Looking for cat proof blinds or ways to stop your cat shredding, tearing, climbing through, and damaging your blinds?
You’re not alone!
I love having blinds. Unfortunately so did my cat (I say ‘did’ because I found ways to keep her from messing with them as I’ll explain later).
If your current blinds are still in good condition and you want to prevent further damage before buying new ones, there are a number of ways you can deter your cat from messing with your blinds as I cover below.
However, if you’re in the market to buy new blinds because your kitty damaged your current ones, the smart thing to do is to buy cat-proof blinds. Or, at least blinds that are as cat-resistant as possible!
These means you’re probably looking for two things;
Cordless Blinds – because cats love playing with the cord.
Fabric/Vertical Blinds – blinds made of fabric rather than hard materials and a horizontal design are much more cat proof as I explain in more detail later.
So, no need to stress or shout at kitty every time they go near your lovely blinds any longer. Here are some cat-proof blind options followed by some tips to help stop your cat damaging them.
3 Cat Proof Blinds (Still Trendy and Stylish)
Honeycomb Cordless Top Down Bottom Up Blinds
These blinds are exactly what I was explaining above. They are both cordless, so no dangling string to temp your cat, and don’t have slats for them to squeeze their head and body through.
They are available in just about any size window you can come up with, as well as accepting custom orders. So, no excuses, you’ll find the perfect fit for your window.
Also available in a wide range of colors, and the company sends out free color samples so you can color-match with your decor before going all in and ordering a set.
These are very similar to what I have now. They are very light and will move in an breeze, but soft to touch and don’t make any noise, so that’s fine by me.
Click here to check price on Amazon
Light Filtering Pleated Fabric Blinds
These blinds are made from a soft fabric, so soft in fact that you can simply cut them to the length you need with a pair of scissors.
Then just use the sticky back to fix the blind to the top of your window frame, and pull it down to the desired length.
It comes with a couple of clips to hold it in place when you have it at the desired length. All-in-all a very easy to install and use blind, and shouldn’t be the victim of your cat’s claws or weight as they try to get through it.
Click here to check price on Amazon
CHICOLOGY Cordless Cellular Window Blind
I also really like the cellular fabric style blinds like these. If you’re not familiar with this style, they have ‘pockets’ that stack on top of each other and compress or stretch out as you raise or lower the blind.
Comparing them to the wooden, metal or plastic blinds most of us are used to, it’s just so refreshing to have a really light, stylish alternative that most importantly isn’t as likely to be damaged by cats.
Plenty of colors and sizes to choose from, so I’m sure you’ll find the perfect blinds. And, trust me, if you’re swapping the old heavy, hard style of blind for these, you won’t look back.
Click here to check price on Amazon
Some Tips to Help You Stop Your Cats from Messing with Your Blinds
Hide the Cord If You Have One
The cord that you use to pull up, let down and adjust your blinds just looks like an innocent piece of string to us. But to a cat, it’s a fun and interactive toy, much like some string from a ball.
You can either hide the cord, tying it up or hooking it somewhere out of reach and ideally out of sight too, or you can opt for cordless blinds as covered above.
Install Fabric or Vertical Blinds (Not the Individual Horizontal Slat Type)
In my experience, most of the damage is done by cats climbing through the slats of horizontal blinds.
Pleated/cellular blinds are basically one-piece blinds and do not have slats as you’ll see in the blinds I featured above.
Once a cat realizes there is literally no way through blinds, no matter how hard they try (hopefully not trying too hard) they should move on to doing something else.
If you don’t like the design or cosmetic look of pleated blinds, you can also try vertical blinds. These allow cats to pass through with minimal damage, but again, it’s a preference thing and you might not like the style.
Both of these types of blinds are more cat-proof than the normal horizontal blinds, so well worth considering. Take a browse at my recommendations above and see what you think.
Make Another Window More Appealing
In my experience, the main reason cats end up getting themselves caught up in some blinds and causing damage is because they are trying to get through to look out of the window.
Cats love looking out the window. And who can blame them, there is loads of cool stuff going on
Maybe you can set up another window that doesn’t have blinds, or doesn’t need them pulled down in the day as a place for your cat to hang out and look out of the window.
Another idea is to try a window perch (I reviewed some of the best window perches for cats in this post). This will give them somewhere to sit or lay down and soak up the sun and views.
Put Something Dissuasive Near the Blinds
If the blind alone isn’t enough to keep your cat from forcing their way through to get to the window it’s time to outsmart them with something that will.
A tried and tested method I know a lot of people have used is to put a scent near the window that their cat doesn’t like. (You can find a list of scents cats hate here.)
It doesn’t have to be something that bothers you either. In fact, Lavender, mint, and citrus scents are some of the most irritating for cats, while personally, I like them.
Every cat is different however, so it might take a little trial and error. Obviously, you want to find a scent that isn’t too strong, doesn’t bother them too much, but does enough to make them turn their nose up and leave the blind alone.
If using smells doesn’t appeal to you, then maybe a plant or an ornament that obstructs their access to the window but doesn’t ruin the aesthetics of your room?
There you have it, a bunch of tips to help you correct your cats behavior that’s damaging your blinds, and some examples of what to look for when buying cat proof blinds.
Is this an issue you’ve had and dealt with? I’d love to hear your thoughts, just drop me a comment below and I’ll get back to you. Thanks.
