I have a 4 month old orange tabby. I bought him a scratching post so he would avoid scratching anything else.

Question

Yeah okay! He totally ignores the post and goes right to the arm rests of my sofa and loveseat. He's leaving little raised bumps on them and my furinture is black vinyl. How can I have him stop doing that?? I've tried gently squeezing his paws so his claws would come out and put his paws on the post to scratch, but he only does that for a second.

Answer 1

Try this - get a water pistol and fill it with warm water. Spritz the cat everytime you catch him in an area that you do not want the cat to be. Cats hate water on them and this will help deter the cat without causing any undo harm.

I got the following from a veternarian website:

How to get Kitty to prefer the post.
Remember that an important part of scratching is the cat's desire to mark a territory, so a scratching post should be in an area that's used by the family, not hidden in a back corner. After a time you can move the post away to the periphery of the room, but you'll need to do this gradually.

Initially, put the post where your cat goes to scratch. This may be by a sofa, a chair or wherever Kitty has chosen as her territiory, and you may need more than one post to cover her favorite spots. Security is a major factor in making the post appealing to your cat. If it topples or shakes, she won't use it. It should either be secured to the floor or have a base wide enough and heavy enough to keep it stable.

Encourage Kitty to use her post with clever enticements. Feed her and play with her by the post. Rub dried catnip leaves or powder into it. Make all the asssociations with the post pleasurable. Reward her with a favorite treat when she uses it. Have her chase a string or a toy around the post or attach toys to it, which will result in her digging her claws into it. Eventually she will learn to love it and regard it as her own. It's also a good idea to put a post where Kitty sleeps. Cats like to scratch when they awaken, especially in the morning and the middle of the night. If space permits, a scratching post in every room of the house is a cat's delight. The most important place is the area of the house in which you and Kitty spend the most time. I have many sisal posts in my house, yet often in the morning my cats line up to use the one in the living room.

If at first Kitty is reluctant to give up her old scratching areas, there are means you can use to discourage her. Covering the area with aluminum foil or double-sided tape is a great deterrent. These surfaces don't have a texture that feels good to scratch.

Remember too that Kitty has marked her favorite spots with her scent as well as her claws. You may need to remove her scent from the areas you want to distract her away from. You will find pet odor removers in pet stores and many supermarkets as well.

Cats have an aversion to citrus odors. Use lemon-scented sprays or a potpourri of lemon and orange peels to make her former scratching sites less agreeable to her.

If Kitty still persists in scratching the furniture, try squirting her with a water gun or a spray bottle set on stream. Another option is a loud whistle or other noise-maker. You must employ these deterrents while she is scratching for them to be effective. The point is to establish an aversion to the spot you don't want her to scratch.

Answer 2

Sprinkle catnip on the post and get a cat-deterrent spray and spray that on the loveseat and sofa. They hate the smell and don't want it all over their paws. When you catch him trying to scratch where you don't want him to, say NO firmly and (if you're close enough) give him a firm tap on the nose. When you see him using his post, give him lots of praise for being such a good kitty.

Also, get a pair of nail clippers for your kitty. It's not hard to clip their nails, it's just a matter of squeezing the claws out and then a quick snip. Make sure that you only get the clear part of the nails - the pink part has a blood vessel in it and you can hurt your kitty if you cut that! If you start while he's this young, he'll get used to it and not give you trouble when he's older about letting you clip his nails.

Cats claw partly to leave their scent on things and partly to take off the dead part of the nail. If his claws are clipped, he won't need to scratch as often, and he'll do less damage when he does. You didn't say what kind of post you got him, but different cats like different kinds of posts. Some like sisal, some like carpet - and most seem to like cardboard a lot. You might get him a different kind of post and see if he likes that better. The cardboard ones aren't that expensive and most kitties seem to love them.

If that doesn't work, get a set of Softpaws - they're rubber tips for his claws that are glued on and keep him from damaging things.

