How to Stop Your Cat From Scratching Furniture

If you are an owner of a cat or cats, you certainly know nothing is spared from their claws: couches, rugs, armchairs, or wooden door frames. And while they enjoy scratching furniture, you probably don’t like it. 5-Minute Crafts wants to answer the question about why they have the urge to scratch things and how to stop your cat from scratching furniture.

A. Why do cats scratch furniture?

Scratching for cats is a natural behavior. They do it for several reasons including:

• Cat manicure: they remove the dead outer sheaths of their nails and keep them sharp and healthy.
• Marking territory: cats have scent glands between their claws, and when they are scratching furniture or something else, they release a scent that lets other cats know it’s their territory.
• Exercise: this way, cats can strengthen and stretch their upper body.
• To feel good: it relieves them of stress and thus prevents them from developing other unwanted behaviors.

B. What you should never do?

Declawing is not clipping your cat’s nails. It’s a surgical procedure where the claw and the end bone of each toe are amputated. Most of those cats have problems with balance and walking after the operation. Also, the cat may become aggressive and start biting as well as start urinating outside the litter box. Furthermore, they can’t ever be left to live outdoors because they are incapable of defending themselves or hunting without their claws.

C. What to do?

There are some things you can do to make your cat stay away from the furniture. You will just need a little bit of patience and time.

1. Trim your cat’s nails.

If you want to keep your cat away from your furniture, the first thing that you need to do is trim your cat’s nails:

• Before you start trimming your cat’s nails, you need to set up a peaceful and quiet environment.
• With cat nail clippers, start clipping their nails.
• Gently press the cat’s pad, and when the nail comes out, clip the tip of the nail.
• So you don’t hurt them, avoid the pink quick because that’s a vein that carries blood to the nail.

2. Provide scratching posts.

Start training your cat when she is young. Kittens will need a scratching post by the age of 8-12 weeks. You can provide scratching posts or stands, cat trees, or condos. Think about what your cat prefers: sisal rope, carpeting, corrugated cardboard, or natural wood, and, based on that, select a scratcher for your cat. Put the scratching post in a location where the cat wants to scratch. If they like to scratch the wall by your front door, place the scratching post near your front door. If they like scratching the couch, place the scratching post next to the couch.

3. Use cat scratch tape.

One way to discourage your cat from scratching furniture is to tape it with cat sticky tape. Cats don’t like anything sticky on their paws, and therefore they will avoid your furniture. The double-sided sticky tape is easily applied and removed from your furniture. You still will need a scratching post that is near and that your cat likes to use.

4. Protect your things with vinyl guards.

You can put vinyl panels on furniture where your cat likes to scratch. They are available in many sizes and also have screws so you can easily place them. Or you can put a vinyl carpet runner in front of the place where they love to scratch their claws.