Cats clawing my furniture

[Katharine]

How do I stop my cats clawing the sides of my new sofa?

[ravenhair]

If you're very lucky, buying a scratching post should give them something other than the sofa to scratch at. However, I'm afraid to report that my cat has resisted every attempt to get her to scratch at anything else and has practically destroyed one arm of the sofa, which now has to be covered up with a throw until we can afford to get a new one (sofa, that is, not cat, although God knows I'm tempted . . . ).

[skelly]

I've heard, although never seen them, that you can get covers/gloves for your cat to wear. This stops them from clawing at the furniture. They are only suitable if your cat is kept inside all the time and in my opinion are a bit sick. My cat would kill me if I tried it on her!

[flirty41]

I have two cats - both 13 years old. One cat has ALWAYS used the scratching post, while the other has taken no interest at all (maybe I should get her one of her own!) but, like Ravenhair's moggy, she has persisted in clawing at the stair carpets and, until we got a new sofa, the sides and back of the old one. (For some reason she hasn't come near the new sofa!) My friend used to attach those sample carpet squares to pieces of wood for her cats to claw at, and they seemed to like it. What if you found some material and a bit of padding similar to your sofa and did the same - it's worth a try! :-)

[sddsddean]

Buy a shotgun!!

[WendyW]

You can buy a spray that is quite effective .. it smells of lemons and cats generally don't like citrus smells. However, my cat was scratching one stair in the hallway and I covered the area, for a few days, with a polythene bag. When I took it away the cat never went back to the area.

[rekstout]

Get her de-clawed! Or if you want to be a bit less harsh then you could try conditioning her to not claw at furniture by jeeping a water pistol or plant mister (set to squirt a jet) and giving it a quick zap every time your cat has a go. A painless teaching method I'd say. It does rather rely on catching it in flagrante delicto though. I also hear cats hate the noise of texture of tin foil, could you - temporarily - line the sides of your sofa with it?

[skelly]

Does anyone think any of these suggestions will work on my christmas tree, or can they suggest anything else? Last christmas my cat was a 6 month old timid kitten and still managed to have a good go at the tree, this year she is a bit of a mischievous, muscular cat and I fear how long the tree will last.

[Tenbears]

Put double sided sticky tape all over the areas you don't want your cats to scratch - the stickiness will not be nearly so nice for puss to dig claws into and hopefully they'll decide to scratch elsewhere (ie a nice scratching post you've bought for them). Remove the tape when they've been weaned off the habit. also, if you can actually catch them at it, give them a quick squirt of water from a plant spray (which most cats hate). Try also just removing them from your furniture, taking them over to the scratch post and showing them that they ought to scratch there instead (I actually scratched at the post myself until my two got the message!). Make a fuss of them when they do use the post.

[Rainbow]

I have had a similar problem recently having bought a new wardrobe. My 14 year old cat would sharpen his claws every morning, possibly just for attention, I have covered the lower end of the wardrobe in tin foil ( & very attractive it looks too) & this appears to have done the trick.

[whiskygalore]

As a rough guide for deterrents, cats hate pungent and citrus smells and 'rustle' noises, foil, polythene and plastic (as mentioned below) should all have them running for the hills.

Of course, in the absence of a sofa to scratch, they will turn to other sources. I find scratching posts about as useful as cat baskets. My cat enjoys ripping the life out of sisal doormats, which can be bought @ hardware stores for a few pounds.

[sammy225]

There are several options. Double sided sticky tape works Your cat will try to scrtch a couple of time but will soon give up - it wont like the sensation. Cats hate tin foil!! - Try putting tin foil around the sofa it will soon be put of going there and then you can remove the foil. Lemon and orange juice also works, but makes your house smell!!