Three Steps to Getting a Cat to Stop Scratching the Furniture
Some cats are furniture diggers and some aren't.
And if you've ever had the back of a chair or the arms of a sofa reduced to fringe, you know the galactic-level frustration of having one that is.
Since scratching is an innate feline behavior, you're never going to put a complete stop to it.
But there are ways to get cats to answer this call of nature in a way that doesn't destroy your property.
Be clear on two things: one, you're never going to get a cat to stop scratching.
It's an innate behavior that serves a whole lot of feline purposes, from stretching to territorial marking.
And two, punishment (hitting, shouting, etc.
) is never, ever going to work.
Cats just don't understand or respond to punishment.
Trying to punish a cat out of undesirable behavior will almost certainly destroy your relationship with the cat, and may even exacerbate exactly the behavior you're trying to eradicate.
For those of us who refuse to even consider declawing, the key to happy co-existence with furniture diggers is to make them understand that the furniture is off limits for scratching.
Here are some ways to do that.
1.
Give the cat an alternative by setting up a scratching post.
There are lots of commercial scratching posts available, mostly some variation on a carpet-covered block.
The design particulars aren'tvery important, but the post should be tall enough to give the cat a good stretch (28" - 30" or so) and it must be heavy enough to remain upright when being scratched.
If it falls over on top of the cat every time he tries to use it (and yes, I once had one that did just that), it kind of defeats your purpose.
I've tried many types of scratching posts and without a doubt, the one that got the most action was a big, flat-bottomed section of a huge log, about two feet high and a foot and a half wide.
Put your new scratching post right in front of whatever it is the cat has been scratching.
Granted, a two-foot stump might not be exactly the perfect accent to your decor, but then neither is shredded upholstery.
If the cat really likes it, you can always gradually move it to a less conspicuous place.
If you meet with a lot of resistance, try rubbing it with catnip.
2.
Go on the defense by covering the area that's being scratched with a material cats don't like.
Wide smooth tape like postal strapping tape works well.
Duct tape works too, but it looks almost as bad as the scratched upholstery.
Or try covering the area with aluminum foil taped in place (looks REALLY awful, but can work wonders).
If none of those coverings work, try covering the area with double-sided tape.
Cats hate sticky surfaces.
3.
Go on the offensive.
If you can actually catch the cat in mid-dig,a quick shot with a water pistol or a spray bottle full of water is pretty effective.
So is blowing a whistle or banging a tin pan.
This is a tricky one, though, because point here is NOT to punish the cat, it's to make her associate scratching the furniture with something she isn't nuts about (water or loud noises).
And if you've ever had the back of a chair or the arms of a sofa reduced to fringe, you know the galactic-level frustration of having one that is.
Since scratching is an innate feline behavior, you're never going to put a complete stop to it.
But there are ways to get cats to answer this call of nature in a way that doesn't destroy your property.
Be clear on two things: one, you're never going to get a cat to stop scratching.
It's an innate behavior that serves a whole lot of feline purposes, from stretching to territorial marking.
And two, punishment (hitting, shouting, etc.
) is never, ever going to work.
Cats just don't understand or respond to punishment.
Trying to punish a cat out of undesirable behavior will almost certainly destroy your relationship with the cat, and may even exacerbate exactly the behavior you're trying to eradicate.
For those of us who refuse to even consider declawing, the key to happy co-existence with furniture diggers is to make them understand that the furniture is off limits for scratching.
Here are some ways to do that.
1.
Give the cat an alternative by setting up a scratching post.
There are lots of commercial scratching posts available, mostly some variation on a carpet-covered block.
The design particulars aren'tvery important, but the post should be tall enough to give the cat a good stretch (28" - 30" or so) and it must be heavy enough to remain upright when being scratched.
If it falls over on top of the cat every time he tries to use it (and yes, I once had one that did just that), it kind of defeats your purpose.
I've tried many types of scratching posts and without a doubt, the one that got the most action was a big, flat-bottomed section of a huge log, about two feet high and a foot and a half wide.
Put your new scratching post right in front of whatever it is the cat has been scratching.
Granted, a two-foot stump might not be exactly the perfect accent to your decor, but then neither is shredded upholstery.
If the cat really likes it, you can always gradually move it to a less conspicuous place.
If you meet with a lot of resistance, try rubbing it with catnip.
2.
Go on the defense by covering the area that's being scratched with a material cats don't like.
Wide smooth tape like postal strapping tape works well.
Duct tape works too, but it looks almost as bad as the scratched upholstery.
Or try covering the area with aluminum foil taped in place (looks REALLY awful, but can work wonders).
If none of those coverings work, try covering the area with double-sided tape.
Cats hate sticky surfaces.
3.
Go on the offensive.
If you can actually catch the cat in mid-dig,a quick shot with a water pistol or a spray bottle full of water is pretty effective.
So is blowing a whistle or banging a tin pan.
This is a tricky one, though, because point here is NOT to punish the cat, it's to make her associate scratching the furniture with something she isn't nuts about (water or loud noises).
Source...