Protecting furniture from cat scratching

[NOYFB]

Ok, question for all you cat owners/lovers, etc...what kinds of things have you tried to keep your kitties from ruining your furniture?

We have a very nice (very expensive) leather sectional sofa that has never been an issue until Tinkie came into our lives. EQ was declawed and Peanut doesn't ever spend time in the living room, so we never had to worry about him. Tinkie has made a few marks on the sofa in her short time with with us, so at the moment we have resorted to covering up as much of the sofa as we can with blankets. Of course, this is not very attractive, so when we have people over we have to remove all of the blankets. Not to mention the fact that I LOVE my sofa and don't want it to be covered all of the time.

I bought Tinkie a scratching *bridge* when we first adopted her, but she is not at all interested in it, even though there are 2 different scratching surfaces. She doesn't seem to differentiate between being a horizontal or vertical scratcher, as there are scratches from both positions on my sofa.

We do have a rug in our dining room that is there soley for the purpose of Peanut's scratching. He knows this and it is the only place he scratches. I have seen Tinkie scratch there a few times, but not a lot. She also likes to scratch the dust ruffle and sheets of our bed, so we are trying to discourage that as well (though not as destructive as our leather couch).

DH is really against cat *furniture*, but I really think Tinkie would love to have her own space. Right now, the majority of her time is spent on our dining room table, curled up in some of DH's fleeces that he has lovingly donated for her "bed". Because of this, she doesn't spend a lot of time in the living room, unless she is hanging out with me, on top of the couch. So, I want to trust her and take the blankets off, but I'm so afraid that I'm going to come home and find my leather couch ripped to shreds. She already did a number on DH's leather arm chair (which we didn't think she EVER went on!)

I found this company, http://www.squarecathabitat.com and the cat furniture seems more likely to fit in with our style without screaming "carpeted cat tree!" Was wondering if anyone has any of these pieces (or anything similar) and if so, what their thoughts are on it.

The guy at the furniture store last week suggested we rub a jalapeno pepper on the leather to deter Tinkie, but then I read tonight that if her paw touches where the pepper was and she touches her eye it could be extremely painful and she could scratch her eyes out! So, no way am I going to do that! I've tried Lemon Pledge leather wipes, because I read that cats don't like citrus, but it's something you have to do every day to keep the scent in the leather.

Any/all suggestions are welcome. I love my kitty and don't plan to ever declaw her, so I need to figure something out that allows me to uncover my beautiful sofa!

 

[PintoBean]

Hi lil misfit,

I clip my 2 Knucklehead's nails with human nail clippers, but that doesn't prevent the scampering around the leather sectional, which is scratched up now.

We choose cat scratch posts and toys that are not made from materials like our furnishings.

Cat #1 likes twine scratching posts.
Cat #2 likes corrugated cardboard type toys to scratch.

To encourage scratching only those toys, we sprinkle catnip. Weeee...!

 

[ForteKitty]

Do you ever watch "My Cat From Hell"? Jackson Galaxy always recommends the owners put cat loungers/towers next to the human chairs because it gives the cats something to claim as their own. There are attractive looking ones that don't look tacky. Perhaps your husband will be open to getting one of those?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

The only thing that has worked for us (and I don't know if it'll work on a leather finish) is covering the spots my cat likes to scratch with scotch packing tape. It looks horrible, though, having the corners of the couch covered in shiney tape. lol Pet stores sell double sided tape strips but I found those end up covered in lint, so after I tried the packing tape, it has stayed on and my cat cannot scratch there.

We put his cat tower in our family room and sprinkle it with catnip, but he still scratches any place he can on either set of couches (if given the chance). We use to have microfiber furniture and that was the only set that survived cat claws.

I guess I'm of the category of: if you have a cat, you might not have nice furniture. It's like having kids. Having one pretty much ensures a few additional stains in the carpet or cabinets covered in sharpie.

 

[mary poppins]

Put a scratching post in the living room and another in the bedroom. When Tinkie scratches in the wrong place, immediately and sharply say "Tinkie, no!", pick her up and place her paws on the scratching post so she knows that's where she's supposed to scratch.

Also, cats like to be in higher places, so you may want to create a high place for her in the living room.

Another idea is to move DH's fleeces from the table to a particular place on the couch so Tinkie has her own spot there that is already marked by scent.

Good luck!

ETA: I agree with a prior poster regarding clipping the claws, and frequently. DH uses cat claw clippers.

 

[bunnycat]

Do you ever watch "My Cat From Hell"? Jackson Galaxy always recommends the owners put cat loungers/towers next to the human chairs because it gives the cats something to claim as their own. There are attractive looking ones that don't look tacky. Perhaps your husband will be open to getting one of those?

