Is your couch or your table legs looking a little worse for wear?
It goes without saying that we all love our pets unconditionally. However, many of us don’t appreciate it when our feline friends destroy our beloved furniture.
Even if you have equipped your home with cat toys, cat caves, scratching posts and cardboard scratching houses, even the most spoilt of cats will attack the furniture.
Dr Jo Righetti is an Animal Behaviourist and Purina One Ambassador, and she has the inside scoop on how you can stop your cat or kitten from scratching your furniture.
Why do cats scratch?
“Before you can train your cat to stop scratching your furniture, it’s important to understand why they do in the first place,” says Jo. While some cats are doing it to vie for attention, most are simply using your couch or table legs as a way to fulfil bodily needs. This includes:
- To stretch: Scratching allows for cats to stretch and strengthen their muscles and tendons throughout the body.
- To maintain claw health: Scratching sheds the exterior nail husk and keeps cat claws healthy.
- To mark their territory: A feline’s paw contains scent glands and scratching things helps them mark their territory and is a natural method of communication for cats. Marking territory relaxes your cat and decreases the desire to perform other unwanted behaviors in your home.
- It feels good: Who doesn’t love a good scratch, it feels great and relieves stress and anxiety in cats!
- To get attention: Some cats quickly learn that scratching gets their owners interacting with them. Even a negative interaction is worth it for some attention-loving felines.
5 ways to get your cat to stop scratching the furniture
1. Pick the perfect cat scratching posts
Of course, the most obvious was to divert cats from scratching up your couch is by purchasing a dedicated post for them to ruin as they please.
According to Jo, picking the perfect post comes down to a couple of features, “Make sure the scratching post is strong, sturdy, tall and covered in a material that cats love to scratch.” Materials that are good for scratching should be coarse and feel nice on a cat’s claws. You could easily choose a piece of furniture that has been torn up by your feline friend and mimic it’s material make up!
Jo explains that “you may need to experiment a little with scratching fabrics to find your cat’s favourite.” Sisal rope, cardboards or even carpet material works great for cat scratching. Using varying angles and access points will also provide the ideal stimulation needed.
Finally, Jo recommends “using catnip or honeysuckle to spark your cat’s interest in the new scratching post and take them to their post when the wake up and are most likely to scratch.”
2. Put the scratching post in a strategic location
Jo explains that having the perfect post doesn’t guarantee your cat will want to use it, especially if it’s in a location that they don’t often go to.
“Choosing a place your cat already loves to hang out, such as in the living room or near windows, will encourage cats to use the post. Choosing a central location rather than an unused corner will prompt the cat to use the post.”
Cats love stretching out and moving their joints when waking up, so Jo says that “strategically placing a post near your feline’s sleeping area is a great idea.”
If your pet has a penchant for a certain section of your couch, or a specific table leg, placing your new scratching post in front of this area will encourage positive scratching behaviour. Using rewards when they scratch the post, or even simply investigate it will promote use as well.
3. Make your furniture unattractive for scratching
If your scratching post is being used, but your couch and carpet are still getting the brunt of your kitten’s clawing, then making your furniture unappealing is the next step.
Jo highlights three different ways to make your furniture as unattractive as possible:
- “Spraying the surface with a citrus scented spray as cats have a natural aversion to citrus odours.”
- “Tucking a sheet around the scratched area so your cat can’t continue scratching. Using throw rugs over sofas helps protect your furniture too.”
- “Use double-sided tape or aluminium foil on the furniture for a period of time, as it’s uncomfortable for cats.”
4. Schedule play sessions daily
If boredom is the main reason your cat is scratching, then you must stimulate their mind!
Jo explains that, “If your cat is bored or has no way to relieve stress, then they become more prone to scratching. Allocating time each day to play with your cat and incorporating new and exciting toys is an important step to discourage scratching.”
5. Dull your cat’s claws to reduce damage
Maintaining your cat’s claws is not only an important aspect of keeping up their health, but it also leaves your furniture without any scratches in it. That’s definitely a win-win situation to us! Jo recommends using “cat friendly and veterinary-quality clipper, gently squeezing each paw to expose the claws. If your cat resists, try wrapping them in a soft towel for safe handling.”
If your cat is squirmy or generally difficult when it comes to clipping, a visit to see the vet is the next best thing.
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