Cats love your furniture.
But, not the way that you do. They do like sitting on your expensive chairs and sofas but, they like tearing them out more than they like lounging on them. After a point, the only sane thing that you can do is to keep your cat off furniture.
However, how to keep cats off furniture?
That is what I will be going through in this blog post. I will teach you how you can save your furniture from your kitty.
So, let’s get started, shall we?
Here we go.
Make it Less Appealing
One of the biggest reasons why cats scratch your furniture is because they find it appealing. So, in order to discourage your cat, you have to make it less appealing to your kitty.
Whether your cat likes to go to town on the legs of your wooden table or the upholstered corner of the couch, a simple herbal spray deterrent such as vinegar and water or lemon water may be all that you need to make its surface less appealing.
You can also try using Feliway, which is a pheromone spray that can be used to discourage a variety of behaviors.
How does this work?
Well, when cats scratch, they basically deposit a scent to the furniture that marks their territory. However, by replacing their scent with an unpleasant you can discourage repeat scratching.
Another way to make the area unappealing to your cats is by attaching sandpaper, an upside-down vinyl carpet runner or even use a double-sided tape product such as Sticky Strips to the scratching surface.
How does this work?
Cats’ paws are really sensitive to touch, so changing the feel of the surface will easily discourage the scratching behavior.
Offer Alternatives
Another way you can keep cats off furniture is by providing a more appealing place to scratch for your cat where she can sink her claws.
Scratching posts, furniture, and board are excellent alternatives. There are a variety of products available for the very same on the market which range from the very basic to extravagant.
You can also invest in scratching posts that lead to dangling toys, ceiling-high bridge, etc.
If your cat likes to scratch the furniture legs or even door frames, you can get a piece of wooden cat furniture or a cedar scratching post and your cat will for sure enjoy that as well. If your kitty prefers some softer surfaces such as couch, rugs, etc. a carpeted post or cat tree are good options as well.
If you don’t know about your cat’s preferences, you should provide your feline friend with a variety of surfaces such as wood, sisal, carpet, cardboard, upholstery, etc.
Do keep in mind that some cats prefer horizontal posts, while others like to scratch on vertical areas.
If your cat stays away from the fancy things, you need to to encourage your cat to scratch by adding a pinch of catnip to the area or hang toys from the post.
However, keep in mind to never force your kitty onto the new surface or drag the claws onto it.
This is because trying to force the behavior could actually have the exact opposite response and can even make your cat fearful of the area. So, when you cat is scratching on the furniture or post that you’ve provided, reinforce this behavior by giving your cat affection or feeding him treats.
This will help you keep your cat off furniture.
Trim Your Cat’s Nails
Did you know that trimming your cat’s nails as part of a regular grooming routine is a good way to reduce damage to furniture and other household items?
You can find some excellent tips on how to trim your cat’s nails and how to train your cat to accept regular clipping on the official website of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has some good.
If you don’t wish to trim your kitty’s nails, you can also apply plastic caps like Soft Claws to your feline friend’s claws to make them less damaging. These caps are a good choice as they typically last four to six weeks.
Some people even declaw their cats to solve scratching issues.
But, keep in mind that declawing means the amputation of the cat’s toes. So, that is considered cruel and something you should never consider.
In fact, did you know that cats can never grow nails once declawed?
This means that they can’t even defend themselves.
Summing Up
Cats love to scratch all surfaces, even your furniture.
The best way to keep cats off furniture is by discouraging them from scratching and providing them with alternatives that they like better.
You can also trim your cats nails or dull them to discourage the behaviour.
Still have questions, leave them in the comments, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.