How to stop cats from scratching furniture? Cat scratching is a vital habit to cat health, to sharpen and renew their claws, once you have a cat, you should accept that they’re going to scratch everywhere even when you’ve already provided them with tools and toys.
To stop the cats from scratching the furniture, you must provide them with an attractive alternative, and also to discourage them from scratching on unwanted surfaces and furniture.
Providing Attractive Scratching Alternative
Offer a scratching post, then attract the cats by catnip. This is the important key to attract cat attention. Please keep in mind that cats have preferences, so you should offer lots of scratching post options, both vertical and horizontal, in the kitchen near the window and also in the bedroom. Some cats like to scratch fabrics or sisal materials, while others like cardboard.
You should also make the scratching session fun, as definitely you should use catnip spray, to entice your cat to explore it. You also should engage the cats with toys by this spray.
Discourage The Scratching on Unwanted Furniture
If possible, you could take away that piece of furniture, or cover them with aluminum foil and double-sided tape. Cats hate these materials.
Use ‘go-away’ spray, including cat-safe citrus sprays or apple cider vinegar (diluted with water) to make objects unattractive to them. But still, some cats have special habits and love these scents, so you should test the smell with them in a small area first.
Say ‘No’ loud and clear
When they start to scratch, gently redirect them to their mess, point at it and say ‘No’. then reward them with treats or petting, as this is the best way to train them not to mess with unwanted area, by your will.
Don’t punish your cats if they scratched on wrong places
Punishing your cats just make them scare, and feel even more anxious when being around you.
You should reward them of the behaviours you want them to do, for example: If they’re scratching on the posts, you could quickly give them a treat, so slowly they would ‘forget’ their old spot, and move to your posts.
Don’t declaw your cats
Honestly, it’s used to be a trend in 90s, this procedure is very cruel honestly, as it involves amputating the knuckle from the end of the paws, as it could cause pain permanently.
This is not benefiting your cat, because:
- Your cats will easily fail when climbing, as they don’t have their claws to hold their body.
- Scratching is normally, and natural to cat behaviours, so you don’t want to prevent your cats to get rid of their usual habits.
Cutting cat nails regularly
You should cut cutting cat nails regularly to minimize potential damage to the cat, and also your furniture.
🎉 Check out: Cutting cat nails correctly
Takeaways
Overall, you should find the stress factor, if you cats increasingly like to scratch more often, as it might be that your cats are feeling stressed because of environmental changes or having new pets.
You also should start training your kittens when they’re very young, as it’s easier to navigate their behaviours at younger ages.
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