It’s quiet in your house — too quiet. You hear a horrible tearing sound, then a flash of lightning discloses the fluffy assailant and fresh gash on your sofa. How To Stop Cats From Scratching Furniture.
Scratching keeps your cat’s nails healthy and helps them communicate. But you can give them a good place to express themselves than your brand new sofa.
If you have a cat that keeps scratching your furniture, you are probably wondering how to stop it, so we’ve put together this handy guide to help you prevent your cat from destroying your couch! Continue reading for more details.
Introduce lots of furniture that won’t scratch
Instead of covering up all of the surfaces in your house in hopes that they will be ignored, introduce healthy scratch magnets throughout. Cat trees, scratching posts, and cat condos are great options (be sure to use both horizontal and vertical surfaces). You may have to try several different types, materials, and sizes to see what your cat likes the most.
Use positive reinforcement
If you want to train your cat, not to scratch furniture, positive reinforcement can help. Clicker trains them to the appropriate surfaces, such as the new scratching post. Use pheromones or catnip on the surfaces you really want to get scratched to further encourage them.
Stop Cats From Scratching Furniture
Make all interactions fun and exciting with the appropriate scratching surfaces. You can do this by using a toy wand, laser pointer, or anything else that seems to get your cat’s attention. Once you get your cat to engage with the surface, its scent will be imprinted on it. How To Stop Cats From Scratching Furniture.
Keep their claws cut, covered, tidy, and trimmed
- Trim and cut their nails regularly.
- Use cat’s claw covers on your paws to protect your furniture.
- Thoroughly clean unwanted surfaces that have been scratched with an enzymatic cleaner and odor remover.
- Apply specially designed aluminum foil, sticky tapes, and other materials your cat doesn’t want to hear or touch.