How can you train a cat to stop clawing and jumping on furniture?

Question

my cat likes to use my couch as a scratch board, even though he has a actual scratch board of his own that he uses frequently, he also has his own bed that he sleeps in frequently, but he still sleeps on my couch. If anyone has any tips to help break my cat of these habits, I would greatly appreciate it.

Answer 1

Get a spray bottle and spray him everytime he does something you don't want him to do unless he likes water like two of my cats!! They want to jump in the bathtub, they love water!!! And also, get him a scratching post!

Answer 2

Firstly hold them by their sides and say no firmly and then place them near the scratching post if you do catch them doing this. When you catch them scratching the post or sitting in the bed praise and pet them. Give them a treat if you have anything handy. This works best if they are young because then you are taking the roll of their mother and disciplining them. Once they are older and set in their ways however it is often easier to convince them to change their behaviour on their own though the above method certainly works and I would recommend trying that in concert with my next suggestions. Spraying furniture and bed sheets with vinegar often works for me. They hate the smell and smell it long after you can no longer detect the odour. Rubbing onions on furniture and walls helps as well for the same reason. The absolute best deterrent I've found is rue or marigolds. Both can be grown in your own garden and brought in and rubbed on areas you don't want the cat to go. I've had lesser success with Petunias and Orange peels. You can also use catnip on the places you do want the cats to scratch as it invokes a scratching reaction. Worry not you shouldn't have to use these forever. Once the cat changes his behaviour (Anywhere from a few weeks to months) he'll do it more or less permanently. As far as sleeping on your couch you should be greatly flattered. Most likely he does this because it smells of you. Try sleeping in a very old shirt for a week and then putting that in the cat bed. If this doesn't work it could just be that the cat bed is too big or too small. Much like porridge, they need to be juuuuuust right.

Answer 3

Is it really a problem for him to sleep on the couch? If it's cat hair you're concerned about you could put a blanket down.

But if you absolutely insist he stay away from the couch, first, make sure he has not just one bed, but multiple beds around the house. Cats choose special places for special times of the day but don't like to keep any particular place too long. You can make these with things you think he might like to lay on. Also, invest in one of those large cat tree condos. Cats typically like to be off the floor a bit. Also, buy yourself a squirt gun and give him a squirt when you see him try to get on the couch.

Answer 4

You have to treat him like a child. You must say NO in a frim voice and put the cat on the floor. Or no and make him stop scratching furniture. Then take him to his scratching board. Repeat this every time until he catches on. Cats are smart and will learn! If your scratch board is flat on the floor that could be a problem. I put a small berber carpet(2x3)on a corner of the wall,by my couch, and my cat loves it. She doesn't scratch the furniture.They like vertical scratching posts that they can reach up and stretch good like they do on trees or posts outside!!Just be firm but don't yell. When he does it right pet and love on him to praise his good behavior.Best wishes!

Answer 5

How old is he and how long has he been doing that? I have 4 and mine started using the door frames. I put sticky tape on them and they picked it off so the next step was to put up a scratcher post attached to the frame and then slowly moved across the room, I then spritzed real lemon spray on the frame for awhile, cats usually hate lemon, it worked like a charm. If you have a kitten,you have to teach them NO from the start. My old cat who passed away was the door frame user, the ones I have now are all 2 years old and they learned NO from the start so all I have to do is say no and they all stop what they are doing to see who is wrong.

Answer 6

fill a squirt bottle with cold water. every time the cat gets on the furniture or claws something, other than it's scratch board, squirt him 2 or 3 times. the cat will finally learn.the water won't hurt the cat or the furniture.

Answer 7

Trimming will help a lot! You need to get the cat used to it at first. Also, there are little plastic sheaths available which can be put on the cat's claws. You might want to ask the vet for advice.

Answer 8

Cats often do that to get your attention. Play with him more frequently, but not when he is doing something you don't want him to do.
I drag stringy things on the floor or flash light on the wall for my cats to chase. One of them like to wrestle with my arm but this will give you bunch of scratches on your arm, so it's up to you.
As for sleeping on your couch, I think you're gonna have to accept that part. "Cats own everything."

Answer 9

Have you tried a squirt bottle with just water in it, that kept my cat out of my christmas tree last year. It also keeps her off my counters. You may also want to invest in a cat claw post.

Answer 10

yelling...spraying cats with water ..hitting them ....just confuses them.... soft claws will stop the scratching www.petco.com
i use them ..they are great and dont hurt the cat...if you have trouble putting them on due to cat trying to get away trying holding your cat and rubbing its paws for a few days to get it used to u touching its feet gl !!!!