We have a couple of kitty loungers next to the couch (also leather like you LilM) and mostly the cats don't scratch the furniture. You can get the loungers from Amazon and they are about $25 or so, carpeted and sisal. Cats love sisal. I also have a couple of feathered sticks that I keep there to encourage that as the "play" area and play with them regularly there.

This is a great help though it doesn't completely stop scratching under certain circumstances, such as when Tiny likes to scratch the dust ruffle to "get my attention" at night (for food) and Zoe unfortunately does the same thing with my Great great grandfathers handmade bench at the foot of the bed. I'm grateful the toys mostly curtail things, and I am a big believer that even a cat can be trained. Redirect her with play at the appropriate place if she's scratching at the wrong thing. We have multiple cats and it can be done. (I do not believe in declawing.)

Claw clipping is a good thing, but it is not why cats scratch. They scratch to mark territory. They have scent glands on their paws.

Cats also like things with a bit of "heft" to them when they are scratching. Those silly little things that hang from the doors and have a sisal cover are just not heavy enough to make a cat want to scratch them. That's why the loungers are kind of nice. Not as big (or expensive) as a full tree, but heavier than those little $10 scratch pads that don't do attract any cat I have ever seen.

(It is good to know though that Tinkie is feeling good enough now to get in to trouble. )

 

[bunnycat]

goodness, the stupid looking things that come up when you type in kitty lounger in Amazon....This is what i mean:

http://www.amazon.com/Petlinks-System-Dream-Two-Surface-Scratcher/dp/B001HS4B7W/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1368506895&sr=8-7&keywords=cat+lounger

It small and easy to discard when they tear it up, but heavy enough to be useful.

One book I had said the secret to keeping cats from scratching furniture was to give them something that would be more attractive and interesting to scratch than the furniture and I have never forgotten that.

 

[ForteKitty]

My cats love this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Original-...68507433&sr=1-2&keywords=cat+scratcher+lounge

 

[MichelleCarmen]

My cats love this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Original-...68507433&sr=1-2&keywords=cat+scratcher+lounge

I've seen these at pet stores around us and have wondered if my cat would go for one. I am not sure if they will satisfy his scratching or if they're just heavy-duty cardboard box w/catnip. So they work? My cat is so rebellious...

 

[MichelleCarmen]

goodness, the stupid looking things that come up when you type in kitty lounger in Amazon....This is what i mean:

http://www.amazon.com/Petlinks-System-Dream-Two-Surface-Scratcher/dp/B001HS4B7W/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1368506895&sr=8-7&keywords=cat+lounger

It small and easy to discard when they tear it up, but heavy enough to be useful.

One book I had said the secret to keeping cats from scratching furniture was to give them something that would be more attractive and interesting to scratch than the furniture and I have never forgotten that.

err, often, if not mostly, if the cat isn't scratching our furniture, he is scratching us. Maybe we just adopted a bad bad kitty.

 

[bunnycat]

goodness, the stupid looking things that come up when you type in kitty lounger in Amazon....This is what i mean:

http://www.amazon.com/Petlinks-System-Dream-Two-Surface-Scratcher/dp/B001HS4B7W/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1368506895&sr=8-7&keywords=cat+lounger

It small and easy to discard when they tear it up, but heavy enough to be useful.

One book I had said the secret to keeping cats from scratching furniture was to give them something that would be more attractive and interesting to scratch than the furniture and I have never forgotten that.

err, often, if not mostly, if the cat isn't scratching our furniture, he is scratching us. Maybe we just adopted a bad bad kitty.

Maybe he finds y'all super interesting! (Just kidding)

I've had cats for all of my 40+ years and for the last 25 I have always had 2+ cats so the things i say are based just on my own experience but may surely not apply in all cases. In all that time I've known one cat whom I thought was truly a "bad" cat and it was my brother's cat. (He would attack me in the middle of the night while I slept.)

Mostly I have found that I can "train" them out of roughhousing with people if you start when they are kittens. Mostly they don't get that they can't use their claws when they play with people like they can with litter-mates, but I've had a fair amount of luck with redirecting them when they are kittens when they try to play with the claws out. (Have something else to give them and don't struggle to extract yourself, go limp. That only makes them latch on.) All the ones I have now (5) are mostly older (6+) except Tiny so this isn't an issue for anyone but him. He is 4 but still acts and looks like a kitten. I have managed to train him out of roughhousing with his teeth, but not always with the claws so I still get some light scratches when we play. Now if I could only figure out how to get him to stop chewing on window sills....

For the last 15 years I have had 3+ cats and not too many scratching issues, considering.

LilM- my suggestion is you have to set yourself up as "mama cat". She doesn't get that she's doing something bad so I would redirect her with play as opposed to anger/negative reinforcement but still letting her know she's crossed a boundary. I think she just wants something to call her own so she needs something that's "hers" and doesn't have to share.

