How to Stop Cats from Scratching Furniture
Scratching in cats is inevitable and cannot be stopped. It is something that they do all their lives. It is a healthy and productive self-maintenance activity. What can be stopped is scratching furniture. As a homeowner, it can be annoying to find it sporting holes, rips, or tears caused by your mischievous cat. You, therefore, need to provide your cat with the appropriate outlets for this behavior to keep your cat healthy and furniture intact as well. You also need to understand why cats scratch before addressing this behavior. Before we look at how to stop cats from scratching furniture, let’s discuss the reasons why cats scratch. Shall we?
Reasons Why Cats Scratch:
- To Keep their Claws Healthy. A cat’s claws grow and renew constantly, and scratching encourages the outside husks of the claw to come away revealing new and sharper claws beneath. These husks can often be found embedded in or scattered around places that the cat likes to scratch.
- To Attract Attention. Most cats love to interact with people and scratching may be a way to get you to notice them.
- To Mark Their Territory. Scratching leaves visual and scent messages to other cats letting them know of your cat’s home. This could well be the reason if your cat is scratching near the door or cat flap. This helps them feel secure and relieves stress by putting their scent on things, making it feel like their home.
- Makes them Feel Good. Scratching helps the cat to exercise the muscles of the back and shoulders. This helps them to keep fit. Anyone who spends quality time with cats knows that they love a good scratch.
- Reduce Boredom. Cats sometimes scratch because they are bored which is especially common with ones that are not getting enough mental stimulation.
15 Simple Solutions: How to Stop Cats from Scratching Furniture
Now that you are aware that cat scratching is perfectly normal, here is what you can do to encourage positive scratching behavior and curb the destructive habit of scratching furniture:
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Locate Scratching Posts Strategically
One way of how to stop cats from scratching furniture is through scratching posts. Ensure that you place a scratching post and objects throughout your home in places that your furry friend already likes to relax or near items that she already scratches. This includes the arm of the sofa. It is also a good idea to place it near sleeping spots as most cats enjoy a good scratch and stretch once they wake up. If your cat seems not to be interested in the scratching post then you might want to consider an option with a dangling toy to encourage them to investigate it or add some catnip.
Related Post: Best Catnip Toys.
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Prevent Boredom Scratching
Consider buying some cat or kitten toys for cats that scratch furniture out of boredom or lack of exercise and make sure that you schedule in some much-needed playtime together with your feline. There are a lot of cat toys available from electronic mice to teasers hence there is always an option that your cat will love.
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Stop Repeat Offenders
Ensure that you clean the object in question thoroughly in case you are wondering how to stop cats from scratching furniture over and over again. This helps to remove scent markings thoroughly since cats are more likely to scratch areas when they can smell their scent fading. You can use a mild, non-toxic solution that is ideal for the area and then ensure that you keep your four-legged friend away from the area until it is dry.
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Provide Alternative Scratching Surfaces
This includes cat scratching boards that are readily available in all pet shops and online pet stores. They are made of wood or heavy-duty cardboard and are covered in a material like a sisal string or wood bark. There are also horizontal scratching boards available and are usually made from compressed layers of corrugated cardboard. Some scratching surfaces are quite flimsy; however, the larger sturdier models are big enough for your feline to stand on and scratch simultaneously without moving around. Scratching surfaces are a sure way of how to stop cats from scratching furniture.
See Also: Best Cat Scratching Posts.
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Use Multi-level Pieces of Cat Furniture
This kind of furniture allows your kitty to climb, scratch, perch, and nap on raised beds that form part of the structure. Cat furniture with multiple climbing levels will be an effective strategy if you are wondering how to stop cats from scratching furniture.
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Use Treats a way of Encouraging a New Scratching Outlet
In case you have been encouraging your cat to use the new scratching post gently and patiently but it seems uninterested, try using tempting treats. Place treats on top of the post and gives your kitty a lot of attention when it finds the treat. Then try blocking off the old scratching points and by doing so, your cat will learn to love the new post over furniture that is previously used to scratch.
