Fresh Start Pet Coaching

Cats have been a part of my life since I was 5 years old and a tiny black and white kitten took refuge from a storm underneath the freezer in our garage. Much to my fathers dismay (he’s a dog person), Midnight was soon out from under the freezer and a part of the family.

Midnight passed away many years ago, and I now have two cats, Cubby and Timmy. I really consider myself fortunate that for the most part I haven’t had much problem with the cats clawing the furniture. Occasionally, I will hear one of the cats scratching something they shouldn’t but for the most part they stick to the scratching post and cardboard box reserved for them.

There was, however, a time while I was in collage that I had a sofa that I just couldn’t get them to leave alone. It was actually my brother-in-law’s sofa and he was letting me borrow it while I was in school. I was very thankful to have something to sit on, but I will admit that I can see why the cats enjoyed using it for scratching. It was made of this very thick course material and the cats just loved it. They repeatedly scratched one particular side of the couch until it was pretty shredded up. I finally covered it with a slip cover and the cats left it alone. Apparently the slip cover wasn’t as much fun as the couch to scratch up.

That said, let’s break down the problem of your cat scratching your furniture into two parts: why your cat scratches and what you can do to get her to stop.

Why is my cat scratching the furniture?

Your cat is not scratching your favorite chair to get back at you for not keeping the litterbox clean enough, I promise. Whatever your cat is scratching, she is doing it because it is enjoyable and because that particular spot is meeting her needs.

There are two basic reasons that cats scratch objects:

1. It’s enjoyable
2. It’s territorial

The fact is that the act of scratching is intrinsically enjoyable for your cat. The stretching, sinking her claws into the material and pulling all feels good to your cat and it helps keep her claws sharpened and ready for action. Secondly, scratching leaves a visible and scent based sign to other cats that this particular territory already belongs to your cat.

What can I do to keep my cat from scratching my furniture?

One of the good and bad things about cats is that they are notoriously picky. Whatever inappropriate spot your cat has chosen to scratch, she has chosen it for a reason. There are two basic steps to getting your cat to stop scratching the inappropriate spot she has chosen to scratch and getting her to start scratching where you want her too.

To get your cat to stop scratching her chosen spot you need to make it as unappealing to her as possible. You can do this by:

• Put the object your cat is scratching somewhere she can’t get to it. Turn your speakers around or shut the door to the room with your favorite chair.
• Cover the surface with double sided tape, plastic, sandpaper, or a vinyl carpet runner (pointy side out)
• Additionally if you have a fabric that’s being scratched you can spray it with something lemon or citrus scented as these scents are unappealing to cats.

To get your cat to start scratching where you want her to, pay attention to the characteristics of her chosen spot and give her something similar that she can scratch. Pay attention to the height, texture, and location of her favorite scratching spots. Does she prefer an object that is horizontal or vertical? You can create an appealing and appropriate location for your cat to scratch by:

• Placing it near her favorite spots
• Make the new scratching even more interesting by having a toy dangling off the top or coating it with catnip
• Have multiple scratching posts in different areas with different features. Have some that are horizontal and some that are vertical. Have some that are carpeted and some that are cardboard (one of my cats favorite places to scratch is a cardboard box).

Follow these tips to help your cat learn appropriate scratching behavior. Also, you won’t need to live with double sided tape on your couch for ever. Once your cat is consistently using her new designated scratching areas you can safely allow her to have access to her previous spots.

Are you bringing home a new cat or kitten? Get your life together started off right by scheduling a new cat/kitten problem prevention session today.