One of the most common cat behavior problems that owners come across is that their cat scratching furniture. While it can be very frustrating to have a cat scratching your precious furniture (and leaving unsightly scratches) it is not the end of the world. With patience and persistence you can stop your cat from scratching your valuable possessions. The following are tips to helping you stop your cat from scratching furniture.
The first step to stop your cat from scratching furniture is to try and stop her from going towards the scratching post in the first place. The best way to prevent this is by keeping any tempting clutter, such as carpets, up out of reach of your cat. If you have a sofa, make sure you use a scratching post to stop her from clawing it. Cats will naturally avoid places where they can scratch as they are not good climbers. You should also use a clumping cat brush to keep any other potential sources of hair for her out of reach.
Another tip to stop your cats from clawing the furniture is to always supply them with something to climb on, but remember never to let them up. This can often lead to your cats climbing up onto the walls and scratching your expensive curtains or even leaving themselves open to the furniture, which would result in a potentially hazardous situation for both the cats and furniture. There are plenty of items you can supply for your cats that won't cause damage but will keep them off the furniture.
You can also help to stop your cat from scratching the furniture by using some simple cat scratcher solutions. The first one of these is a small rubber band found at any pet store or department store. Wrap the rubber band around one or more of your cat's claws and leave it in place for about 30 minutes. This should stop your cat from scratching the furniture. This remedy is a little drastic, but may help in stopping your cat's nails from being chewed.
There are some other simple cat scratcher methods that do not require any stretchy bands or rubber bands. One way of stopping your cat from scratching the couch is simply by moving the furniture around. If your cat keeps clawing the couch, simply move it to a different part of the house. This is a little more drastic than using a rubber band, but is easier on furniture that your cat has clawed before.
Some people have found success using a product like Cats Scratching Posts as a cat scratcher. These posts are a foot wide by twelve inches long. They include an area for each of your cat's claws and are about an inch high. Place the posts in your cats room and adjust the height so that they are level with the top of your furniture. These posts should keep your cat from scratching your couches every night for the next few months!