Cat Scratching Remedies?

[ido1957]

What is it with cats and scratching furniture? Our couch and computer chair have been all scratched up. We've put couch cover on the couch. We want to buy a new couch but we don't want it to be torn up right away.

We have a scratching pole which he will use occasionally but still scratches the chair and reaches under the couch cover to scratch it.

I've heard that cats need to scratch to remove/relieve something in their claws. True?

Also my vet said the only thing you can do is put covers on the new couch??? Sort of defeats the purpose.

My sister's female cats don't do it to her furniture. Is this a male cat thing? Any non-staining solutions that you've tried that actually work?

[legionserial]

Originally Posted by ido1957

What is it with cats and scratching furniture? Our couch and computer chair have been all scratched up. We've put couch cover on the couch. We want to buy a new couch but we don't want it to be torn up right away.

We have a scratching pole which he will use occasionally but still scratches the chair and reaches under the couch cover to scratch it.

I've heard that cats need to scratch to remove/relieve something in their claws. True?

Also my vet said the only thing you can do is put covers on the new couch??? Sort of defeats the purpose.

My sister's female cats don't do it to her furniture. Is this a male cat thing? Any non-staining solutions that you've tried that actually work?

Loki started scratching furniture when he was about 6 months old. After being picked up everytime and given a stern 'no' he doesn't do it anymore.

[RezN8]

Don't get me started!!! My girl moved in with her two cats. I'm deathly allergic so she says "why don't we buy leather couch so the cat fur won't stick to it."

I figured she knew better than me. So after a long search of mostly crappy selections at Jennifer et al, I ended up buying a freakin' beautiful sofa and loveseat from Lane. Very nice. Also expensive. I could've bought myslef a super nice vintage Les Paul with a Marshall stack to boot. But Nooooooo, we "needed" leather couches.

Three days after they arrived, the cats started scratching the backs and using their claws to climb up on the arms. Two beautiful couches RUINED within a week. I'm furious. She should've known better but I feel like an idiot for not researching this online first. What a waste of money.

My girl refuses to spray that stuff that's sapposed to keep them off furniture.

So, if ANYONE knows of a way to keep the cats from scratching, please tell us!!!

[Dogman]

Get them a scratching post, or some type of scratching toys. We have bought these little cardboard things that have catnip in them, and ours love them...they seldom scratch anything but the toys now.

[RezN8]

Originally Posted by Dogman

Get them a scratching post, or some type of scratching toys. We have bought these little cardboard things that have catnip in them, and ours love them...they seldom scratch anything but the toys now.

Hey wait a minute, I thought you were more of a dog person.

[Dogman]

Originally Posted by RezN8

Hey wait a minute, I thought you were more of a dog person.

Yep....but we have 6 cats, to keep teh dogs in line....

[Gandalf]

Spray the cat with a water spray every time they go to scratch the furniture. They hate water and will get the idea VERY quickly

[Dragon]

Here's the secret I've heard for stopping cats scratching furniture when nothing else works.

Wrap the legs and arms (of the furniture! not the cats) in bubble wrap (or balloons for serious cases). For extra power, you can spray any citrus scent on the bubble wrap...cats hate that smell. This will prevent ruining the furniture itself.

Originally Posted by ido1957

We have a scratching pole which he will use occasionally but still scratches the chair and reaches under the couch cover to scratch it.

I've heard that cats need to scratch to remove/relieve something in their claws. True?

Also my vet said the only thing you can do is put covers on the new couch??? Sort of defeats the purpose.

My sister's female cats don't do it to her furniture. Is this a male cat thing? Any non-staining solutions that you've tried that actually work?

Cat prefer either wood or rough cloth material generally. Jennifur, who's all woman, sharpens her claws three times a day (as advertised!) on the legs of a utility table I made with 2x2s...no harm done there but damn, you should see the size of the grooves! She's a tough ex-feral and keeps everyone else in line. And you should see her wiggle when she walks!

We made our own scratching posts from their favorite textures: part bare wood, part carpet, and part wrapped with sisal rope. If we had known how much they'd like Susan's new computer chair covered in rough-weave cloth, we would have used that too (OK, even we're not perfect). Point is, the commercial things are for the "average" cat and it never hurts to use what your cats like. Dosing the scratching posts with scents they like such as catnip (which doesn't attract all cats, BTW) or Feliway (which should) will also help.

If you examine the ground near where they scratch, you will no doubt find little white curved points that look like miniature dinosaur souvenirs. These are the claw sheaths that they are trying to shed by scratching, which come off almost like snake skins, in a single piece.

Your vet maybe doesn't have time to do behavior modification with every cat but giving up is not a useful solution either. Take the time to find out what works with your cat and it will pay off in the long run for your furniture and for you!

[rayc]

Scratching posts strategically placed, bubble wrap strategically placed (but not on the scratching posts), citrus spray for surfaces (but not the bubble wrap) & we've used, quite successfully, a tablespoon or two of vinegar in a spray bottle of water - scratch - spray if caught in the act. Also vinegar on surfaces is similar to citrus but not as oily.

[Mrs Dogman]

We have also tried "Soft paws" claw covers. They work, but sometimes cats don't like being handled while putting on the claw covers. If it isn't traumatic to the cat, it's a reasonable solution. They come in all sorts of pretty colors!