Have you got a cat scratching at your furniture and are desperate for it to stop? Well, look no further because we are going to give you the best tips to make your cat stop. But to stop your cat from scratching, you need to understand why they scratch.

Why Cats Scratch Furniture

Cats scratch for numerous reasons: to express emotions like stress or excitement, mark their territory, remove the husk on the nail to reveal the sharp part, or simply stretch. The surfaces a cat chooses to scratch are usually rigid so it doesn’t move around when your cat is scratching and pulling at it.

How to Stop your Cat from Scratching your Furniture

Providing your cat with an alternative surface to scratch is the easiest way to get them to stop scratching at your furniture. Cats prefer to scratch tall, rigid objects that they are able to dig their nails into. This is why cats tend to scratch table legs and other tall pieces of furniture. To get them to stop, you should buy a tall scratching post, at least 30 inches tall, that won’t wobble or shake when played with. Some cats prefer to scratch horizontally, so in that case, you can buy a horizontal cat scratcher or place a vertical one on its side. Another good surface cats like to scratch is wood (which you probably know if you have wooden furniture) so if you’re good with your hands, you can create your own scratching post or board. You just need to make sure it’s tall/long and rigid enough for your cat.

Placing the Scratching Post

When placing your scratching post, you need to make sure that it is in a desirable location to scratch. So, if your cat likes to scratch your dining table legs place it next to your dining table, if it likes to scratch the wall when you come home place it next to the wall. Location is Important!

Introducing your Cat to the Scratching Post

You’ve bought your scratching post, now you just need your cat to want to use it. The best way to get your cat to use the scratching post is to play with your cat around the post. You can do this by using a laser pointer and pointing it at the scratching post or using a dangly toy which gets them to interact with the scratching post during play. You could also rub catnip on the scratching post which will lead them to naturally investigate it.

It is VERY important that you don’t force your cat onto the scratching post as it could cause a stress reaction and that will lead your cat to avoid the scratching post.

Making Previous Objects Undesirable

If your cat still likes to scratch your furniture, you will need to make your furniture undesirable for your cat to scratch. For furniture, the easiest way to do this is to wrap it with some sort of tight fitting sheet. For smaller surfaces, you can use double-sided tape or aluminium foil, these work because it makes the surface to sticky or slick/smooth which isn’t enjoyable for a cat to scratch.

Once your cat is consistently using the scratching post, you can take off any covering you used as a deterrent.