If you own a cat or keep cats as pets, one of the common habits you will notice is always scratching things, especially your furniture. This habit can be irritating because it will cause damage to your furniture. You do not have to worry anymore; there are methods to curb this habit and prevent your cats from scratching your furniture.
Some of the proven methods to keep cats from scratching furniture include providing a good scratching post for the cat, training your cat when it is a kitten, covering the furniture with double-sided tape, covering the cat’s claws with plastic caps, and spraying the furniture with repellent.
Before you can stop a cat from scratching furniture, you must understand a cat. Cats scratch things to relieve stress, exercise their muscles, maintain their nail’s health, and mark their territory. These activities are part of cats, and you cannot stop them from doing so, but you can stop them from doing it on your furniture.
What Home Remedy Will Keep Cats From Scratching Furniture?
There is nothing more annoying than constantly finding scratch marks on different furniture in your house. It is not very pleasant when a visitor comes in and wants to sit and notices the scratch marks in different areas of your furniture. When you have a cat as a pet, these are some situations you will find yourself in.
In cases like this, one of your main concerns will be what home remedy to carry out to keep your cat from scratching your furniture. There are several home remedies you can carry out to prevent your cat from scratching your furniture and causing damage to them. Let us look at some of these remedies.
Trim Your Cat’s Claws
One of the reasons a cat keeps on scratching furniture is to maintain the health of its nails. When cats notice their claws grow longer, they scratch them on surfaces like furniture to sharpen and file them. Hence, to keep them from having the urge to scratch your furniture, you can trim their nails using a special cat nail clipper.
However, you must be very careful when trimming a cat’s nail; you should never cut their nails too low. Cats have blood vessels in their nails; cutting them too short can draw blood and cause pain to the cat. If you do not know how to trim a cat’s nail, you can watch some tutorials on the procedure or take your cat to a professional groomer to get the job done.
Spray Water On The Cat
One of the simplest methods to keep your cat from scratching your furniture is by spraying water on it. Most cats do not like water or being anywhere near water. All you have to do is to fill a spray bottle with clean water. Once you notice your cat scratching any furniture, give it a little spray, and it will leave that area immediately.
However, this method has a downside; most areas near your furniture will be messed with water. This will be extra work for you as you will have to start cleaning up the sprayed water. Your cat can also wait until you leave the room before it goes back to scratching.
Use Double Sided Sticky Tapes
Cats hate putting their paws on sticky objects or areas; cats generally do not like anything sticky. Using double-sided sticky tape on the areas on your furniture where your cat likes to scratch will keep the cat away from that area. Once your cat notices that its favorite scratching post is sticky, it will immediately leave that area alone.
Although this remedy keeps your cat from scratching your furniture, it might not be beneficial to you if you frequently use that furniture because such an area will also be sticky for you. This method should be applied to hidden areas on the house or furniture that you do not use anymore.
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How Can I Get My Cat To Stop Scratching The Couch?
Your couch is one of the valuable things in your home; it will be a disaster if your couch is filled with scratch marks. However, with a cat in the house, the possibility of having a couch full of scratch marks is high. You must take measures to get your cat to stop scratching your couch. Let us discuss those measures.
Spray The Couch With Water And Apple Cider Vinegar
One of the things cats hate is the smell of apple cider vinegar. To get your cat to stop scratching your couch, you can spray the couch with a solution of apple cider vinegar and clean water. This solution will make your couch a no-go area for the cat because once it smells apple cider vinegar, it will immediately leave the area.
You might probably be wondering if apple cider vinegar can cause damage to your couch. However, this liquid is perfect for cleaning different areas of the house, including your couches. So, by applying this solution on your couch, you are killing two birds with one stone. You can use the solution on other furniture in your house to keep your cat away.
Use Citrus Solution On The Couch
The citrus solution is another thing that cats detest; when a cat perceives a citrus smell, it immediately leaves the area. You can prepare a citrus solution by getting some oranges or lemons and removing the peels. Then, you boil the peels for 30 minutes and let the solution cool. Then pour through a strainer to get rid of sediments.
Now pour the remaining liquid into a spray bottle, and your solution is ready. All you need to do to prevent your cat from scratching the couch is to spray the solution in the areas the cat usually scratches. However, it would help if you were careful not to spray too much so that discoloration does not occur on your couch.
How Do I Stop My Cat From Scratching My Furniture Without Declawing It?
Most people always consider declawing a cat to stop it from scratching their furniture. However, declawing a cat is very harmful and painful to a cat; it involves amputating its toes. In most countries, declawing is highly illegal and punishable by the law. There are methods to apply to prevent your cat from scratching your furniture.
Use Pheromones
One of the reasons cats scratch furniture is to relieve stress. When a cat is uneasy, it becomes stressful and tries to look for ways to relieve itself. Most of the time, it turns to the easiest method and begins to scratch your furniture. Although this is beneficial to the cat, it is not the same for you.
Pheromone is a product that contains natural fragrances created by cats. This solution is effective in calming the nerves of a cat. So, when you notice your cat getting uneasy and wanting to scratch your furniture, you can spray the Pheromones to keep your cat calm.
Get A Scratching Post For Your Cat
An effective way of stopping your cat from scratching your furniture is by providing an alternative for the cat. You can get a scratching post for your cat; you should get a big post and one with the type of texture your cat prefers. Once you have gotten a scratching post, introduce it to your cat and train him to always scratch the post instead of your furniture.
Final Thoughts
Cats are lovely and gentle animals; several people prefer to have a cat over other animals due to their gentle nature. However, when a cat starts to scratch your furniture, you might start reconsidering having a cat as a pet. However, this should not stop you, as you can apply any of the methods above to prevent a cat from scratching your furniture.
Shawn Manaher is a serial entrepreneur but when he isn’t working, he loves dogs. He’s owned different pets over the years, and always gives a part of his heart to each pet.