 

[bunnycat]

My cats love this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Original-...68507433&sr=1-2&keywords=cat+scratcher+lounge

I've seen these at pet stores around us and have wondered if my cat would go for one. I am not sure if they will satisfy his scratching or if they're just heavy-duty cardboard box w/catnip. So they work? My cat is so rebellious...

They are heavy cardboard. I have tried them but find the little S lounger to work better, last longer because it's carpet and sisal over wood and costs similarly. Cleaning up the shredded cardboard is no fun but my main fear on the cardboard ones is that it will remind them a little TOOOO much like a kitty box.

 

[ForteKitty]

Haha I never thought about that! My cats don't like the S lounge. They wont even go near it! We had to get extra litter box looking loungers because they were fighting over it. Luckily the Homegoods around me had them for $12 so I picked up a bunch.

 

[bunnycat]

Haha I never thought about that! My cats don't like the S lounge. They wont even go near it! We had to get extra litter box looking loungers because they were fighting over it. Luckily the Homegoods around me had them for $12 so I picked up a bunch.

Too funny! Mine are the opposite. They love their S loungers, shred the cardboard stuff in short order then leave it for dust (and for me to clean up) so I stopped getting those. But the S loungers see 6 months to a year of wear and tear. I have to finally ditch them after Tiny gnaws the edges of them to shreds and gets down to wood, long before the carpeting wears out. He's my little maniac I rehabbed from feral.

 

[ruby59]

To cats, scratching is as natural as breathing. It just comes with being a cat guardian. We use the sticky two sided tape in places that he heavily used to scratch, like corners of the couch and especially the bottom. You have to change the tape as hair and what not stick to it. He used to have a bad habbit of digging his claws at one end and pushing his body along the length of the couch, scratching the entire way.

My cat is very social and likes to be around people, so we have cat towers where the family tends to gather - in the den and great room. Having his own furniture has considerably cut down on his scratching of ours.

And we bring him monthly to the groomers to have his nails trimmed. We found that if we let his nails get too long the scratching gets worse.

 

[Gypsy]

Well, I try to buy furniture that is cat friendly-- or at least not a cat magnet. A lot of that comes from trial and error.

I also recommend buying a lot of cat furniture though. It does help. I have 6 cats and one 7 foot cat tree and two 5 foot ones. In addition to other things that they like.

Microfiber is your friend. So are throws you can cover the corners of couches with.

I had a leather sofa and love seat. Cats left it alone. Bought leather arm chairs for the dining room... riddled with holes from Hally "stretching".

Cat's are finicky little bugs. But it is their home too. Scratching/stretching is part and parcel with having cats. Just like hair balls.

 

[CJ2008]

LM, I feel your pain because I am in the same situation.

DH is really opposed to cat furniture in our living room - and so am I, if I can help it.

Right now our couch is covered with a blanket, and I don't love it either.

But I do also feel that if he's here's and we accept him into our home, that we also need to provide what he needs for him to be happy. So although I don't LIKE the idea of cat furniture, and I don't LIKE the idea of the couch being covered with blankets 24/7 I'd be willing to do it if DH was not fighting me every step of the way.

So I am always looking for nice cat furniture and can't seem to find something that looks nice AND is functional. It's like when they make it nice looking it's really silly (like not being wide enough so that it would topple over). Plus, nice furniture is expensive and because of DH's resistance it's tough for me to "just do it" and buy it and let him deal with it.

That said, I took a quick look at the site that you posted and it looks promising. The Baobab looks great...my main thing with these things - is the BASE wide enough so it doesn't BUDGE when they jump on it. Not sure how you'd figure that out...I like the Lo Scratcher, too...

You know what - maybe your post will inspire me to just buy some of these things...

I own this http://www.purrfectpost.com/ and for a scratcher, it's fairly attractive (but not really for the living room, no matter which way you cut it)...plus, it's VERY sturdy.

(knowing you, you probably called him already, but please call that guy at the furniture place so he stops telling people to do that! You knew better to research it but other people may not )

 

[erinl]

I would agree that clipping your cat is the best way to keep damage to a minimum. I have a cat that doesn't scratch much at all, but she loves to chew things--window ledges, pulls, any small cord or string. I have tried to break her of it with no luck. I have found that cats that scratch are cats that scratch and little can be done to change their behavior.

