It’s terrible when your cat is destroying your furniture or anything else in your house. In this article, we’ll talk about 5 reasons why cats scratch furniture, and I’ll give you 6 ways to stop your cat from scratching your furniture. You’ll be glad you found this!
5 Reasons Why Cats Scratch Furniture
Cats scratching furniture is just as normal for them as meowing or purring. They really don’t see what the problem is! There are several reasons why they do this:
1. To stretch. Scratching on things allows a cat to fully stretch and extend their
body, and also extend and retract their claws.
2. To exercise. Not only to cats need exercise like every one else, but cats also like to stay limber, alert and strong to hunt prey.
3. They just like it. Cats enjoy the sensation of scratching, and unfortunately, they see your furniture is the perfect thing to scratch on!
4. It helps them with claw shedding. Cats’ claws are constantly growing. Their old claws eventually fall off when a new claw pushes through.
5. They’re marking their territory. Pheromones are secreted from between the pads of a cat’s paws and can be detected by other cats. Other cats can obviously see the scratch marks in the furniture as well, but leaving their scent is another way of making themselves known.
Your cat may also need more exercise or mental stimulation to keep them busy. For help on this, read my article with 10 Ways to Keep Indoor Cats Happy (includes video).
6 Ways to Stop a Cat from Scratching Furniture
6 Ways to Stop a Cat from Scratching Furniture1. Give them a scratching post. This is the best solution. Choose a scratching post that matches the type of surface your cat likes to scratch on. For example, if your cat stands on the couch and scratches on the cushion – a horizontal scratcher may work better.
If he prefers to scratch up and down the arms or side of the couch, a vertical scratching post might be better. You can see a nice variety of scratching posts here.
2. Teach them how to use the scratching post. Put the scratching post in a place where the cat typically likes to scratch. Whenever your cat scratches on the furniture, gently redirect him to the scratching post. You also might try applying either feline pheromones or catnip to the new scratching post to help attract them to it.
3. Provide other alternatives. A thick piece of carpet or a throw rug might be something you could provide to allow your cat to scratch on.
4. Make scratching unpleasant for them. You could place double-sided sticky tape or tin foil on your furniture. Your cat won’t like the feel of it.
It doesn’t have to be permanent. Just have this in place while you’re teaching your cat to use the scratching post instead.
5. Keep your cat’s nails trimmed. You may have to have your vet’s office do this if your cat won’t cooperate. But it’s worth saving your furniture! For help on this, read my article, How to Trim Your Cat’s Nails at Home (includes video).
6. Use furniture protectors. I tried these and they work perfectly. Teaching your cat to use a scratching post rather than the furniture is best, but in the meantime, you may try using furniture protectors.
Watch my video for more help
Your Tips to Stop Cats Scratching Furniture
If you have success with these tips or if you have any of your own tips to share on how people can get their cat to stop destroying their furniture, please comment below to help encourage others who are struggling with this.
For Help with Cat Training
If you feel you need more help with your cat’s behavior, I can recommend a very good resource for cat training called, Complete Cat Training Guide from KingdomofPets.com. This is a downloadable Ebook containing step-by-step instructions on how to solve 25 real-life cat behavior problems and comes with a money-back guarantee. You can read my full review here.
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Great article on why cats scratch furniture. My sister has this amazing adorable cat and she got him a scratch post, some catnip, and new toys. He is particularly fond of spring toys :).
This definitely helped keep him off the furniture, although he still likes to make “biscuits” on the couch. I didn’t realize they can act out, out of boredom or not being challenged enough.
Thank you for sharing!