my cat attacks me if i'm in my work chair

[bodisha]

Hello and thanks in advance for any advise 

I recently moved and got a new chair for my office.  My cat would sleep in my old chair at my old place, but it was never a problem when i went to sit in it.  The most annoying thing he use to do then was hop on the table and try and walk around my desk while i worked.  As near as I can tell though, he's claimed this new chair as his and if I sit in it to do some work... He starts attacking me till I get out of it.  Which has gotten to a point it's starting to piss me off with.  I love my cat but I HAVE to be able to work without him attacking me and clawing & biting at me to get out of my chair.  Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get him to stop this?  I was thinking about getting him one of those carpet cat houses so he truly had his own place to lay in... but those aren't that cheap and i wanted to hear what experienced cat owners had to say

Once again... thanks for any advise

 

[DreamerRose]

Someone on another thread suggested wiping a window screen with peppermint oil to keep the cats from scratching it. Could you do this with the chair? Try wiping it down with the oil or spraying it with a really strong air freshner. Cats don't like very strong odors not their own.

 

[Columbine]

Is your cat neutered? And how old is he? Territorial aggression of this type is often hormonal, so getting him fixed if you haven't already done so will definitely help the situation.

Creating him his own place may well be the answer - but you might find the easiest solution is to buy a duplicate chair so you can have one each! What kind of chair is it, exactly? If, for example, it's upholstered in leather, he might be being drawn to the smell of it as much as anything else. If that's the case, another leather-upholstered piece might be another, more economical option.

He may be struggling with adjusting to your new home too, and feeling territorially insecure. If you can help him gain confidence and fully 'own' the rest of the house, he may naturally become less fixated on this chair.

Finally, boredom may be part of the problem. Daily interactive playtime and other boredom busting measures may well help him settle and leave you free to work in peace

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[margd]

 You're right - you need to be able to work and sit in your chair without him attacking you.  It is time for him to learn some manners.  

You could start off by simply making the chair out of bounds.  Put something else on it so he can't use it while you're gone.  In this way, you won't be pushing him out of his spot.  A big piece of aluminum foil might do the job if you don't have anything handy.  Many cats can't stand the feel of aluminum foil on their paws.  Can you keep the old chair nearby so he still has a chair to sleep in?

When he tries to take the chair, you should try saying "NO" in a loud voice.  It might help to have a can of Dust-off or canned air nearby and press the button- the sound should startle him and get him to back off.  If he keeps it up, remove him from the room.  You might have to do this several times before he gets the message.  Whatever you do, don't spray him with water.  This will only make him frightened of you.

Good luck!  Your little guy needs to learn who is boss of that chair. 

 

 

[bodisha]

Thanks for the replies! 

To try and answer some of the questions... Merlin is appx 5 yrs old (I'm not 100% because I'm his 3rd owner) and he is neutered. I think he's acclimated to our new place fairly well.  My last place was fairly small and he seemed to be pretty stressed about it.  My new place is twice as large and he seems a lot more relaxed here. My initial thought was to buy a 2nd chair for him to lay in but that seemed like a pretty redundant solution.  I figured for the same price I could get him one of those carpeted cat houses.  One reason I liked that thought was Merlin likes to be up high (so he can survey what's going on around him) and I thought a tall one of those might be the trick.  But they aren't to cheap.  I'm not really thrilled with the idea of spraying him with a can of air... he was abused pretty badly by his 1st owner and he's come along way with his behavior since i've had him.  I'd hate to do anything like that and potentially taped into something he freaked out over.  I might try the peppermint solution first and see how it goes from there.

Once again.... thank you everyone for their replies.