How to Stop Your Cat Destroying Your Furniture

Cats need to scratch for health and social reasons. We also know that while a cat's behaviour can be modified, it cannot be trained easily like a puppy. The answer is to find something else for the cat to scratch instead of your pine furniture and to persuade it to express a preference for the new item.

How to Stop Your Cat Destroying Your Furniture Scratching posts are readily available in various colours and styles. Remember, though, that the post needs to be attractive to the cat, not to you. Cats generally like rough surfaces to have a good scratch on so most posts have sisal wrapped round then and fastened on tightly. Others may have a piece of carpet with the woven reverse to the outer. Both options will have enough friction to keep kitty amused and keep his claws conditioned. A broad base is essential, because if the post topples over onto the cat, he will be afraid of it and will avoid it.

It is tempting to get hold of the cat's front legs and scratch them on the post or to scratch it with your own fingernails to "show him what to do". Do not try this. He will think that you have gone bonkers. He will not be wrong.

How to Stop Your Cat Destroying Your Furniture Once the cat has started to scratch the post, it may start to look unkempt. Do not replace it at this point. The act of scratching releases a special aroma from near the cat's paw. If that lovely aroma is taken away and replaced by something that smells plasticky and new, that cat may retaliate by attacking the furniture again. Treat that scruffy scratching post with as much tender care as a child's favourite blanket.

The post should be tall enough for the cat to stretch out while he scratches. Thus, a kitten-sized one is a false economy as when it has been outgrown, the lovely smell will be taken away. Remember that cats bear grudges!

We know that cats like to scratch the furniture and how we can obtain an appropriate replacement to scratch at. The big, big problem that needs to be addressed now, is how on earth we can get these beautiful yet diffident creatures to do what we want them to.

How to Stop Your Cat Destroying Your Furniture If a cat urinates in the wrong place, we would place the litter tray over the spot and gradually move it towards the back door, an inch a day. The same method is used for the scratching post. It has to be placed in front of the item that the cat damages. Cats love the small of catmint, also known as catnip or nepeta. It can help to rub some of the leaves into the post to make it more irresistible. One can also attach the cat's favourite dangly toy to the top of the post. When the cat starts to love using the post, then move it a couple of centimetres each day so it is no longer in your way.

In the meantime, you need to distract the cat from damaging the original article. Cats hate having sticky paws, so the simplest method is to attach double-sided tape or inside-out loops of masking tape to the furniture. Some other cats are put-off by the feel of aluminium foil so that can be attached by using more masking tape. Do not forget that the original scratches will have cat scent on them. This can be covered over by using a lemon-scented spray or floral disinfectant. Test on a hidden area first to prevent staining. Masking tape should be replaced regularly as the lightly-tacky adhesive gets rather more permanent in time.

How to Stop Your Cat Destroying Your Furniture Of course, training a cat to use a scratching post is most easily achieved when the cat is still a young kitten. Cats are creatures of habit so it is wise to start them off with good ones while young.