How to Stop Your Cat From Scratching Furniture

Cats can be fantastic pets, but not when they are scratching and destroying your furniture. However, they do need to sharpen their claws. Here is how to stop the cat from scratching the furniture.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. First accept the fact that you can not stop the cat from scratching. In nature they use claws to hum and in captivity they scratch to keep the claws sharp, remove the sheath that grows over the claws, keep them from overgrowing, stretch, and mark territory.

2. Now get an alternative for the cat. You can purchase a scratch post or get carpet and a nail gun and long post and make your own scratching post for a fraction of the cost. You also can get a scratch box these are cardboard boxes with catnip that sit on the floor. Often they will last approximately 5 months, although the duration of the lifetime depends on how much your cat scratches.

3. Now place the cat scratch post or box in a area near where they are scratching furniture. You may need multiple scratch boxes/posts if they are scratching in several areas.

4. Now wait and see what the cat does. When the cat scratches furniture say no in a firm tone and pick him up and move him to the scratching post or box and move his pays to simulate scratching. Then praise him and give him a treat. You are going to have to be attentive and repeat this until the cat learns (usually less than 4 days).

Tips & Warnings

• You might consider using some of the several scent products available to spray on furniture to further train the cat not to scratch furniture.

[sonni57]

on 4/17/2009 Thanks for the good info on how to get the cat from scratching furniture.

[AmyRose]

on 4/1/2009 Good step by step on how to get cats to stop scratching furniture. It was especially nice to have at least an estimate (knowing all cats are different) on how long it might take. 5*