Your Cat Scratching Your Furniture Is a Problem – How to Stop It?

You have an adorable kitty playing around the house giving you company. How lovely! Isn’t it?  Then, are you also aware of this scenario at home? On a fine sunny morning, you walk into your living room with a cup of tea and fresh cakes right from the kitchen and see what! You were just about to settle with a steaming cup of tea, cakes, and the morning newspaper to find that your couch was speckled with unsightly claw marks on either side of the furniture. While you were asleep during the night, your cat added those extra nail marks to your favorite couch. 

It’s unfortunate but it’s only your cute little bundle of fur you love so much. You will not like to shout at your pet. And so according to an article published in Huffington Post, place suitable scratching surfaces around the house perfect for your kitty to protect your expensive sofa. 

Your guests are arriving in a week and you have your favorite furniture damaged. Fret not. There are many ways to train your cat so that she doesn’t scratch your sofa, table, or chair and create a wrong impression on your guests. Here are some ways you can do away with the scratching habit of your kitty:

Preventing your cat from scratching expensive furniture

Though you love your cat and pamper her, you will not like it to damage your plush living room couch or other furniture. If your feline friend is scratching too much, there are some ways to deal with the problem. Here is how: 

Place the scratching posts strategically: Set up the scratching posts in spots where your kitty prefers to take a nap or play. These are places close to the living room or spots close to the windows. Your feline companion loves to scratch and stretch after a long nap and so, you need to set up scratchers near the cat’s sleeping spot. You must also place a scratching post close to the furniture your cat loves to scratch. Make sure all scratchers are placed in visible places where your kitty uses them to identify its territory. This is more important if you have more than one cat and even a dog around the house. 

Keep toys and scratchers handy: Keep at least a single toy or scratcher that your kitty will love to scratch. Choose scratchers that are stable, strong, and have a reasonable height for the cat to stretch its legs while she is standing. Cover a post or scratcher with materials like sisal to encourage your kitty to stretch and scratch. It’s important because if the scratcher or post does not have a better surface, your kitty will ignore the same and start scratching your couch or furnishings again. 

Motivate your kitty to scratch the long posts: You can sprinkle catnip or for that matter spray some honeysuckle on the scratching posts. It will entice your cat making her more eager to scratch the posts and not the furniture. You can also try playing with a stick toy close to a post and putting the wand near the post. It will make your furry companion find the post and scratch it. 

Discourage your pet from scratching furniture: You can dishearten your kitty by simply tucking some sheet around the scratched part to prevent your pet from reaching the same. Try using double-sided tape or Aluminum foil to cover that area. You may also spray your couch or other furniture with a citrus fragrance because cats hate such a smell. 

Maintain the kitty’s claws: You can control the scratching habit of your cat by grooming or maintaining its claws. When you don’t groom its claws, they can develop into the pet’s paw pad, resulting in pain and a few times infections. So, clip the pet’s claws each week so that they don’t overgrow. Be patient and caring when you clip your cat’s nails. Try to distract her with something so that your cat doesn’t feel intimidated when you’re clipping the nails. 

Trim your cat’s nails when it’s young: Start trimming your kitten’s nails before it grows into an adult cat. This way, your pet will get accustomed to the grooming session and accept the nail-clipping process. 

Clip the nails when your cat is asleep: Why not clip your cat’s nails, one to three at a time when she is taking a nap? It will cause no stress. Be quiet and patient. If your kitty wakes up and pulls away her paws that is fine. Keep in mind that cats take naps many times a day and so you’ll get another opportunity to groom your feline friend again. Try this technique and you can trim the cat’s nails with ease without hurting your little kitty. 

Use sharp trimmers: Always use sharp nail trimmers because blunt ones will break and splinter your cat’s nails. 

Be slow and avoid rushing: Your cat’s paws are the most sensitive and so, she can feel conscious and refuse to be groomed. Keep your calm and clip the nails without making the task too difficult. If your kitty is too sensitive, warm her up to the trimming session. When she feels relaxed, touch one of its paws, gently push on its pads, extend a claw, and praise her all the time. One minute or two is a good time to clip your kitty’s nails. Once your cat feels comfortable with the process, start clipping the nails. Initially, try clipping one to two nails a session. Make your cat feel comfortable and when a connection is built, praise your pet for cooperating. 

Distract your cat with a loud noise: When you see your cat scratching furniture too much on things that it shouldn’t, distract her by making a loud noise and guide your pet to the scratcher or post. Provide some support when your kitty scratches a post with cat treats or catnip.