How To Stop Your Cat Scratching And Ruining Your Furniture

It's natural for cats to scratch but often it destroys your good furniture. Thankfully there are some things that you can do to relieve the problem.

Many people watch in sadness as their cat destroys virtually everything that he can get his claws into.  You can improve this behavior.  To do so, you need to know why he is doing what he is doing.

Why Scratching?

Cats were hunters.  They needed those sharp teeth to help them to climb trees and to leap down on their prey.  Although your cat is not likely to be pouncing on their dinner anymore, they still instinctively need to sharpen their claws and that is exactly what they are doing on your furniture.  The scratching that they do is a way of trimming their nails and it removes the old outer part of the claws.  Another reason they are ruining your home is because they know it to be their territory.  They release a scent from special glands in their paws which helps them mark the area as theirs.  They also do it because they are working the kinks out of their body as well as burning some energy.

Before you head off to have him de-clawed, you may want to try out some of the alternative methods of preventing the scratching.

Alternatives

Scratching Pads or Posts

One way is to provide them with scratching pads or posts.  There are a wide variety of them available including those that are part of a cat condo.  You can even make your own by using two foot high section of a four by four, two foot by two foot piece of heavy plywood and a carpet remnant.  When you have one of these, take it and put it right next to his favorite piece of furniture to destroy.  Then, gradually move it away from the furniture as he gets accustomed to it.

Pet Repellant

You can also use a pet repellant spray such as Bitter Apple on the furniture that the pet is clawing at.  Take the time to test the spray on a non-visible area of the furniture before using it though. 

Or if you do not want to spray the furniture, then cover the material with aluminum foil or tape that is placed sticky side up.  The cat will not like the material and will turn to the scratching post instead. 

Self-Adhesive Furniture Protectors

The self adhesive furniture protector can cover your couch's armrest, both top and corner, to keep your cat away from the scratching. This will seamlessly become a part of your furniture to protect it and at the same time maintain style and comfort. Remember, your cat will still need a place next to the scratched furniture to sharp his claws, don't forget to provide him one!

Should I de-claw?

Some cats just can’t seem to stop, and thus, you may think declawing is the best option – but, please don’t! If your cat stays indoors, you can give them a trim and add nail caps; these are applied as false nails on  the cat’s nail.

Do not declaw your cat! Doing so is painful and mutilation; it's chopping off the tip of their paws!

Please try the nail caps on without glue first: They should fit like a glove!

I hope that some of these simple tips help you save your furniture from cat attack without stopping you cat from enjoying life.

If you have several cats or want a multiple-uses 100pcs package (for about 10 uses if you put them only on the front paws) in a mix of colors, click HERE to get a SUPER SPECIAL price :)