Cats are already the second most commonly kept pet in the western world but their popularity has been surging recently as more and more people add a pet cat to their family.
With this sudden influx in the popularity of people keeping a cat, there has also been a number of questions being asked from the pet keeping community about how they should deal with the problems they have with their cat.
Some cats are able to work out how to hope doors by constantly jumping at the handle and this can result in various problems for the owner of the cat.
This is why there have been a number of people reaching out with questions on how you can stop a cat jumping at a door handle recently.
We decided to publish this article to try and help as many of our readers as possible who have a cat that keeps jumping at the door work out a way to discourage the behavior in their cat.
There are a number of different options covered below as different homes and door types need you to use different methods.
How To Stop A Cat Jumping At A Door Handle!
We have our list of the various methods that you are able to use to stop a cat from jumping at a door handle in your home:-
- Train Your Cat!
- Use A Circular Door Handle!
- Lay Aluminum Foil At The Door!
- Get A Second Cat!
- Gate Off The Door!
- Offer Mental Stimulation!
- Use A Cat Repellant!
- Use A Scat Mat!
Many people will usually find that they will need to use more than one of these methods to quickly discourage their cat from trying to hope their door.
Please note that the longer you have let your cat build up the habit of being able to open doors in your home, the more difficult it will be for you to discourage the behavior.
Consistency in your training is important in all types of cat training so you have to avoid taking breaks or not implementing the strategies explained below or it may set your progress back heavily.
Train Your Cat!
One of the most effective ways to stop a cat from jumping at a door handle is to train your cat.
You will usually find that this method works best on kittens as they are still young enough to be able to learn new tricks and behaviors relatively easily but it can work on adult cats too.
The key part of training your cat is to be consistent with the method that you are using to train them.
You will need some patience as well but if you can stick with it then there is a very good chance that you will eventually be able to train your cat not to jump at a door handle in your home.
Use Treats
The first thing you need to do when training your cat is to make sure that you have some treats on hand to reward them with when they do something good.
You can use their favorite type of treat or toy for this.
Use Verbal Commands
The next thing you need to do is to wait until your cat is trying to jump at the door handle and then give them a sharp tap on the nose and say ‘no’ in a firm voice.
After you have done this, immediately offer them the treat or toy that you have been using as a reward.
You will need to repeat this process multiple times for it to be effective but if you do it consistently then there is a very good chance that your cat will eventually get the message and stop trying to jump at the door handle.
Spray Water
You may see great results by spraying your cat with water when it jumps at the door handle on your door.
There are automatic sprayers available these days that can make this method even easier to implement but a good old fashioned $3 spray bottle will usually work just as well.
It is important to only spray your cat when it is jumping at the door handle though so it is able to associate the water spray with the behavior your are trying to discourage.
Use A Circular Door Handle!
If you have a door in your home that is frequently used by your cat to jump at then you may want to consider replacing the handle on the door with a circular one.
This will make it much more difficult for your cat to be able to grip onto the handle and thus make it less likely that they will try and jump at it.
Lay Aluminum Foil At The Door!
If you have a door in your home that is frequently used by your cat to jump at then you may want to consider laying some aluminum foil down at the base of the door.
The aluminum foil will make it difficult for your cat to be able to grip onto the door and thus make it less likely that they will try and jump at it.
Get A Second Cat!
If you have a single cat in your home then there is a very good chance that it is bored and is thus trying to jump at the door handle in an attempt to escape.
One way to solve this problem is to get a second cat so that your first cat has a friend to play with and doesn’t get bored.
This is obviously not a method that will work for everyone but it is definitely something to consider if you have a single cat in your home.
Discourage The Behavior With A Scat Mat!
If you have a door in your home that is frequently used by your cat to jump at then you may want to consider using a scat mat.
A scat mat is a mat that is designed to emit an unpleasant sensation when stepped on.
You can find these mats at most pet stores and they can be very effective at discouraging your cat from jumping at the door handle.
Gate Off The Door!
If you have a door in your home that is frequently used by your cat to jump at then you may want to consider gating it off.
This will make it so your cat can’t even get to the door handle and thus won’t be able to jump at it.
You can find gates at most pet stores and they are relatively inexpensive.
Offer Mental Stimulation!
If you have a door in your home that is frequently used by your cat to jump at then you may want to consider offering it some more mental stimulation.
You can do this by getting it some new toys or by playing with it more often.
If your cat is bored then it is much more likely to try and escape by jumping at the door handle.
Use A Cat Repellant!
If you have a door in your home that is frequently used by your cat to jump at then you may want to consider using a cat repellant.
There are many different repellants available on the market and they can be very effective at deterring your cat from jumping at the door handle.
You can find these repellants at most pet stores.
Consider Getting Your Cat Spayed Or Neutered!
If your cat is intact (not spayed or neutered) then there is a very good chance that it is trying to escape in an attempt to find a mate.
One way to solve this problem is to get your cat spayed or neutered.
This will not only help to discourage your cat from trying to escape but will also have a number of other benefits such as reducing the risk of it getting into fights or contracting diseases.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a number of different methods that you can use to train your cat not to jump at the door handle in your home.
Which method you ultimately choose is up to you but if you are consistent with it then there is a very good chance that you will eventually be successful in training your cat. Thanks for reading!
