cats destroying my couches?

Question

any ideas, with out having to declaw her? I bought a scratching posts, but that doesnt work, she never uses it! But she loves to claw at my couches, leaving scratch maeks and holes all over..... any ideas on how to get her to stop?? Is there such a thing as some sort of spray for the furniture to keep her from scratching..or is it supposed to keep them away entirely??

Answer 1

You can put double-sided sticky tape on the areas she's scratching to discourage her from scratching them. Placing rubber mats with the bumpy side up on the floor near where she scratches on the couch will make standing on those areas unpleasant to her. There's also a remote deterrent device called a Ssscat! spray that should help discourage her away from the couch - you can find it at Petsmart. You can also try spraying the areas she's scratching with Feliway spray, from the pet store or vet. Feliway is a pheromone spray, and may help if your cat is scratching the couch for territorial reasons.

Take a look at her scratching posts - are they at least 24" tall, and very sturdy? Cats won't usually use a post that is too short, or that wobbles when they dig into it. Her posts should be covered with a rough fabric such as sisal or carpet backing - soft carpet posts are usually unappealing to cats. Place them near the couch, and near where she sleeps - cats like to scratch when they wake up from a nap. Also, try providing some horizontal scratching options - a heavy sisal mat, a log with the bark still on, or a cardboard scratcher from the store are some easy options.

You can trim the sharp tips off of her claws to reduce the amount of damage she can do - see this link for instructions:
http://www.catscratching.com/#trimming

If she's a very determined scratcher, you can try softpaws nail caps: http://www.softpaws.com
If you aren't used to handling your cat's paws, you can have a groomer or vet apply the softpaws for you & show you how to do it. If your cat chews the caps off, just replace the ones that were pulled off, and apply some bitter apple taste deterrent (from the pet store) on the caps to discourage chewing.

See these links for more information:
http://www.catscratching.com
http://www.paws.org/cas/resources/fact_sheets_cats/ (scroll to the Cat Scratching section)
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=1

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

A couple options: Squirt him w/water everytime he starts on the couch-eventually he'll learn that the couch is not a scratching post. You can also buy spray that are suppose to deter the cat from the object that u spray the product on. Go to Petco or Petsmart and ask about the different products on the market that u can try on ut furniture to "repel" ur kitty's bad behavior. Or...u can declaw ur cat's front paws. Now some people may say it's cruel, but it's not like the vet has him concious in the backroom, ripping out one nail at a time. It's a surgery and they sedate ur kitty. It's very common and many vets will recommend it if ur having problems inside ur house. simple and effective.... However, declawing a cat makes him pretty much defensless if he's ever outside. If he's a strictly indoors cat, just declaw the front. That way, he'll still have climbing ability (like up a tree) if he ever happens to sneak out of the house. Don't do all four paws b/c they need the back for climbing & don't use the back claws on ur furniture anyways. Declawing is up to u and is a personal preference. Don't let others' judgements influence u on ur own decision.

Answer 3

Please don't declaw your cat. That's like cutting off your fingertips and leaving knuckles to walk on. Here are some suggestions: there are nasty smelling sprays that you can buy at WalMart, Kmart, Home Depot and smell bad to the cat but not to you. Test your fabric to make sure it doesn't damage it and use it. Also, but a few squirt bottles of water and every time you catch the cat scratching the couch, let it have it! Water doesn't hurt but wow will it ever run away from it! Also, there are these crushed cardboard box scratching trays. My cats love these things. I sprinkle catnip all over it and they scratch the cardboard instead of the furniture. Don't get me wrong, I still have to yell at them to get down every once in a while or squirt them still and I've had them for 7 years. You can try the vet but the sprays are usually more expensive. Don't give up.

Answer 4

Try the vet, they should be able to recommend a spray, also when the cat scratches squirt them in the face with a spray bottle, they wont like it, eventually will realise scratching furniture means getting wet, take your cat to the scratching post, lift the front paws and show them on the post how to scratch, good luck

Answer 5

Go to a pet store and buy double sided tape, cats hate the feel of it. Put it on the areas your cat is scratching. Or you can use regular packing tape, which is what we did. The cats don't like it's smooth feel and have completely stopped scratching our couch.

Answer 6

Spray the cat with a water gun when you see her doing it then take her over to the scratching pole and put her paws on it a few times to mark it with her scent, Also you can put double sided sticky tape on your couch she WILL NOT like the feeling of it!!

Answer 7

There are sprays you can buy at pet supply stores. My brother used to wrap the corners where his cat frequented with carpet remnants. The cat went back to her favorite spots but the couch was saved.

Answer 8

Get a spray water bottle and leave it near the couch. Next time you catch her scratching, spray the crap out of her.

Answer 9

You can buy cat nail covers for your cat.

They sell a product called Soft Paws: http://www.softpaws.com which will irradicate the problem of scratched up furniture.

Answer 10

I have cats and the sprays don't work. Call your vet and ask to have her declawed. It's a simple operation, and she will have to use newspaper liter until her paws heal. Even after she's declawed, you will see her scratching. It's a built in feature that cats do.