How do I stop my cat from scratching furniture?
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 at
6:15 am
My cat is an obsessive couch scratcher. I’ve tried a scratch repellent spray, I bought him a scratching post and he won’t even use it. Nothing’s worked so far. He just keeps doing it. I would really be open to any ideas you might have, he’s starting to ruin my furniture.
I tried to softpaws too when he was a baby, but now that he’s bigger, it’s almost impossible to hold him down to put them on or to clip his claws. Even with two people. He screams like we’re torturing him.
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Tagged with: couch • furniture • repellent spray • scratch • scratching post
Filed under: cat repellent spray
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you make the furniture electric so everything that touches it gets zapped
Try putting a scratching toy or something they like to scratch near by. mine love the cardboard scratch boxes, a friend of mine used a block of wood. For some reason the cat loves to scratch wood. When ever you’re home sitting on the couch loudly say no the moment the cat starts at it remove his paws and put him on his scratching toy. You can also use tape, the scented products or other aids too.
When you’re not home throw an old blanket over the couch.
Gradually move the scratchy toy or item further away from the couch and continue telling them to stop if they try. Eventually they will get the hint.
Since he is not using his scratching post, you will need to encourage him. Some tips that might be helpful:-
Method One
Hold treats near the post to get your cat to come near the post. Slowly, make your cat come closer and closer to the post to get the treat. Then increase the height at which you are holding the treat so your cat must put his paws up the post to reach the treat. Gradually increase the height at which you hold the treat so that your cat eventually has to climb to the top in order to get the treat. This training session is a slow process to be worked on each day, making small progress each time you work on it.
Method Two
Using the kind of cat toys that are at the end of a string, dangle, drag, and swing one of your cat’s toys. Do this on and around the post. Use the scratching post as the play area. Your cat will climb up and down and around his post to try to reach his toy. By doing this, his post will be a place of fun and good memories.
well,you might try filling a squirt bottle with water and spraying the cat every time it scratches the furniture.also,a rolled up newspaper hit against your leg,cats hate this noise. shaking a can full of marbles might help too.
Get rid of the cat or have him de-clawed by a vet.
Hit it with a news paper.
maybe you should de-claw your cat.
Have you clipped his nails as closely as you can, without cutting down to the quick? Or perhaps tried Soft Claws?
I’m not a big fan of spraying water on cats, but as I understand it, the cat directs its anger/fear at the water, not you, so perhaps try a water bottle and spray him when he scratches. When my first cat did this, I used a soda can with some pennies in it, and shook the can right by him. The sound scared him off from scratching where he shouldn’t have been. I know you said you tried the scratching post, but do you have a cat condo? We bought one of those that was pre-sprayed with catnip, and the cats were immediately attracted to that. We simply refresh it with catnip spray every now and then, as well as clip nails, and they really do leave our leather furniture alone.
It’s frustrating for sure, so good luck.
Try and make the scratching post more interesting. Maybe you could hide some cat nip around it to entice your cat. If you allow your cat outdoor maybe it could scratch on a tree or wooden post instead. Furthermore you could try to trim the claws. It might not prevent your cat from scratching, but at least it won’t be as serious as before. Maybe you could ask your vet to help put on the soft paws or he/she could give better advice than us.
Well, he wont stop, but keeping his nails blunt might just save you furniture. Try Pedipaws, or cat nail clipers. Also, get one of those BIG wicker hampers and place it next to the couch for a couple of days and gradually move it to where you want to store it out of site. They LOVE wicker hampers. Also a big carton box will help, they love diggin their claws in a new big box! Good luck!
You need to establish control in trimming nails – do it once a week. You can use SoftPaws or the sticky tape for furniture (bought in the pet stores).
Also invest in a good quality TALL treehouse – minimum of 4-5 feet tall – taller the better. Cats tend to like using the sicil rope on treehouse posts.
Try putting double-sided tape on the corners of the sofa for awhile. Cats hate that texture and he will probably stop. Try different textured scratching materials. You’re bound to find one he likes. When he goes for the sofa, immediately remove him to a scratching post. You can also try Soft Paws nail caps to make the scratching less destructive. Here’s an article on effective, humane scratching solutions.
http://www.pawsneedclaws.com/Cat_Scratching_Solutions.php
Get your cat a scratching post – a good one, with several surfaces (upright, across, diagonal)
Take her to the post, and rub her paws on it so her scent gets on it. Also, when you are rubbing her paws on it, do it in the scratching motion until she understands the use of the post. This will likely take some time. Every time you see her scratching the furniture, spray her with the water bottle, and then take her to the scratching post and teach her to scratch there. This will likely help.
Good luck!
You’re going to get tons of answers about keeping your cat from roughing up your furniture. I tried just about everything when I got my cat last year. She actually does use a scratching post and I have a wicker rug that she adores scratching on. However, she also adores scratching up my couch when we’re not home and all the furniture in my living room is no longer nice.
So my advice is to scold him (i usually hiss at mine which seems to work) when you catch him doing it. Some people use a spray bottle. Try a wicker rug (cheap at walmart) in front of the couch. But I can guarantee that the scratching on the furniture will continue until he’s older and the novelty wears off.