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Help the Cat Feel More Secure
Your cat may be feeling insecure in its territory if it is scratching near the door, window, or cat flap. To help your feline feel less stressed means that you need to do several things such as install a cat flap which refers to a microchip activated object that prevents entry by other cats and is meant to give your cat better access to its outdoor territory. Secondly, you can make your home smaller by restricting access to several rooms that are non-essential for the cat. This helps the cat to gradually become comfortable in the main rooms such as the kitchen, living room, and hallway. Thirdly, you can create sitting platforms in high places so that your cat surveys its territory from on high and feel more confident that your home is intruder free. Fourthly, help your cat scent mark the house by rubbing the cat’s cheek with a cloth to collect some of his scents, and then rub the cloth around the house. This helps the cat to feel more relaxed in her territory. Lastly, do not punish or shout at your cat for scratching as it may lead to elevated stress levels.
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Take Time to Play with and Exercise with Your Cat
Most cats love attention from their owners but are not always certain of the best way to attract it. Ignoring the cat may result in scratching furniture. It is therefore important to spend more time playing with your cat and providing them with toys to help reduce the scratching problem. Nonetheless, giving ample praise and attention to your cat when she uses the appropriate scratching post goes a long way in moderating the behavior.
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Use Cat Scratch Spray
Wondering how to stop cats from scratching furniture? Look no further than the cat scratch sprays. The cat scratch spray tricks your kitty into thinking that it has marked its territory and hence discouraging inappropriate scratching. The cat scratch sprays can be purchased or home-made using ingredients such as vinegar, essential citrus oils, garlic, or peppermint.
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Use Cat Scratch Tape
Another sure way of discouraging scratching behavior is the use of a cat scratch tape. A cat scratch tape is a double-sided sticky tape that comes in panels or rolls like regular tape. The scratch is very useful in discouraging scratching behavior in cats. To use the tape, you can be stick is where you need it and remove it afterward. Since cats dislike the feeling of stickiness on their paws the tape discourages them from scratching.
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Protect your Furniture with Vinyl Guards
These panels come in various sizes and have screw pins that make them extremely easy to install on the furniture where your cat wants to scratch.
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Try Socks or Nail Caps
Still not sure how to stop cats from scratching furniture? Well, you can try cat socks to prevent scratching. They work well for some cats, but some get frustrated and keep removing them. If your cat falls in this category, try soft nail caps that glue onto the cat’s claws. This limits the damage if your furry friend decides to scratch where it shouldn’t.
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Use your Tone of Voice to Correct Their Behavior
A NO whenever your cat gets its claws anywhere near a piece of furniture, can help reduce his interest in clawing it. However, the method may not be very effective because the cat may want to scratch whenever you are not around.
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Use Water to Stop the Behavior
How to stop cats from scratching furniture; some pet owners use water to discourage the behavior. You could try squirting your cat whenever they go near the furniture and begin scratching it if you have a spray bottle of water. This helps the cat to associate scratching that piece of furniture with a spritz of water that is less than pleasant. A citrus oil mix can also be used to deter the cat. Some cats are repelled by the scent of orange oil. Using this not only prevents your cat from scratching on furniture but also gives your house a pleasant and fragrant odor as well.
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Redirect Your Cat’s Attention
Sometimes you simply need to physically stop the kitty from scratching. Remove her from where she is scratching and offer them something else to do. You can provide a toy to play with or do whatever they enjoy more than scratching.
You may also like Best Cat Window Perches & Seats.
Conclusion
Scratching is a natural behavior for cats and should not be outlawed. Your cat can find a better way to exercise this natural behavior on their designated scratching area instead of scratching and destroying furniture. To achieve this, the cat needs proper persuasion and encouragement. And to stop your beloved cat from destroying your precious furniture, all you have to do is do the things mentioned above and it will save you the stress and worry.
See Also: Why Does My Cat Stare at Me?