How to Stop Your Cats From Scratching Furniture

Trick (learned it from a mom with a baby but it work with cats!) to get them to scratch the post more than the couch: Need a sacrifice of t-shirt. And old one, an ugly one, whatever. Wear the shirt. Wear it a lot. It got to have your scent strong, so sleep with it, work with it... do it over a week-end. When it smell like you, shred it, and tie the pieces nice and tight around the scratching posts. Ta-dam! Cat smell you on post! Cat scratch post!

I make a bear noise everytime I see my cat scratching my couch. He'll stop and run out of the room. I'll calmly go get him and show him his scratching post. I can't believe this only stops the behavior in the moment. I know cat's can recall things. Hopefully, putting a scratching post next to it will help, I don't like being a bear.

Awww, he’s so sweet the way he was talking about how unique the relationship between a human and their cat can be.

My cat digs on his scratching post while staring me down. Should I sleep with one eye open?

I gotta say this guy is helping me raising this 6 week old kitten. Unfortunately the mother passed away, and I have to teach a lot to this little guy. I woke up to him scratching my bed, instead of getting angry and yelling at him. I noticed it's been 7 hours since he last ate. Played with him for 30 minutes, gave him a tiny bit to eat, and now he's passed out on his half of my king size bed. I just hope it's not something he grows accustomed too.

Something about his flat-ironed beard makes me feel like he knows what he's talking about.

My cat ripped my air mattress so I cant sleep and im still pissed lol

I have been clipping my cat's claws at the same time I clip my own nails for years. I use treats, praise and affection to reward him when we're done.

One time I REALLY appreciated the fact that my cat had claws was when she had a bout with vestibular disorder. After the first attempt to jump when she missed the chair and fell, she got scared of jumping. She also couldn't walk without falling down. But with claws she was at least able to climb to the kitty tree and to my bed at night. She was afraid to jump for months afterward, so being able to climb really made her more comfortable.

Declawing a cat is like a human cutting off their fingers. My cat was declawed by his former owner and he turned into the most scared, alert, timid cat I’ve ever seen. This has lasted years, because his claws being declawed affected him for the rest of his life.

My cats love scratching those coconut coar outdoor door matts! They’re really cheap! I have 3-4 around the house and they love them! When I first got them, I sprayed catnip spray on them, and do so periodically, and it works great! My cats are adults, and all my furniture is in perfect condition!

I found out my cats like clawing natural wood after spending $$$ on so many other professional cat products. A couple bucks at Lowe’s and we’re all right. Who knew🤷🏻‍♀️

This video is soooo helpful, I've been reading articles for months and fighting with my sister every time something doesn't work. Really hoping to try out these techniques because I absolutely refuse to get my cat declawed

Thank you! I just adopted a cat and love her so much already, except for her scratching the couch. I noticed today her nails are long and definitely need trimmed. So this video was helpful and makes me feel more confident to try trimming her nails. She already let's me hold her paws and check them.

What has always worked for me with a new cat is to cover the vertical part of the arms with clear plastic (commonly used to protect cloth table cloths)).  It's available from the fabric store or Walmart and typically comes in 3 thicknesses.  Choose the middle weight as the flimsy stuff will shred and the too thick version won't bend nicely.  Cut a strip slightly wider than the arm and attach it to the arm with upholstery tacks (clear button like things with corkscrew screws) which are available at the 2 above mentioned stores.It's barely noticeable and when your cat goes to scratch he/she will immediately be disappointed and move on to the scratching post.  After a while you can remove the plastic - or just leave it there.You're absolutely right - a lot of scratching posts are so light weight they'll easily tip over the first time kitty uses it.  Manufacturers obviously don't have cats!  My neighbor borrowed mine and filled the hollow part of the base with old golf balls.  Worked great.Hope this helps save some couches!   I learn a lot from your site and appreciate your good advice.Tavette - the "cat lady" in South Florida

My cat loves scratching the carpet. I'm so thankful he grew out of scratching furniture.

Hi I have adopted a kitten that was found in someone's garage with her mum and she was so different then other cats..but now she is so sweet and kind and the doctor told me its actually a wild cat..I love her anyway and we communicate well and she trusts me,its wonderfull that I teached her to catch and fetch a Toy when we play ..she is special but so gratefull to me.and she even protects me..Thank you for all the advice ..

I have 3 persian cats and none of them scratch my furniture. This only works 100% if you get the cat as a kitten. 1. Never ever let them on furniture you don't want ruined. 2.Put scratch posts near areas you don't want them to scratch. 3. Reward them for using scratch posts with something they like (petting, food, happy noises) After maybe 3-4 years they will respect furniture and you might be able to let them on furniture without them scratching the furniture.

I totally agree.. my ignorant ex-husband had all three of my cats declawed; you better believe I almost DENAILED him!!! One of our cats got out (they were/are indoor cats), and I was so worried for her. Thank God that someone found her and called us. She was safe and sound. Avoid DECLAWING cats, as Jason says, it is CRUEL and UNECESSARY!

Something i learned over the years. My cat stopped scratching my sofa after.. 1. I bought a new sofa of a micro velvet material (the soft kind) 2. I placed a woven rug/carpet where we like to hang out the most (in this case, sofa area). The purpose of a rough woven rug was to allow my cat to scratch all he wants. He has about 6’ by 10’ of rug size to scratch. And guess what? He loves it! And he doesn’t scratch my velvet sofa at all . I learned that my cat will scratch anything that is rough and will not scratch anything that’s soft.