10 Best Cat Repellent Sprays for Furniture – 2024 Reviews & Top Picks

Cat owners everywhere are familiar with the sound of their cat’s nails clawing into their furniture, slowly ripping the fabric to shreds. Ultimately, it’s the sound of money because your couches, chairs, cushions, and pillows lose value with every scratch.

Is there a solution to this age-old problem? Beleaguered cat lovers are turning to cat repellent sprays for furniture to save their living rooms. Many are discovering that these sprays, combined with positive reinforcement training, are helping to save not only their furniture but also their sanity.

We’ve reviewed 10 cat repellent sprays on the market, looking for the best options for keeping cats off the furniture naturally. We hope our reviews help make your purchase of a cat repellent spray just a little bit easier.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites of 2024

The 10 Best Cat Repellent Sprays for Furniture

1. Sentry Stop That! Noise & Pheromone Cat Spray – Best Overall

The Sentry Stop That! Noise & Pheromone Cat Spray is our best overall cat repellent spray for furniture. This spray uses a combination of scent and a noise deterrent to stop the destructive scratching behavior of cats. The spray works almost instantly on cats after it is sprayed as it releases a pheromone that calms the cat and lessens their excitability during the negative behavior. The pheromone spray, combined with the noise it makes as you push the spray button, deters the cat from continuing the behavior and the effect of the two together helps the pet to not re-engage in the negative behavior.

The pheromone scent is a lavender chamomile fragrance that is pleasant to most people. The smell may be too strong if you’re scent sensitive, so this might not be the spray for you. The spray is only one ounce and if you hold the button for too long when you spray it, you will likely only get a handful of uses out of this spray.

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2. PetAg Boundary Indoor & Outdoor Cat Repellent– Best Value

The PetAg Boundary Indoor/Outdoor Car Repellent is the best cat repellent spray for furniture for the money.  This spray uses methyl nonyl ketone and other scents that cats dislike to help keep them off furniture and counters. It can also be used outdoors to keep cats out of gardens, shrubs, garbage cans, and more. The scent works for 24-hours to prevent felines from scratching, spraying, or inappropriate elimination. The company recommends spraying daily for the best results in deterring your cat.

There are a couple of cons to this spray. The scent can be unpleasant to humans with sensitive noses, but the smell dissipates quickly. This spray may only work for a short time on your feline friend or it may not affect your cat’s unwanted behavior at all.

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3. PetSafe SSSCAT Motion-Activated Cat Spray – Premium Choice

The PetSafe SSSCAT Motion-Activated Dog & Cat Spray is our best premium choice for a cat repellent spray for furniture. This product is motion-activated by your pet so it can be used in entryways, on countertops, and around furniture even when you’re not home to deter your pet yourself. It sprays a harmless, non-staining spray to deter your kitty from the areas you want to keep it away from and it has an adjustable nozzle that can spray up to three feet away. The spray needs 4 AAA batteries, and you will need to purchase those separately.

There are some cons to the PetSafe SSSCAT Motion-Activated Spray. The bottle does need some reset time in between sprays so if you have a determined cat that will come right to something after an initial deterrence, it might be best to use a product that you spray yourself. The motion sensor can’t tell the difference between you and your cat, so you will need to remember to avoid those areas yourself or turn off the sensor if you’re going to be working in those areas.

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4. Petlinks Scratch Stop Deterrent Training Spray – Best for Kittens

The Petlinks Scratch Stop Deterrent Training Cat Spray is the best kitten cat deterrent spray for furniture. This spray is made up of a botanical blend of lemon and eucalyptus oils that naturally deter your kittens from clawing your furniture. It is environmentally friendly and made with all-natural ingredients. This spray is clear but always spray it on an inconspicuous area first to make sure it doesn’t stain your furniture.

The Petlinks Scratch Stop Deterrent Training Cat Spray is a training spray so you will need to use positive reinforcement to redirect your kitten to scratch in the location you want them to while at the same time using the spray to deter them from the surface you want them to avoid. This can usually be accomplished by placing a scratching post near the piece of furniture you wish to deter them from, put a treat or catnip on the scratching post, and then spray the deterrent spray on the furniture and redirect your kitten to the scratching post.

