat-Mat http://www.arcatapet.com/scatmat.cfm
[Shz, Oct 04 2004]

my cats are *hard*!

they would love these in the litter tray for a bit of excitement while I am out.
-- po, Jan 19 2004


Try pieces of sticky paper, like Post-It notes. I know at least one cat that won't step on Post-Its any more.
-- kbecker, Jan 19 2004


Or try cellophane or tin foil. For some reason many cats don't like the feel of it.
-- squeak, Jan 20 2004


Balloons.
-- waugsqueke, Jan 20 2004


wicked waugs. :)
-- po, Jan 20 2004


Do we have a successor to [8th]?
-- PeterSilly, Jan 20 2004


Plastic (hdpe?) grocery bags deter our cat. "Rattly bags", my wife calls them. "I'm outta here", our cat calls them.
-- half, Jan 20 2004


Given the things my cat goes to sleep on, I doubt these will have any effect whatsoever.
-- DrCurry, Jan 20 2004


//efefct// what you sitting on, DrC?
-- po, Jan 20 2004


My strategy would involve two distinct phases. 1) Apply FENCE ENERGIZERS to the peremeter of your garden or balcony specially designed to keep your cats and dogs inside. The cat will get a small controlled electrical shock, and NEVER again cross the border. Next to that the cat will learn: the thing makes a clicking sound, therefore clicking things will produce an electrical shock. 2) Make a small box that also makes the clicking sound (without the shocks though) and add some electrical fence wires to it. Spread the wire across the sofa.

Guaranteed no cat will come close to the wires and the sofa.
-- spekkie, Jan 20 2004


[po: my keyboard. What were you thinking?]
-- DrCurry, Jan 20 2004


*Pictures bloody footprints all over the house*. Here, have a Scat-Mat instead. <link>
-- Shz, Jan 21 2004


do I sense a tad of exaggeration in that?
-- po, Jan 21 2004


Actually, I *did* keep my cats from sleeping in a bin full of nice soft sewing projects by adding a top layer of various hard objects.

But I have never seriously considering keeping them off the sofa. Or my bed. Or the dining room table.

The status of the computer keyboard has long been a subject of contention, however.
-- Zora, Jan 22 2004



random, halfbakery