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Thread: how do you stop your cats scratching your furniture..

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    how do you stop your cats scratching your furniture..

    I ask this question as i embark on some new furniture, my first ever brand new lounge suite,yep have always had hand me downs, and not that i am ungrateful, but yes it is time i added my own personal touch.

    I have a large scratch post downstairs,which both nikki and especially lexie use, but nikki was the one who messed up the old lounge suite, tearing it in at least three places, and i caught her today and yesterday at it again.

    I growled at her, but does not seem to be doing the trick, i am worried when the new one arrives that she will start doing the same.

    Any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks.
    Furangels only lent.
    RIP my gorgeous Sooti, taken from us far too young, we miss your beautiful face and purssonality,take care of Ash for us, love you xx000❤️❤️

    RIP my beautiful Ash,your pawprints are forever in my heart, love and miss you so much my big boy. ❤️❤️

    RIP my sweet gorgeous girl Ellie-Mae, a little battler to the end, you will never ever be forgotten, your little soul is forever in my heart, my thoughts, my memories, my love for you will never die, Love you my darling little precious girl.❤️❤️

    RIP our sweet Nikita taken suddenly ,way too soon ,you were a special girl we loved you so much ,miss you ❤️❤️

    RIP my beautiful Lexie, 15 years of unconditional love you gave us, we loved you so much, and miss you more than words can say.❤️❤️

    RIP beautiful Evee Ray Skye ,my life will never be the same with out you ,I loved you so much, I will never forget you ,miss you my darling .❤️❤️

  2. #2
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    Mar 2005
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    Quote Originally Posted by carole View Post
    I ask this question as i embark on some new furniture, my first ever brand new lounge suite,yep have always had hand me downs, and not that i am ungrateful, but yes it is time i added my own personal touch.

    I have a large scratch post downstairs,which both nikki and especially lexie use, but nikki was the one who messed up the old lounge suite, tearing it in at least three places, and i caught her today and yesterday at it again.

    I growled at her, but does not seem to be doing the trick, i am worried when the new one arrives that she will start doing the same.

    Any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks.
    Good question! This is why I do not buy new furniture. Buddy is the only one of my 3 that scratches the furniture.

    I hope someone here has an answer.

  3. #3
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    Mar 2003
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    yes well after having my second hand suite for over twenty years and it is tearing and a bit low to the ground for us these days, i decided it was time for a new one, but yes i would hate for it to be scratched, but i love my cats to bits, don't worry about that, but i know this is the best place to come and get good suggestions, as i am sure many have been there, and know what may actually work as a deterient,thanks in advance anyone.
    Furangels only lent.
    RIP my gorgeous Sooti, taken from us far too young, we miss your beautiful face and purssonality,take care of Ash for us, love you xx000❤️❤️

    RIP my beautiful Ash,your pawprints are forever in my heart, love and miss you so much my big boy. ❤️❤️

    RIP my sweet gorgeous girl Ellie-Mae, a little battler to the end, you will never ever be forgotten, your little soul is forever in my heart, my thoughts, my memories, my love for you will never die, Love you my darling little precious girl.❤️❤️

    RIP our sweet Nikita taken suddenly ,way too soon ,you were a special girl we loved you so much ,miss you ❤️❤️

    RIP my beautiful Lexie, 15 years of unconditional love you gave us, we loved you so much, and miss you more than words can say.❤️❤️

    RIP beautiful Evee Ray Skye ,my life will never be the same with out you ,I loved you so much, I will never forget you ,miss you my darling .❤️❤️

  4. #4
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    Good for you!!! I had piece-meal furniture, dishes, pots and pans...EVERYTHING. I was finally able to get new stuff for the first time in 35 years!!

    I would try putting small catnip enhanced scratchers in the places they are known to scratch. You can also try heavy duty two sided tape (to hold carpeting down). Put it on all the corners of the new stuff. They don't like feel the first time they try to scratch and will avoid the area.

    You can also put Soft Paws on them. They're like Lee Press-On Nails for cats!!