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5. Four Paws Keep Off! Indoor & Outdoor Cat Repellent

Four Paws Keep Off! Indoor & outdoor Dog and Cat Repellent is a good cat repellent spray for furniture. It comes in an easy-to-use spray bottle that can be sprayed on indoor and outdoor surfaces to deter cats from any areas you want them to avoid. The spray is clear and won’t stain fabrics, but always spot-check in an inconspicuous area before spraying the entire surface. The spray works for 24 hours when the user applies it daily.  The smell may be strong to some human noses, so if you’re sensitive to scent you may want to consider another spray.

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6. Pet MasterMind Claw Withdraw Scratch Deterrent Cat

Pet MasterMind Claw Withdraw Scratch Deterrent Cat is an herbal blend cat repellent spray for furniture and other surfaces. This plant-derived spray is made with rosemary and astragalus in deionized water so it’s a pleasant scent for human noses while deterring cats from scratching furniture. It contains no irritants, parabens, or toxins so it’s safe to use on your favorite feline. Spray three days a day for at least a week to deter your cat from the surface you want it to avoid.

The scent of Pet MasterMind Withdraw Scratch Deterrent is citrusy and may be too strong for some human noses. Users may have to use this product multiple times until the cat is effectively deterred by the scent.

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7. Four Paws Healthy Promise Cat Bitter Lime Deterrent Spray

Four Paws Healthy Promise Dog & Cat Bitter Lime Deterrent Spray is a bitter lime spray formulated without harsh chemicals to help deter your pets from chewing and scratching surfaces in your home. Unlike the other sprays on the list that use only scent as a deterrent, the bitter lime of this spray deters by also using the tastebuds of your feline to make an association that chewing or scratching a surface equates with a disgusting taste. This product is focused on chewers, so if your cat is chewing on the wood in your home, this product should help by making the surface taste, well, gross to your pet. It should also work on scratchers because when their paws pick up the taste, they will associate the scratching with the gross taste of the surface they touched.

Users of the Four Paws Healthy Promise Dog and Cat Bitter Lime Deterrent Spray will need to be careful when they spray it because if they get it on their hands or inhale it, they’ll also discover the taste of bitter lime along with their cat. If you plan on using this on fabric, you should taste the spray on an inconspicuous surface to make sure it won’t stain your furniture. Some cats respond to this product and stop the offending behavior but others might not be affected by the product at all.

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8. Cat Guard Pro Pet Safe Furniture Cat Repellent

Cat Guard Pro Pet Safe Furniture Cat Repellent is a non-toxic, vegan, cruelty-free cat repellent to deter your cat from scratching your furniture. It comes in four scents to discourage your cat from scratching: Original, lavender, eucalyptus, and lemon. The company recommends keeping your cat’s nails trimmed and a scratching post nearby to encourage scratching in a proper location after using the deterrent spray.

Some cats won’t respond to one scent of this spray but may respond to another scent. You will likely have to try out the different scents on your cat to see which scent deters it from scratching.  A con of this product seems to be a leaky spraying mechanism so it may arrive on your doorstep half empty.

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9. Hywean No Scratch Spray for Cats

Hywean No Scratch Spray for Cats uses natural plant extracts for this indoor/outdoor cat scratch spray. The company recommends using this product as a training tool to deter your cat from scratching your furniture. Shake the product, spray it 3 to 4 times a day for at least a week on the surface you want the cat to stay away from, and then use positive reinforcement training for the cat when it doesn’t scratch the furniture surface.

The company does not recommend that users inhale the spray themselves and warns that those with respiratory issues, such as asthma, COPD, etc., should not use their product due to the use of capsaicin in their product. Due to this issue, we recommend that those with respiratory issues only use this product outdoors to deal with cat issues on your property.

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10. Colton’s Naturals Cat Repellent Outdoor Spray

If your problem is not with your indoor feline but rather with feral cats in the neighborhood hanging out on your patio furniture and scratching your deck, you may have an answer to your problem with Colton’s Naturals Cat Repellent Outdoor Spray. This spray is kid, pet, and garden safe because it uses citronella oil and natural peppermint to repel felines from your yard. You should spray it heavily upon your first application to thoroughly soak the areas you want to keep the cats away from on your property. A heavy spraying usually lasts 2 to 4 weeks, but if it rains, you’ll have the reapply sooner.

