10 Best Ways To Keep Your Cat From Scratching Furniture
Pets have yet to learn how expensive furniture is. Whenever they see nubby threads or an attractive fabric, they immediately think it’s a cat toy. Given the opportunity, they’ll turn all your furniture into scratching toys. A forum member asked for tips from an online community to prevent this. Here’s their contribution.
Sometimes, protecting your furniture can be as simple as providing plenty of designated scratching posts and pads throughout your home, enticing your feline friend to use them instead of your cherished upholstery.
1. Negative and Positive Reinforcement
Cats are brilliant and clever at linking cause and effect. A commenter says you can teach your cat to only scratch the scratching post by offering him treats. He’ll soon realize that scratching the post earns him a treat while scratching furniture doesn’t.
You can use a spray bottle to squirt water for negative reinforcement. The sudden water spritzes irritate cats but do not hurt them. They’ll associate the negative experience with furniture scratching. This will motivate them to stop.
2. Redirection and Replacement
Cats scratch as a way of marking their territory. Several cat owners agree that the best solution is to redirect this habit. This is by placing scratching toys like a post next to their favorite scratching spots. Observe if the post’s location is convenient and move it an inch or two after some time. You can also cover their scratching areas with a fleece blanket, cushion, or drape. Cats love locations that smell like them.
3. Use Smells
There are specific smells that cats don’t like. Somebody recommends putting vinegar water in a spritz bottle and spraying it on your cat’s scratching spots. You don’t need to spray a lot and can play around with cleaning products to find out which put your cat off your furniture.
4. Buy Cheap Furniture
According to a responder, you must decide if your furniture is just for humans alone or cats and humans. They pay the same price for a large cat tree and a sofa. The best solution for them is to let their cats make kitty-sized divots on the cushions as they sit on them. After a while, they get another cheap sofa instead of worrying about restoring the worn-out one. It’s a win-win for everyone.
5. Get a Ssscat
Wouldn’t getting a device that does all the work for you be great? One person suggests getting a Ssscat, a motion-activated unscented spray that blasts air whenever your cat gets close to off-limit areas. You do not need to monitor your cat constantly; your cat will not know how this is happening. This maintains a better relationship between you and your cats while rescuing your furniture from scratches.
6. Scratching Deterrent
An individual advises looking online for cats scratching deterrents. It’s a piece of plastic that sticks to the couch’s surface. Cats do not like scratching on it, so it discourages them from shredding your furniture. Since it’s not very visible, it’ll not mess up your aesthetic.
7. Clip Your Cat’s Claws
Long nails can be uncomfortable and hard to function with for human beings. This is the same situation for cats. One owner shares that there is a routine to cut your cat’s claws; you don’t ambush them with a clipper.
Play with them for twenty to thirty minutes, then feed them a huge meal. This will make them sleepy, and you’ll let them lay on your lap as you massage their paws.
Hold their feet and start clipping on dry spaghetti noodles. This will get your cat comfortable with the clipping sound. If you feel they’re comfortable enough, you can move to clip their claws.
8. Double-Sided Tape
Applying double-sided tape on areas you don’t want your cat to scratch works wonders. Many admit that cats hate the feel of double-sided tape and will not scratch your furniture even after removing it, as they assume the spot still feels yucky.
9. Get the Right Scratching Post
One adds that cat owners need to analyze their cat’s scratching posts. Most of them are too short for the cat to stretch on fully. A good scratching post should have a minimum height of three to four feet. The texture is also important; some cats prefer sisal material, while others like the carpet feel.
10. Get Cat Furniture
Finally, a user writes that cat condos are a great alternative to your expensive furniture. A cat condo mimics the surfaces found in nature, which is great for cat scratching. It’ll keep your cat entertained and away from your furniture.
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Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
