How to Prevent Your Cat From Scratching Your Furniture!
I think every cat owner at one point or another has had some piece of broken, ripped or shredded furniture. Whether it’s the sofa, curtains or the carpet, you definitely don’t want kitty ripping it up.
So how do you prevent your cat from scratching your furniture?
1) Firstly of course you need a scratching post. These should be introduced at a very early age but if your cat is a little older and still hasn’t used a scratching post then don’t fear, there is still time to train him to use it.
Simply place the post somewhere and take your cats paw and make scratching actions on the pole. Soon enough he or she will begin using it and hopefully stop using your furniture.
2) Spray some catnip on the scratching post. A lot of pet stores have liquid catnip in a spray, so you can spray it on the post to encourage them to use it!
There are tons of different scratching posts and cat gyms available today, some quiet expensive.
3) Cat Toys
Cat toys are a good distraction if your kitty is using your furniture too often. If your cat is a complete indoor cat (hopefully they should be kept indoor for their own safety) then you’ll need to keep her amused. That means buying some quality, fun toys for your cat.
4) If your cat continues to scratch your furniture you need to simply deter him from doing so. Many cats do not like the smell of citrus so placing this near the furniture can help. Or even some pet stores have a spray that you can use on your furniture which will prevent them from going there. It’s a smell that they can’t stand but you won’t notice either.
5) You can also make a loud noise or clap each time kitty jumps on the sofa or tears at the curtains. Over time she will learn that if she doesn’t want the loud noise, she shouldn’t touch that.
6) If your cat continues to scratch the furniture then I take out a new spray bottle ( you can find them at the dollar store) fill it up with water and spray them each time they scratch the furniture. That should be the last resort but it sometimes doesn’t work for cats that like water!
Most cats eventually grow out of being destructive in the house. They just need you to direct them not scold them.
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