The downside to this spray is that it can only be used outdoors because of the strong scent so it won’t help you with indoor scratching felines. If you do have a feral cat prowling your yard, this spray should help deter the cat from your property.

Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Cat Repellent Sprays for Furniture

There are many options on the market for cat repellents to keep your cat off your furniture and we’re sure you have some questions. How do these repellents work? Are they safe for your pets and your family? Will cat deterrent sprays stain your furniture? How long do you have to use these products? We’re going to explore these topics a bit further so you can feel confident that you’re making the right purchase for your feline and your family.

How Do Cat Repellents For Furniture Work?

Scent Deterrent

Most cat repellent sprays work by using an odor unpleasant to cats to keep them away from furniture, trash cans, your deck, and many other locations. Common scents include lavender, citrus, citronella, peppermint, and eucalyptus because most cats just plain don’t like those smells and will avoid areas that have those scents. Some scents in these sprays are a bit stronger, using ingredients such as capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers, which you’ll also find in mace.

One of the top things you’ll need to consider when purchasing a spray is what scents you can live with as you want to deter your cat from the furniture, not the humans (although some of these sprays may work for humans as well if that’s your goal). There are also newer sprays on the market that use calming pheromones combined with unpleasant odors to both calm your feline to prevent scratching and to discourage them from the furniture.

Sprays with Physical Deterrents

Other cat repellent sprays use actual physical deterrents in the form of a puff of air or noise that keeps the cat out of the area. These machines sometimes need a long reset period to work properly so your cat may decide to just take his chances to see if the machine is working when he wants to get into mischief. Something you might also want to consider if you’re thinking about purchasing some of the more expensive noise and spray deterrents is that some of the machines may break or not function properly over time.

Taste Deterrent

Some sprays use taste as a deterrent to keep cats from the furniture or off other surfaces. Bitter lime is a commonly used taste deterrent so when the cat gets the product on its paws, it can taste the bitter taste and it learns to associate that piece of furniture with the gross taste and avoid it.

Are These Sprays Safe For Your Cat and Your Family?

The short answer is yes. Many of the scents associated with these sprays are scents that most humans will find pleasant but that your cat will find decidedly unpleasant. The trick will be finding a scent that you like, but that your cat doesn’t like, so it may take some trial-and-error testing on your part. The exception to this is any spray containing capsaicin as it is a very potent ingredient, and a little bit will go a long way. You’ll want to be careful with sprays containing this spicy pepper ingredient as it can trigger respiratory issues in people with asthma, COPD, and other respiratory illnesses.

Will Cat Repellent Sprays Stain Your Furniture?

Most of the sprays will not stain your furniture, but some of these products contain essential oils. Depending on the blend of the product, essential oils may leave behind a residue on your furniture. Remember to always test the product in a small area first so you don’t inadvertently ruin your own furniture in your efforts to keep your cat from scratching it to pieces.

How Long Do You Have to Use the Deterrent?

Many of the deterrents on our list have their own instructions for use about the best way to use their products, so we recommend following the product directions. You will likely need to use the deterrents a few times a day for at least a couple of weeks, but it will vary by product. Several of the sprays recommend using their product as a training aid and you may have a higher success rate if you use the spray with positive reinforcement for good behavior.

The end goal is to wean your cat off needing the deterrent, so you’ll likely only need to use it as long as it takes to keep your cat away from the furniture or surface you want it to avoid. Until your cat stops the offending behavior, you will need to use the spray as often as the product requires for a successful outcome. Once you confirm the cat is not reverting to bad behavior you can stop using the product.

Final Thoughts

Our recommendation for the best overall cat repellent spray for furniture is Sentry Stop That! Noise & Pheromone Cat Spray because it combines both a scent and noise deterrent for a higher successful outcome. The PetAg Boundary Indoor/Outdoor Cat Repellent is our choice for best value as you get a fair amount of fluid product, and the spray is versatile as it can be used both indoors and outdoors. We know how difficult it is to keep cats from scratching your furniture and we hope our reviews help you find a spray that works for you and your feline companion.

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Featured Image Credit: AngieYeoh, Shutterstock