How to Prevent Your Cat from Scratching Your Furniture

Cats instinctively scratch, so trying to keep your cat from scratching will not work. But, there are ways that you can keep your furniture looking nice while giving your cat opportunities to scratch.

At about eight weeks of age, kittens begin scratching behavior. This is the best time to begin training the kitten on appropriate places to scratch, so the kitten won't grow up with undesirable behaviors.

Provide toys especially made for scratching to your cat. As there are several styles, you may need to try different ones until you find the one that your cat likes best. There are horizontal, vertical, and slanted versions along with various coverings such as sisal, cardboard, or carpet. If you have more than one cat, have more than one toy available, preferably of different styles to give your cats variety.

If your cat is still scratching your couch instead of the scratching toys, there are several things you can do to keep your cat from destroying your furniture. If possible, try shutting the door to the room with the couch. If this isn't feasible, put the scratching toy in front of the couch and attach one of your cat's toys to the scratching toy. You can also try placing cat treats or catnip on the scratching toy to persuade your cat to use the toy instead of your couch.

You can further discourage your cat from scratching the couch by covering it in foil, double-sided tape, sandpaper, or cat-repellant. If you catch your cat in the act, spray your cat with water or clap your hands to startle your cat and then encourage the cat to use the scratching toy instead.

Your cat's nails should be trimmed every two weeks since if the nails get too long, the cat will want to scratch more frequently. Declawing your cat could be done but since this actually involves partial amputation of your cat's toes and pain for your cat, you may wish to avoid this option.

Plastic nail covers are another option to consider. These nail covers are glued to the cat's nail after the nails are trimmed. When your cat is wearing nail covers, she is not able to damage your furniture or hand when she scratches.

It is possible to keep your furnishings looking nice and have pet cats at the same time. You just have to understand that cats will scratch something, and provide alternatives and proper nail care so that something isn't your prized couch.