I have a 1 1/2yr old kitty - he's the best! he's clawing at our furniture however.. & my husband's freakin' (I'm not) but I don't want to declaw him (find it inhumane) he does go outside and we have scratching posts for him... he just can't stay away from our sofa ..what to do?
2007-02-25 05:00:02 · 14 answers · asked by thenakats 4 in Pets ➔ Cats
Check out the article in the source, it's got a lot of information on why cats scratch, what kind of places they prefer, what they don't like and understanding all that, how to get them to use the scratching post rather than the sofa. A bit much to copy & paste here but I think when you take the time to read it, it'll help a lot in understanding the reasons your cat likes the couch and how to train him.
2007-02-25 09:17:23 · answer #1 · answered by Sheriam 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Someone I know suggested temporarily wrapping heavy duty plastic wrap around the bottom of the furniture to discourage the clawing and then encouraging use of the scratching posts. Demonstrate the scratching post for him - that usually teaches them that that's the place - then reward with a kitty treat when he does it right. Once you have him consistently using the posts, you can remove the plastic. If you catch him, give him a a correction (just my voice has been enough, but penny cans and water bottles can work) and take him to the scratching post. This does work.
I agree with you about declawing - it is inhumane and he won't be able to go outside safely anymore.
2007-02-25 13:11:03 · answer #2 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
There is a product in the pet store that is like giant tape you put on the furniture and it keep the cats from scratching. For some reason my kitty liked the old horse hair plaster walls, you can't even imagine what she did to the walls. So now it is covered with this stuff and it works.
2007-02-25 14:40:57 · answer #3 · answered by SHAy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a product that you can at your local pet store called (not sure of the exact name) Cat repeler... something along those lines.. What it is is a cat repeller spray the you spray on your furniture that repells the can for scratching it.
I used it once when I had a cat, and it worked great! I also added Catnip to my cat scratching post, and problem was solved the very first day.
2007-02-25 13:13:47 · answer #4 · answered by Mike E 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The water sprayer technique works pretty good. There is a product, I am thinking you can get at places like Petsmart or Pet warehouse, to cover the places on your furniture where he is scratching. It is a material that they don't like. Sorry I can't remember what it is called but the people at the Pet store probably know exactly what I am talking about.
2007-02-25 13:14:37 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to Petsmart or Petco and pick up a spray bottle of a product called Boundary. My cat hates this bottle. It has an faint odor for a few minutes but it must be intense for her because she can't stand it and will run off. I used this product out of desperation with my cat clawing furniture. After a period of time she learned what was going to happen if she chose to claw. Now, I only have to pick up the bottle and she takes off running. As we behavior modification specialists know you must remember to be firm, prompt, and consistent to change behaviors. Good luck!!
2007-02-25 13:35:37 · answer #6 · answered by Janet M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best thing that worked for me is go out and buy that stuff that you spray on things you don't want your cats to scratch on. Sorry I forgot the name of it. Its some kind of spray that cats don't like. Only spray it on the area of the furniture you don't want your cat to scratch on.
2007-02-25 13:15:33 · answer #7 · answered by homeatlast2110 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there is a product you can get from petsmart to sprayon your furniture that the cats don't like and will stay away from your furniture or there is also a product called soft paw that actually fit on over your cats toenails and they're not sharp and will not cause damage.
2007-02-25 14:26:27 · answer #8 · answered by KitKat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, you can try taking him to his scratching post when he starts scratching your furniture, or you can get a spray bottle filled with water and give him a squirt when he starts pawing your furniture.
2007-02-25 13:04:48 · answer #9 · answered by tjfield1979 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well thats what happended to my friends cat so your not the only one. When you see the cat scratching on the furniture just put him down and keep doing it over and over again till he learns but when he./she listens reward he/she.
2007-02-25 13:08:30 · answer #10 · answered by ♥Miss.Kayla♥ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