Cat Training - How to Stop Your Cat From Scratching Your Furniture
If you have a cat then you will probably come up against a problem that has been faced by many a cat owner before you and that is: your cat is scratching your furniture and in the process, making a really good job of defacing it and destroying it.
If you are having this problem then I imagine your nerves are shredded just like your sofa! And it seems no matter what you do to your cat or how much you tell off your cat that it doesn't make any difference.
And why should it as don't forget this is a cat you are dealing with.
Remember first though that scratching is an entirely natural behaviour for cats and is done for four main reasons:
To handle the issue of your cat scratching your furniture, your strategy will have to exclude the option of stopping your cat scratching and instead focus on training your cat to scratch elsewhere.
We can do this by a mixture of making the furniture undesirable to scratch and providing more desirable places to scratch.
Before I go any further though I need to say this one thing.
Don't ever punish your cat for scratching your furniture.
The reason is that your cat is doing what comes naturally and won't understand why you are punishing it.
It will only know that sometimes, for some reason, you will treat it badly and this can lead to insecurity in the cat which may lead the cat to scratch more or develop other unwanted behaviors.
Let's look at providing more desirable places to scratch.
The best option is scratching posts.
These need to at least 28 inches tall for your cat to fully stretch its body and be very stable with a large base.
If the post is not stable then the risk is that it will topple over when the cat first tries to use it and if that happens then the cat will not use it again.
The post needs to be covered in a rough material that the cat can shred to bits.
A post covered with sisal textile material is a good example.
The post themselves are best placed where the cat spends most of its time, not hidden away in a corner somewhere.
It would also be a good idea to have an additional post near where the cat sleeps as cats like to scratch when they awaken.
When you first put the post in position then follow it up by playing with your cat near the post.
You may find that rubbing the post with material with catnip will entice your cat but this may not work for every cat.
Try scratching your own nails along the post surface to attract your cat and teach it where to scratch.
When the cat does start scratching then praise it and give it a food treat.
If your cat has been scratching an area of carpet then try covering the area with another, smaller piece of carpet but turn it over to show the reverse side so that a satisfactory resistant texture is provided for scratching.
The smaller carpet must be stationary so secure it in place with duct tape.
If your cat is reluctant to give up the old scratching areas then you can take steps to make these places less desirable to scratch.
Try covering the furniture with double sided tape or aluminium foil.
These materials don't provide a texture that feels good to scratch so are good for discouraging scratching.
As I mentioned earlier, scratching is a way for your cat to mark its territory with scent so you will need to remove the cats scent from the affected furniture.
Try pet odor removers available from pet shops and supermarkets.
Cats have an aversion to citrus odors so try lemon scented spray to make the furniture less desirable.
If the scratching persists then try squirting the cat with a small water spray/pistol or using a loud whistle.
With these options you need to be present when the scratching occurs to establish an aversion to the area you don't want the cat to scratch.
If you are having this problem then I imagine your nerves are shredded just like your sofa! And it seems no matter what you do to your cat or how much you tell off your cat that it doesn't make any difference.
And why should it as don't forget this is a cat you are dealing with.
Remember first though that scratching is an entirely natural behaviour for cats and is done for four main reasons:
- Territory marking: this is a way for your cat to use scratching as a way of marking their province by visible marking i.
e.
the scratches, but also through scent which is deposited through scent glands on the cats paws - To keep their nails clean and healthy
- Exercise: Scratching allows your cat to stretch, pull and work its front quarter muscles
- Pleasure: It's an emotional release and your cat just likes to do it!
To handle the issue of your cat scratching your furniture, your strategy will have to exclude the option of stopping your cat scratching and instead focus on training your cat to scratch elsewhere.
We can do this by a mixture of making the furniture undesirable to scratch and providing more desirable places to scratch.
Before I go any further though I need to say this one thing.
Don't ever punish your cat for scratching your furniture.
The reason is that your cat is doing what comes naturally and won't understand why you are punishing it.
It will only know that sometimes, for some reason, you will treat it badly and this can lead to insecurity in the cat which may lead the cat to scratch more or develop other unwanted behaviors.
Let's look at providing more desirable places to scratch.
The best option is scratching posts.
These need to at least 28 inches tall for your cat to fully stretch its body and be very stable with a large base.
If the post is not stable then the risk is that it will topple over when the cat first tries to use it and if that happens then the cat will not use it again.
The post needs to be covered in a rough material that the cat can shred to bits.
A post covered with sisal textile material is a good example.
The post themselves are best placed where the cat spends most of its time, not hidden away in a corner somewhere.
It would also be a good idea to have an additional post near where the cat sleeps as cats like to scratch when they awaken.
When you first put the post in position then follow it up by playing with your cat near the post.
You may find that rubbing the post with material with catnip will entice your cat but this may not work for every cat.
Try scratching your own nails along the post surface to attract your cat and teach it where to scratch.
When the cat does start scratching then praise it and give it a food treat.
If your cat has been scratching an area of carpet then try covering the area with another, smaller piece of carpet but turn it over to show the reverse side so that a satisfactory resistant texture is provided for scratching.
The smaller carpet must be stationary so secure it in place with duct tape.
If your cat is reluctant to give up the old scratching areas then you can take steps to make these places less desirable to scratch.
Try covering the furniture with double sided tape or aluminium foil.
These materials don't provide a texture that feels good to scratch so are good for discouraging scratching.
As I mentioned earlier, scratching is a way for your cat to mark its territory with scent so you will need to remove the cats scent from the affected furniture.
Try pet odor removers available from pet shops and supermarkets.
Cats have an aversion to citrus odors so try lemon scented spray to make the furniture less desirable.
If the scratching persists then try squirting the cat with a small water spray/pistol or using a loud whistle.
With these options you need to be present when the scratching occurs to establish an aversion to the area you don't want the cat to scratch.
