How can I prevent my cat from scratching the sofas?
We’re in a rented house and my cat won’t stop scratching the sofas! She has also opted to rip the wallpaper, making a huge problem for us! Does anyone have any ideas as to how we can stop her?
One thing is absolutely certain. You will never stop a cat from scratching but you can divert his claws from your sofa, furnishings or carpet to something more appropriate. It is relatively easy to stop your cat scratching your furniture. First you must buy or make him a scratching post.Whenever you see your cat scratching the furniture tell him NO… or AH-AH in a firm voice, then gently pick him up and take him to the scratching post. Do this is a very gentle way so as not to scare him. Place his paws on the scratching post and simulate scratching. Praise him and tell him ‘Good Kitty’ and stroke him to make it an enjoyable pleasant experience. You will have to be diligent at first and try to catch him in the act of scratching your furniture. Never punish him for scratching inappropriately but praise him well when he does the right thing. It’s all about reward and pleasant experiences.
Good Luck!
December 21st, 2009 at 2:12 am
One thing is absolutely certain. You will never stop a cat from scratching but you can divert his claws from your sofa, furnishings or carpet to something more appropriate. It is relatively easy to stop your cat scratching your furniture. First you must buy or make him a scratching post.Whenever you see your cat scratching the furniture tell him NO… or AH-AH in a firm voice, then gently pick him up and take him to the scratching post. Do this is a very gentle way so as not to scare him. Place his paws on the scratching post and simulate scratching. Praise him and tell him ‘Good Kitty’ and stroke him to make it an enjoyable pleasant experience. You will have to be diligent at first and try to catch him in the act of scratching your furniture. Never punish him for scratching inappropriately but praise him well when he does the right thing. It’s all about reward and pleasant experiences.
Good Luck!
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Pet owner
December 21st, 2009 at 2:40 am
Cutiepie is absolutely right, cats are very intelligent,you just need to be patient and gentle with your cat ,move her to a scratching post every time and she’ll soon learn.
Another suggestion which might help meanwhile, you might get her lots of cat nip toys, so she has plenty to do, and buy or make a kickable sized one she can really let rip on, cats love that !
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retired vet nurse/cat rescue
December 21st, 2009 at 3:13 am
Get her scratching posts and play with her around them and/or get her a piece of furniture that’s hers to scratch:
My best training experience was when I had a round ottoman, with material that was great for a cat to scratch. Every time my cat wanted to scratch the couch, I’d just take a fishing line toy and say "over here!" and make a game of it. He’d drag himself in circles attatched to the ottoman going after the toy. It was so funny. We both had fun. After awhile, whenever he got the urged to scratch, he’d run over to the ottoman on his own and go to town on it, going around in crazy circles having a lot of fun & was never interested in the couch.
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December 21st, 2009 at 3:18 am
If you’re not against it you could get her declawed. All the cats we’ve had have had their front claws removed, so we have no damaged furniture or hands. Just be sure to leave the back claws if your cat is allowed outside, since she’ll need to be able to defend herself if she gets into a fight.
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December 21st, 2009 at 4:02 am
I’m with CutiePie. I had a cat that scratched the furniture for ages, so I made him a scratchy; I bought 3 planks of a softwood from a timber yard and a £1 mat from a carpet shop. I screwed the planks to the wall near his cat flap and glued the mat on with PVA. Every time I saw my cat scratch the sofa I told him NO! and I would take him to the scratchy and scratch it myself, then put his paws on it and tell him ‘good boy’ and rub him between his ears. Anytime I saw him scratching the scratchy I told him ‘Good boy’.
It took a while but he ripped on the sofa far less and could have gotten out of the habit if he’d not been 14yo already.
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December 21st, 2009 at 4:29 am
I can’t believe you Joeyjo, recommending declawing that cat ! That is the stupidest reply I’ve seen man , after all that’s been proved lately about the cruelty of it ! Front paws only you blithely say, as if that makes it OK! And letting your own poor crippled defenceless cats go outside,I think you are hardly qualified to give advice to someone else. They may even live in a country where declawing is banned anyway ! It is animal abuse and will soon be banned worldwide !
What a shame someone always has to come along like this, when the asker has already had sensible and humane suggestions like the first 2,which I really agree with, patience with cats always pays off man.
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cat owner and ban declawing advocate
December 21st, 2009 at 4:43 am
You need a big scratching post and the patience to train your cat to it, just as the sensible answerers have already suggested.
Someone always has to come along who thinks amputating a cat’s toes and claws is the right thing to do. Sigh …it’s a last resort procedure for SERIOUS scratching problems,too many cats are mutilated by this uneccessary barbaric operation.These people should not have cats !
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have cats
December 21st, 2009 at 5:15 am
Buy a rattan rug and rattan cushions. When she scratches those, pet her and say good kitty! When she scratches elsewhere, grab her and put her on the rattan rug and show her to scratch that.
In addition, trim her nails every 2 weeks with a nail clipper. Just the pointed edge, not the pinkish thick part of the nail.
If none of these works, look at http://www.softpaws.com
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December 21st, 2009 at 5:31 am
Ok yes, a scratching post will help. BUT you can do something now that will divert the cats attention elsewhere. You can spray something on the corners of furniture that the cat scratches at. I use either vinegar or a diluted spray bottle of liquid lysol. They hate that smell. Cats don’t like foil either so you might come up with an idea for this… and Cat nip always helps direct attention to the more positive behaviors. A spray bottle of just water is not inhumane so I advise to use this as a behavior modification tool.
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December 21st, 2009 at 5:40 am
Eve,
Whatever you do do not declaw your kitty. Many folks will tell you it is perfectly fine and there are no problems connected with the procedure, but this cruel practice is exactly the same as if a surgeon amputated the first digit on all your fingers.
You have gotten some excellent suggestions from cat savy folks here! We have a 6 foot tall cat tree covered with sisal very close to our sofa, and our cats have learned to use this in preference to the sofa, actually. I think that exposing cats to these scratching devices at a young age is, of course, a lot easier than older cats, but it can be done with patience and consistency. Cats need scratching devices that permit their entire body to stretch out fully, as their claws help them in stretching their muscles after a nap. Cats do love to stretch.
Some cats go gaga over catnip. You can impregnate the post or tree with top grade catnip to entice her to use them.
Cats mark their territory with their paws. There are glands in the paws that leave their scent, so her scratching at the wall is leaving her "calling card" so to speak. You could try using a spray bottle with water when you catch her in the act, or you can shake a can with pebbles or coins making a horrible noise. This might be a deterrent for her. Additionally, there are some good scratching devices to hang on walls, which would give her an option that is of course, appropriate.
We had a kitty that enjoyed using our towels to scratch and stretch on. She ruined a bunch of towels until we put paper cups filled with water on top of the hanging towels. She was not a happy kitty being drenched each time she clawed at the towels, but she soon learned to avoid them totally.
Good luck with your kitty. I feel for you. Don’t give up. You can also try using soft paws, which are plastic coverings for the nails, easy to apply. That option will save your furniture and wallpaper and your kitty’s essesntial claws.
Troublesniffer
Owned by cats for over 40 years
Freelance writer/blogger for http://www.petside.com/the-sidewalk/
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