Declawing should be the ABSOLUTE LAST option, after everything else has failed! When a cat is declawed, it's not like trimming nails - they actually take the last joint of his paws off. It would be like someone deciding it to amputate your fingertips! Do it only if you're at the point of having him put down or sent to the pound if he scratches anything else. It's better than being dead, but it's still very painful.

Answer 3

What worked best for me was this:

Buy some catnip and rub it on the scratching post and bring the cat over to it after you do so. It may take a few times, but it'll train the cat to go to it.

As for getting the cat to stop scratching the furniture, just sprinkle some chili powder on it. A little goes a long way. Most cats sniff before they scratch, and though it may sound cruel, they learn the lesson the first time.

Answer 4

play on the post with your kitty every day. I actually have three posts and a rug for my one cat in a one bedroom apartment - but he has never scratched my furniture! He started to when he was little and I put the scratching post near the area of the couch he was scratching. It was in the way at first and then I gradually moved it to where I wanted it. Now he goes directly to it... and he was a feral cat that I rescued at 1 week old.

Answer 5

Lisa has provided you with some good advice about where to place the post and covering the areas where you cat scratches. Unfortunately, at 4 months old, your kitty probably isn't yet at the age where he appreciates catnip.

As mentioned above, it is very important to have a stable post. My cat loves her post that is wrapped in sisal rope, but she wouldn't touch a carpet covered post - you need to find what works for him. The corrugated cardboard scratchers, such as the Cosmic Catnip Alpine Scratcher, are another type that your cat might enjoy more.

Whatever other methods you try, please, please, please do not take the advice of some of the posts above that says to declaw the cat. This procedure is akin to cutting off your finger at the first knuckle and is very unpleasant for your pet.

Answer 6

There is a couple of things you could do. Get the cat de-clawed, you could put arm covers on the sofa that are thicker and that would not leave marks, or you could put some type of cat deterrent on the arms so the cat will stop.

Answer 7

lol does anyone own a cat that actually uses their scratching post ? I put down a throw rug with backing so it doesn't slide for my 3 cats and they use that. Don't laugh but I showed them it was ok I scratched at it as if i were a cat and they got the idea, I have to replace the rug pretty soon its getting worn out (BY THEM NOT ME) and don't spray water at your kittie its ignorant and rude, whoever started saying that that should get a slapupside their head. PLUS cats catch pneumonia very easily if they get wet.and and for god sake in heaven do NOT DECLAW YOUR PRECIOUS FRIEND...declawing does NOT just remove the claws (nails) declawing a cat is surgical AMPUTATION of the tip of the cats' toes, it would be as if someone amputated your fingertips at the first knuckle, its very cruel. PLUS if your cat ever were to get outside it could nt run away from danger by climbing a tree nor could it defend itself, the poor kitty would be easy prey. they are trainable I have 2 feral (wild) cats and one domestic and NONE OF THEM SCRATCH ANYTHING BUT THE RUG I GAVE THEM. (AND THEY ALL HAVE BEEN SPAYED OR NUETERED THAT MAY HELP TOO)

Answer 8

you could place cat tape - a two sided harmless tape- onto the area he scratches and when he goes to scratch he wont like the texture and will leave it alone. dont place his claws on the scratching post cause it may cause him to dislike it. Rub catnip into the scratch area and place treats as near to it as possible. also, keep your cats claws trimmed(either proffessionally or with your own cat clippers) or get those colorful plastic claw covers.

Answer 9

The kitty is still young enough to have him declawed front only. Otherwise squirt it with a spray water bottle whenever you notice it clawing the furniture. If your kitty is an indoor kitty there is nothing wrong with declawing it (front only). It is their nature to scratch like that and it will even pretend like that after declawing.

Answer 10

Declawing is always an option, but most think its inhumane, me being one of those people. Not many cats use their scratching post anyway. Check on google for the woodbury minnesota humane society, they have some tips on cats who scratch furniture.