Will my cat accept it? How new furniture becomes a favourite spot

Why doesn't my cat accept the new furniture straight away?

Saturday afternoon, the cordless drill is still lying on the floor. The hammock is on the wall, the scratching surface next to it freshly mounted. Your cat comes over, has a quick sniff at the box, climbs in and falls asleep. The furniture doesn't get a single glance.

That's more normal than it feels. Cats rely heavily on scent and routine. A new piece of furniture smells of warehouse and packaging, but not of them. And it may not be where they spend their day. Cats like what they know. To them, a new product is a strange thing at first, until they discover it makes their life better.

If your cat won't use the cat tree or ignores the new cave, it helps to look at their behaviour. Cats mark their territory with scent from glands on their cheeks and between their paw pads. That's why they rub their heads on door frames and keep scratching at certain spots. The feline veterinary association AAFP describes this, and International Cat Care also explains scratching as claw care, stretching and marking all at once. Furniture that already smells a little of the cat feels less foreign to them.

So whether a cat accepts a piece of furniture is largely decided when you set it up. That part is in your hands. The same four tips apply to cat trees, cat walls, hammocks, caves and beds, and with them it usually goes a lot faster.

Quickly to a new favourite spot: four things that help

A seat with a view

Most cats like to lie close to a window or high up. Raised spots give them an overview, and from a resting place cats also like to be able to look outside. That's what the guidelines of the feline associations AAFP and ISFM recommend. Don't put the furniture in a walkway or right next to the feeding spot or litter box. It has to stand or hang firmly, because anything that wobbles gets avoided. Caves and beds go where your cat already likes to sleep today.

Tempt, don't force

Place a treat on the lounging surface or guide your cat up with a feather wand. Catnip or matatabi can add extra appeal, but they don't work on every cat. Don't put your cat in it or hold them there; International Cat Care explicitly advises against it. Mount hammocks and wall perches so they are easy to reach at first, ideally with a step in between.

Give it time

Some cats need a few days. That's normal. One customer told us that after a few days the new furniture had already become the favourite spot. If your cat ignores the furniture for longer, it's usually better to change the location than to push. Check the size too: large cats need more space, for example STEPS XL instead of the smaller STEPS.

Familiar scent

Put a used blanket or their cushion inside. You can also gently stroke your cat's cheeks with a soft cloth and then wipe it over the furniture. That way it carries their scent. Don't clean it beforehand with scented cleaners.

Scratching in the right place

Cats are more likely to use a scratching surface if it's vertical, long enough to stretch on and placed where the cat spends a lot of time. In a study of 36 house cats (Zhang & McGlone 2020), the cats preferred upright scratchers, and rope and cardboard were used more often than upholstery fabric. Long enough means your cat can stretch out fully on their hind legs. It has to be stable, without wobbling.

Location matters just as much. A French survey of more than 1,200 cat owners (Demirbas et al. 2024) shows that scratching furniture works best where the cat spends a lot of time. The AAFP recommends one scratching spot right next to the sleeping place, because cats like to stretch after waking up, and a second one directly in front of the spot where they have been scratching so far.

When your cat uses the right surface, praise them straight away or give a treat, ideally within three seconds. Spray bottles and scolding don't help. In a survey of almost 2,500 cat owners (Cisneros et al. 2022), punishment was even linked to more scratching of furniture.

For the wall, there's the CATWALK scratching post with sisal, in 70 cm or as XL with 100 cm of scratching length, and the SCRATCHPAD scratching board. Hang both at exactly the height where your cat stretches, for example next to the sofa or the bed. If your cat prefers scratching cardboard, the SCRATCHBED offers a place to scratch and doze. And as a seat with a view, there's the SWING hammock or the VIEW window perch with a wool felt surface, where you can lay their blanket.

If the new furniture is still ignored on the first evening, a seat with a view, a treat instead of pressure, some patience and a blanket that smells of them usually help. You can read more about why cats switch spots in our article about their favourite spot.