How to stop cat from scratching furniture?

Dogs chew up things, and cats scratch things. It’s their nature. Most of us know this before we get them as pets. However, the reality strikes when we find ourselves at the receiving end.

When our favourite and expensive things are destroyed, we find ourselves pulling our hairs to find a way out.

Luckily, there are many. That’s what we are going to learn in this article. But before we do so, let’s understand the problem from a cat’s perspective. Why do cats need to scratch after all?

Table of Contents

• Why do cats scratch things?
• How to reduce the damage done by cat scratching?
• Do all cats scratch furniture?

Why do cats scratch things?

Scratching behaviour in cats is a necessity. It’s not an optional behaviour, or a behavioural tic. They do so because of the following reasons:

• It helps them gain upper body strength. So, it’s kind of an exercise for them. Imagine a boxer punching a punch bag!
• Cats do so to polish their claws.
• Cats are territorial (just like lions, tigers, etc). And this is how they mark their territory.
• Pet cats mostly scratch things that have your scent, e.g. your couch and your bed. They like to add on their scent to those places where you spend most of your time.
• Cats are playful creatures. So, many a times they may do so just for fun. That’s reason enough, isn’t it?

Note

Many animals have to do a certain set of repeated actions, especially while growing up. Cats scratch, dogs chew, mice bite, etc.

How to reduce the damage done by cat scratching?

Well, you can not totally stop cat from scratching things. But we may do the following:

• Subdue the inherent trait of scratching in cats a little bit, i.e. minimize the scratching instances. This can be done to some extent through training.
• Teach them where to scratch, and where not to scratch. If you are telling them, where not to scratch, then you must supplement that teaching by telling them where to scratch.
• Reduce the damage done by cats via scratching.

Trim cat nails

We can trim cat nails, and thus blunt their notorious weapons. This can be done by using cat nail trimmers, or even the trimmers that we use. Do so once every month or in two months.

But be careful not to hurt them. Just take out the sharp tip. No need to go near the place where the red meets the white part of the nail.

If you often play with your cat, and she’s very comfortable with your touch and trusts you, then she will not throw many tantrums while you do so. Nevertheless, it will be a good idea to do so, when they are having a lazy moment and are not restive.

If you cannot get all of their nails in one go, it’s ok. Just do it in multiple sittings, 2-3 nails at a time.

If you are not comfortable doing it, then you may delegate this task to a cat groomer or your vet.

Declawing - A savage practice

Declawing a cat is a cruel, painful, savage practice. It involves removal of bones, and can lead to a lot of blood loss and even infections, etc. We strongly discourage it. If someone is too touchy regarding a bit of scratching here and there, then it would be a good idea to keep the cat in a separate accommodation (like a guest house), or not get a cat at all.

Moreover, why opt for declawing when there are other methods, that may work better. Scratching is a behavioural problem, and should be treated that way. Declawing would only end up cropping up anger and other emotional issues in your cat.

If it’s absolutely essential that your cat shouldn’t scratch at all, may be because someone in your family has auto-immune disease, or because of the arrival of small kids, then you may use options like “Soft Paws”, that are essentially caps that can be placed on the nails of the cats. However, they will pop off in a month or so, as the nails grow. Then you will have to trim the nails, and place these soft paws again. Anyways, use this option only as a last resort. Your cats won’t like this.

Provide scratching alternatives

Stopping cats’ scratching behaviour altogether would rather be an ambitious goal. However, we can divert their behaviour.

If you want them to stop scratching your furniture and bed, then do provide them alternatives where it’s ok to scratch. So, you can provide them things like scratching pads, posts, and lounge. They come in various shapes and sizes. You may have to do a little research on what your cat likes more.

Train them to scratch appropriate places and things. Hold their claws and slowly show them where they can scratch. Do it with care, so as not to hurt them unintentionally.

This can be done even faster by providing them positive reinforcement whenever they showcase right kind of behaviour, e.g. by petting them, giving them treats, etc.

Note

Scratching post must be:

• stable enough, so that when a cat stands and tries to scratch it, it doesn’t wobble or fall over. Your cat probably won’t use it if that’s the case.

• covered with a material that your cat likes to scratch. You will have to find that out, whether your cat prefers Corrugated Cardboard, or Sisal Rope, or Carpeting, or Natural Wood, etc.

• easily accessible, where your cat likes to scratch. You may place multiple scratching posts in various rooms of your house. Afterall, cats roam around a lot, from one room to another. For example, you may place one near their litter box. Some cats like to clean themselves after using the litter box.

There are also some Cat Trees available in the market, that not only provide a good place for your cats to scratch, but also keeps them active and playful. If your cat is avoiding a cat tree, then try putting up some toys and maybe spread some food items on the cat tree. You may also add a rope. Cats like hanging on to ropes and stretch their bodies.

Use Furniture protective gear

There are many types of furniture protective gears available in the market today. We will list down a few that are pretty effective against cat scratching behaviour.

Sticky Paws

Sticky paws are a type of two-sided tapes. You can cover the part of furniture that you want to protect with sticky paws. It won’t damage your furniture. But when a cat will scratch it, it will stick to their paws. Believe me, cats don’t like things sticking to their paws!

But make sure that there is a scratching post just nearby, so that they may get all the scratching out of their system there. If you will cover everything with sticky paws, and not provide them any alternatives, then they will find some alternative on their own.

Vinyl Carpet Runner

Vinyl Carpet Runner has a prickly feeling and cats generally don’t like walking on these. So, you may safeguard your carpets and bed sheets using this option.

Do all cats scratch furniture?

Yes, almost all cats scratch things, including furniture. That’s a short answer, but that’s the truth. Period.

So, you may drop your search of some elusive non-scratching kind of cat. However, if you can somehow manage to find such a cat, let us know in the comment section below.