Read time: 2 mins
Yes they’re adorable. Yes they’re hilarious. Yes they come with inbuilt weapons to destroy your favourite upholstery. And the latter can be quite the problem for homeowners and renters alike. So how do you get your cat to stop scratching your favourite furnishings?!
Well, scratching is a natural behaviour for our furballs which is why it can be tricky to stop. In the wild, our pals on all fours scratch to sharpen their claws for more successful hunting. A little kitty manicure to improve their *cough* kill skills. It’s also a way to mark their territory, so they really are showing you who’s boss whilst tearing up your sofa. Charming.
Here are some suggestions to deter your favourite housemate from your furniture and stop them from shredding the drapes:
- Provide alternative scratching surfaces – rather than stopping such an innate behaviour, your best option is to provide some preferable scratching surfaces. There are so many scratching posts and pads available these days, your cat will be spoilt for choice. It’s essential to provide them somewhere to scratch so they can learn where is acceptable and make good choices. A lot of posts double as great sleeping spots too, so they’ve got a scratcher and a bed in one.
- Cat scratch tape – if your feline is targeting the same corner of your carpet continuously, then try some cat scratch tape. It’s a type of double-sided tape you can stick to your surfaces, cats hate the sticky sensation on their paws and will be surely deterred.
- Cat scratch spray – similar to the tape, this spray is made to target cat scratching hot spots. It works by tricking your trickster using scents that suggest your cat has already marked its territory and hopefully won’t feel the need to do so again with claws.
- Feline footwear – if you’ve got a particularly persistent puss, you may need to level up and try either some socks or boots designed for cats, to physically stop the scratching. Be warned though, these will probably bring about quite the battle but can be a good option if your cat really won’t quit it.
Though you may not be able to totally stop your mog when it comes to scratching, providing some great alternative options to your furniture will hopefully give them another satisfying surface to get their claws into, rather than your favourite curtains.
Renters…good luck!
