How to Keep a Cat From Sitting on My Car

If you have outdoor or feral cats in your neighborhood, they may use your car as a warm, comfortable place to sleep or even to scratch. Not only can a cat accidentally damage your car, but it may also set off your car alarm, disturbing both you and your neighbors. To protect your car from an unwanted outdoor cat, use humane, nontoxic methods to discourage the cat from sitting on your car and protect it from any damages the cat might cause.

Place an outdoor car cover, found in most auto supply stores, over your car to protect the paint from scratches. Secure sheets of aluminum foil over the top of the car cover using duct tape. Cats do not like the texture of aluminum foil and it will discourage a cat from sitting on your car. The car cover protects the paint from the foil and makes it quicker to remove before driving.

Hang an ultrasonic motion-triggered pet repellent device in front of your driveway. You can hang the device on your home's outside walls, from a tree or mount it on a wooden post. These devices emit a high frequency alarm that humans cannot hear when a cat walks by the motion sensor.

Spritz a commercially available cat deterrent spray around your car. These sprays contain natural ingredients like cayenne pepper, mustard and citrus oils that cats dislike, to discourage them from approaching your car. If the cat still comes over to the car, place a car cover over the vehicle then spray the top of the cover with the cat deterrent spray.

Place loops of duct tape over sheets of cardboard and position these sticky sheets over the top of your car, sticky-side up. If the cat attempts to sit on the car, the sticky feel of the tape on its paws will scare it away.

Tie empty soda cans together with string woven through the tabs and arrange them on the top of the car, over a car cover to protect the paint. If the cat disturbs the cans by trying to sit on the car, the bottles will rattle or fall and create a loud noise to scare the cat away.