How do I keep my cat from shredding my furniture?

Answer 1

get it declawed.

Answer 2

Spray him with water whenever he does. A spray-bottle that has a long jet is perfect to reach kitty.
When he does scratch, pick him up and put him onto the material of the scratching post you have for him, pet him while he's there that should activate his kneading process.
Cover what you can with tinfoil or double-sided tape.
Spray the furniture with citrus oils, they dislike the scent. Also, the scent of rue.
Rub catnip or valerian onto the scratching post. 10%-30% of cats have no reaction to catnip, and kittens under the age of 3 or 4 months are immune to it. Valerian sometimes has a greater effect than catnip!
Also, get your vet to show you how to trim the claws. This is a safe option but needs to be done weekly.
Get SoftPaws (www.softpaws.com), they're little vinyl caps you glue on your cat's nails (after trimming them).
Play with a piece of string with kitty around the scratching post, at some stage his claws will dig in and kitty will realise that feels good.
When you admonish him, don't use the kitty's name or a bad association will be created. Something like "Kitty, NO" will do just fine.
Above all else, there is NO NEED to declaw, cats aren't stupid, you just never taught it where to do what comes naturally to all cats. Once you teach kitty, it'll be fine, just keep at it.
If you have two floors, get two cat scratching posts. Even an old branch cut from a tree will do nicely, and out in the garden it can make a lovely display piece too. There has to be one close to the furniture they seem to like.
If the cat has scratched the furniture you may want to clean it, since the cat will scratch where it has left it's scent. Clawing will leave it's scent on furniture, so it's more likely to return to it.
Another trick it to get a tin with a few coins in it. When kitty goes near disallowed surfaces rattle it!

Answer 3

I.m not a cat person but I do know that you can buy scratching posts at a pet shop. These give the cat something else to sharpen its claws on. They come in different heights to suit your space and some have a ledge on the top so the cat can do some climbing if it feels like it. I would also make very sure the cat sees your displeasure when it scratches something it is not supposed to, like the furniture.
Instructions follow:

What you need:

- Some luxuriously fluffy fabric to cover the base
- A 40cm square base of craft wood (your hardware store can cut it for you)
- A 6cm square piece of wood 50cm long (also can be cut at hardware store)
- 10 metres of rope
- Nails & hammer
- Wood glue
- Scissors
- Pencil

What to do:

1. Find the centre of the craft wood by placing the long piece of wood diagonally across it twice. The intersection of the cross is the centre. Then put the post on the centre and draw around it. This gives us the parameters for our nails.

2. Hammer four nails just inside the square you have just drawn. Be careful you don’t nail the base to the table!

3. Hammer the end of rope to the bottom of the piece of wood using a clip to anchor them together. Twist the rope around the wood tightly until you get to the within a few centimetres of the top of the post. Nail the top bit of rope down and trim the excess with scissors.

4. Next cover the base with fabric. Put the fabric under the base and cut around it leaving enough of a border to glue down.

5. Cut out a square in the middle so that you can see the nails poking through and know where to put the post. Cover the bottom of the base with glue, and press the material onto it. Then put glue on the edges and press down.

6. Now turn the wood and the base upside down, line up the wood with the nails, and hammer them in. Every cat should have one!

Answer 4

1. The easiest but the most painful method for cat is declawing. Faced with cat scratching problems, many people consider declawing surgery. But many veterinarians believe declawing is a painful and unnecessary surgery and refuse to do it for humane reasons. Instead, they advocate training your cat to use a scratching post.

2. Make sure there are multiple scratching opportunities. Cats often like to scratch after eating and sleeping, so be sure there is something to scratch near where they eat and sleep. A scratching post is an excellent investment for your cat. It will allow her to scratch, stretch and exercise all at once. If you want to provide your cat not only with scratching surface, but and places where she can climb, perch and sleep you should consider cat tree.

3. Cover the furniture with something your cat does not like: double sided tape, some plastic or aluminium foil. Some cats dislike the feeling and sound of foil, and most cats hate things that stick to their fur. Double-sided sticky tape used in carpet installation works well, but be sure the tape won’t harm your cat or furniture.

4. Keep your cat mentally stimulated and offers her plenty of opportunity for exercise, and she will has less opportunity to be destructive in your home. If your cat is frustrated and bored, she may scratch your furniture or tear your drapes. Give her enough play time. Cats are motivated by smell, sound, texture and movement. The toys you use should aim to cover all these aspects. Discover your cat’s preferences by presenting a variety different sized toy made from different materials and watch her reaction to gauge her preferences.

5. Cutting the nails regularly may help keep a cat from scratching the furniture, or at least reduce the damage done by its scratching. Get your kitten used to having its nails clipped while it is young, praise her while you clip the nail and reward her with a treat.

6. Booby trap the furniture with a soda can with some pennies in it, so that if cat scratches, it makes a noise.

7. Use a doorknob alarm on your curtains. When pinned to the drapes, the alarm will sound every time your cat tries to use curtains as a ladder.

8. Consider a window perch for your feline friend. It will give your cat hours of entertainment - especially if you place a bird or squirrel feeder in the garden outside the window. Be sure the window is closed so your pet won’t fall out.

9. When you catch your cat scratching furniture, try squirting her with a water pistol or squirt bottle and use a firm ‘no’. Of course, this won’t stop your cat when you are not around.

10. If your cat is gaining access to a high bookcase by leaping from a nearby chair, move the chair. Without her launchpad, your cat will no longer be able to reach her perch.

11. You can also try taping inflated balloons to the problem areas. When your cat pops one with her claws, she will avoid scratching there again. However, try this only when you are at home, so you can pick up the balloon pieces before your cat tries to eat them.

12. There are training devices that keep cats off forbidden areas by making annoying sounds. They are available at pet supply stores, catalogs and websites.

13. If your cat still scratches in appropriate places, use some sprays like bitter apple or actual orange peels, which are good deterrents.

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Answer 5

You can try putting a drop or so of Tabasco sauce on the furniture. Or, get this great spray called Dex-Off. It keeps the cats away from you furniture, and only cost about $8.00. You can but it at most good pet stores.
I hope this helps!

Answer 6

First thing, get a scratching post. It is absolutely essential, even for indoor-outdoor cats. Cats need somewhere to scratch as it is a natural behaviour that has many functions, including getting rid of old claw sheaths, stretching (cats who for some reason can't scratch will later in life have heart problems and other ailments directly related to not being able to do this stretching), marking territory.

When you see the little one scratching where it shouldn't, pick it up gently and take it to the scratching post. Put its paws onto the post, but don't 'force' it to scratch. Then put your own hands on the post and show kitty how to do it. This may take a few goes til kitty understands, but it usually works well.

If you are in Canada/USA ... a word of warning. NEVER get your cat declawed. Some people will try to get you to do this, as they think it's ok as many people don't understand what it entails, and vets make money from it. But it is barbaric, it is the equivalent of amputating the ends of all of your fingers. It gives kitty pain, sometimes for the rest of its life, causes all sorts of other physical problems like difficulties in walking, and causes many kinds of behavioural problems as well. Luckily in many countries it is illegal, but sadly in the states and Canada it is not (yet).

Good luck with the training and try to be patient with the little one!

Answer 7

Please don't have the cat declawed. That is extremely painful and can cause problems afterward instead get a scratching post or cat nail caps. Link is in the sources. You can get them in fun colors to.

Answer 8

have the cats claws removed