They also make small caps you can glue on their claws. I haven't done it myself because my cat doesn't scratch a lot, but I might if all else failed.

http://www.dhgate.com/p-ff8080813a071b4d013a3bd2027362b3.html?utm_source=GMC&utm_medium=Adwords&utm_campaign=greitshop&utm_term=144192987&f=bm|144192987|019009-Pet%20Supplies|GMC|Adwords||greitshop|US|019009004-Dog%20Supplies|&gclid=CIWJ9oKSmLcCFcuh4AodOiMASA

 

[Octavia]

My cat doesn't scratch our furniture very often, but does go after the couch when he's mad at us and wants to prove a point. As in, "you thwarted my plan to eat the floral centerpiece on the dining room table? Well, take this!" or "I've been telling you for three minutes that I want to play and you aren't listening to me, take that!" He goes up to the couch, looks straight at us, and sinks his claws in. Our couch isn't completely destroyed, but it does have telltale marks; luckily, it's pretty old and is a heavy twill material so it doesn't matter too much. But I do worry about when we get a new couch at some point...

Anyway, we have tried the SoftPaws claw caps and they work okay as long as you can keep your cat from pulling them off before the glue completely sets. Our kitty hates them and usually manages to get one or two off in the first couple days, but they definitely help stop the damage. The thing I hate is that the glue dries out really fast in the tube, so it's hit or miss whether it will be usable the next time you try to put on a set of caps. We ended up with a ton of caps and no way to stick them on before we gave up on them. I do think they're a good option, though, especially when you're trying to "train" your cat where to scratch and not to scratch (haha...I envy you lucky people who manage to follow through on that!).

 

[kenny]

These look cool.
I'll bet cats hate them.

 

[chrono]

Some cats will let you put those on, especially if you start doing this when they are young. Most are more than happy to make new holes in your skin when you try.

 

[kenny]

I was surprised to learn how common cat declawing is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onychectomy

"Declawing is legal in most US jurisdictions.
It is estimated that 25% of owned cats in the United States are declawed (Patronek 2001)."

 

[ruby59]

I have considered declawing as mine is an indoor cat. But what concerns me is having to put him under anesthesia. There is always a risk that something could go wrong, and am just not willing to take the risk for "elective" surgery.

 

[chrono]

Declawing is more than just removing a nail, indoor cat or not. It is amputation of the toe up to the first knuckle.

 

[kenny]

Personally I'd never declaw a cat, or surgically alter my parrot or dog so I don't have to listen to the screaming/barking.
I try not to dictate my values onto others, but if I get an animal I should accept and/or work on its bad qualities.
Ears and furniture be damned.
If my neighbor declaws her cats that's her business.

YMMV.

I am just astonished that a quarter of the pet cats in America are declawed.
According to http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/pet_ownership_statistics.html there are 86 million pet cats in the United States.
If 25% of them are declawed that's 21.5 million cats.
Since the link states the average cat owner has 2.2 cats about ten-million Americans had their cats declawed.
Declawing is VERY common.
Wiki says the vast majority is to protect furniture.

Apparent reasons:
1. Owners feel declawing is not cruel.
2. They feel it IS cruel but their couch outranks their cat.
3. Their immune system is compromised so they cannot let the germs from cat claws into their bloodstreams, yet they don't want to give up their cat.

 

[ruby59]

Thank you Chrono and Kenny for filling in the information about declawing. I once asked my vet when it got particularly bad, but she did not go into great detail describing the procedure. It might have been because I had my young children with me.

And I agree that you take the good with the bad when taking in a pet. I am so glad they stopped taking the voice boxes out of dogs to prevent excessive barking. And for me I would no longer consider declawing now that I know what it is.

I guess the only time I could see it being done would be if after trying everything else first to correct the behavior and that it got so bad it made the difference in being able to keep the cat in your home rather than bringing it to a shelter.

Fortunately, in my home, sticky tape and cat towers did the trick.

 

[erinl]

I would clip my cats claws very frequently before I had the cat declawed. It seems to cut down on furniture damage. But you really have to keep up on it. Some cats are obsessive about sharpening their claws...

 

[Jax172]

We used those plastic nail caps when we had a cat. they worked great

 

[adwordandi]

My sister is a cat lover. We had two cats in our house. But cats were ruining our furniture. Then I found surface protection tape. It really works. It protects our furniture from scratching and other damages. For more information go to their website: http://www.tuftape.co/products/surface_protection .

 

[arkieb1]

Have you tried messing around with scents for the cat in question? So rub cat nip on any scratching posts (or something the cat likes), put food and nice things near it (rewards and nice things). Put orange oil in a small dishes and see if it will fit just under the furniture that is getting scratched or find another scent your cat hates and put a dish of something it dislikes under it (no reward and nasty association).

Buy a spray bottle and put water and something non toxic that the cat hates like vinegar in with it and when the cat scratches the furniture squirt it at the cat and say loudly & firmly no or naughty so it trains the cat to keep away from there.

Cats are smart creatures they can be trained to do things and they have a keen sense of smell, if they don't like something they will avoid it.