My cats have started sharpening their claws on my wooden furniture. How can I make them stop??

Answer 1

Provide a scratching post as cats naturally need to scratch! Once you have one, whenever you catch them at it, pick them up and put their paws on the scratch post, and then show them how to do it with your own hands. To deter them from scratching your wooden furniture, I would suggest sticking some aluminium foil on it for a little while - cats hate it. They are also put off by citrus smells, so you might consider polishing your furniture with lemon fresh polish! Clean the furniture in any case to remove the kitties' smell from it, otherwise they will be tempted back. If it's table legs they're interested in, get some old tights or stockings and put them on the table legs instead of your own for a few days! That sometimes works, too.

Please don't punish them - they are only doing what comes naturally. You can use a water spray mister on them if you catch them, AT THE TIME they are doing it, although I'm not keen on this method as I don't like upsetting my cats at all! However, it won't hurt them, and could be used as a last resort.

If you live in a country where declawing is legal, I beg you NOT to get this painful operation done - it's the same as amputating all the ends of your fingers off, except YOU don't have to walk on them! It can cause so many behavioural problems in cats, and make them extremely unhappy, living a life of pain and difficulty.

Answer 2

I agree with the no declawing, but that has already been discussed by others so I won't go further!

First, make sure your cat has something else to scratch on. Not all cats like carpeted scratching posts, so try several kinds (wood, sisal, etc.) Also make sure you get a large, sturdy scratching post or even one of those big cat trees they can climb on -- most cats don't like those little scratching posts since they tip over easy and the cat can't stretch as far to scratch up high.

You also need to find a way to make your cats not want to scratch the furniture. One of our cats used to scratch the couch, so we put some Sticky Paws (http://www.stickypaws.com/) on the corners and he hasn't bothered it since! (Read the directions though, I'm not sure if you can use Sticky Paws on wood.) You can also buy a cat deterrant spray like bitter apple spray -- these are products that smell bad so the cat stays away. Some people will tell you to use something like hot sauce for this purpose, but don't do that -- if a cat gets the pepper oil in his eyes, he can claw his eyes out trying to stop the burning!

You can also use training techniques such as rewarding the cat when he uses the scratching post, and scaring him when he claws the furniture (squirt him with a water gun, tell him no, etc.). Also, when you do catch him clawing the furniture, tell him no (or whatever your preferred training method is) and then take him to the scratching post and put his feet on the post and encourage him to scratch there. You might also put the scratching post near the furniture -- since cats scratch to mark their territory (among other reasons), he may have some particular desire to scratch something in that area to mark his territory.

Answer 3

You have many options.
-One thing that can help is to trim the cat's nails.
-You can also get a scratching post and spray it or sprinkle catnip on the post to encourage the cat's interest.
-I have seen products at the pet stores, sometimes they're called "Sticky paws". They're clear sticky pads you can put on the furniture and the cat won't scratch anymore because they don't like the feeling of having their paws stuck.
-What I do to keep my cats in line is a spray bottle with water. When the cat is scratching, spray him with the water and he will stop immediately.
-You can also fill a soda can with beans or beads and tape it closed. When the cat scratches, toss the can in the cat's general area and the sudden noise will make the cat run away.

Please, whatever you do, DO NOT DE-CLAW the cat! De-clawing is cruel and inhumane! It involves amputating the cat's toes at the first joint or knuckle. It's very painful for the cat and it is not even good as a last resort.

Answer 4

1. Try to trim his claws a bit with a nail clipper and remove him from the furniture every time he scrathes them, then say NO and put him on his scratching post. This has always worked with my cats, but i do it since they are kittens. You may have to insist more with yours until he realizes it is wrong to destroy furniture.
2. Use claw caps, sold at www.softpaws.com. They are easy to use and cheap, and no problem to the cat.

3. Don't ever consider declawing. Declawing is cruel. Would you consider cutting your fingers off an act of love? Because that is what declawing means. where I live you go to jail if you do that to a a cat. Declawing is very likely (I've seen it happen even here on Y!Aswers many times) to make your cat stop using the litterbox , because it is no fun to dig without fingers, and/or start biting, which both are worse problems than the one you have.

Answer 5

Hi! My husband and I used to struggle with our cat's claw sharpening until we heard of 'Soft Paws'. Because our cat is allowed outside, he had a hard time of recognizing the difference between a tree and our couch and nothing we did seemed to work. We bought him all sorts of scratching posts, but he seemed to laugh at them.

Soft Paws are a soft nail covering that you can get at Petco or any pet store. You put the nail covering on over your cat's nails. It sounds a little crazy, but it works! The nail covering grows out with your cat's nails. The upside is that your furniture will be protected and your cat's nails will still be intact - the down side is that it takes two people to put them on and your cat probably won't win in a cat-fight.

The best thing about the Soft Paws is that they come in all sorts of colors - including pink! Though the cat's don't appreciate their manicures, we sure do!

Answer 6

DON'T DECLAW ! I BELIEVE IT IS CRUEL AND PAINFUL AND MAY LEAD TO BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS! Go to www.stopdeclaw.com. Try temporarily taping foil, clear thick vinyl, or towels over the wood where they want to scratch. Then make or buy a SISAL ROPE SCRATCHING POST rubbed with CATNIP and place it nearby. As they begin to use the scratching post, gradually move it away from the furniture then remove the towels, vinyl, or foil. Keep them interested in the scratching post with catnip. I have made my own sisal rope scratching posts for under $10. each and place them in every room of my house. They will eventually learn where the good scratching areas are. Good luck.

Answer 7

Dont declaw them it is cruel esspecially if they are outdoor cats, as they have to climb to get out of danger. Use a scratch post or you can buy special spays like orange that cats dont like. Every time your cat trys to scratch, clap your hands loudly to scare them, keep doing this and they will eventually stop.

Answer 8

1) I agree that de-clawing is inhumane
2) catch them in the act and spray with a squirt bottle. this won't hurt, but it will surprise them
3) provide alternatives - there are scratching post products that contain catnip to entice the cats.

Answer 9

get an empty spray bottle. Put a little vinegar in it then fill it the rest with water. Spray anywhere you do not want your cat to stratch. It is light enough where it does not bother you, but will bother the cat.

Get a stratching post type of thing. Walmart has them. They have catnip on them and you put it on the floor. My cats love them.

Answer 10

Please, Please, do not declaw your cat. In many countries and in parts of the U.S. it is illegal. My cat, now 3 years old, does not scratch the furniture. I bought her a scratching "board" at Walmart. She loves it! It looks like a 2 by 4 made of cardboard and come with a packet of catnip to sprinkle on it. Until he/she learns to use the board only, put any kind of citrus juice on the legs of your wood furniture. Cats HATE the smell!!!! Good luck!!