    Good luck, girl!

    Rest In Peace Casey (Bubba Dude) Your paw print will remain on my heart forever. 12/02
    Mollie Rose, you were there for me through good times and in bad, from the beginning.Your passing will leave a hole in my heart.We will be together "One Fine Day". 1994-2009
    MooShoo,you left me too soon.I wasn't ready.Know that you were my soulmate and have left me broken hearted.I loved you like no other. 1999 - 2010See you again "ONE FINE DAY"
    Maya Linn, my heart is broken. The day your beautiful blue eyes went blind was the worst day of my life.I only wish I could've done something.I'll miss your "premium" purr and our little "conversations". 1997-2013 See you again "ONE FINE DAY"

    DO NOT BUY WHILE SHELTER ANIMALS DIE!!

  5. #5
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    Sep 2002
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    Two sided tape, aluminum foil, plenty of appropriate scratcher that they do like, and tons of positive reinforcement when doing the right thing.

    No squirt guns, water things, shaker cans...that is all negative reinforcement and simply doesn't work.

    Remember, some cats LOVE the horizontal scratchers and some prefer the vertical. I have both of each. LOL.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cataholic View Post
    Remember, some cats LOVE the horizontal scratchers and some prefer the vertical. I have both of each. LOL.
    I wish this worked for Buddy. I have a feeling this is why he was put out and became my cat when he was only a year old. The only good thing is he tends to scratch the back of the chair and couch so it isn't as visible.

  7. #7
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    Apr 2002
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    Munich
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    I agree with everyone who said "good question!".
    What makes it very difficult is that they can "adopt" a piece of furniture even after years they ignored it
    Kiri right now begins to lie under the sofa on her back and to drag her along with claws, a technique, Tigris had developed which successfully ruined our old sofa. But now it is a new one......
    And Tigris and Kiri never met.
    Orion has a new habit. He scratches the glass of a picture that hangs fairly deep when he wants to have somethng to eat. On the picture is a watercolor of a light grey kitty standing on its backpaws to try and catch a toy. Do you think he knows that?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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    Two sided tape!
    Gayle - self proclaimed Queen of Poop
    Mommy to: Cali (14 year old kitten)
    (RB furbabies: Rascal RB 10/11/03 (ferret), Sami RB 24/02/04 (dog), Trouble RB 10/08/05 (ferret), Miko RB 20/01/06 (ferret) and Sebastian RB 12/12/06(ferret), Sasha RB 17/10/09 (border collie cross), Diego RB 04/12/21

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by happylabs View Post
    I wish this worked for Buddy. I have a feeling this is why he was put out and became my cat when he was only a year old. The only good thing is he tends to scratch the back of the chair and couch so it isn't as visible.

    Sometimes, you have to fool around/investigate the situation a bit to find out what Buddy wants/needs. I have ten cats. None of them are the same, and I have been surprised at the differences in their wants/needs many times. My little girl, Molly? She only likes the flat, cardboard ones- filled with cat nip. Cali? She only likes to hang from the ciscal (sic) covered cat tree. Monte? Eh- none. He prefers the chair. LOL.

  10. #10
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    Aug 2006
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    Methuen, MA; USA
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    Multi step process:

    1. Buy catnip. Crumble is to release the scent, on THEIR climbing trees, scratching posts, in their beds.

    2. At the same time: use a squirt bottle. Mix equal parts, water and white vinegar. This is a mild mix and humans will not smell it. Bats, being down close to it, WILL. Squirt all the edges / corners of the new furniture; the sides and the backs. Start by doing one small area, just to be sure the color won't run (95% of fabrics can take this mix with NO issues).

    Repeat the WHOLE THING at regular intervals. Do NOT wait until they start scratching stuff! Mark it on your calendar and DO IT.
    .

  11. #11
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    Sep 2005
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    St. Louis, Missouri
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    Have LOTS and LOTS of cat furniture and make sure they know it is theirs to use. Use catnip on the cat furniture and you can get a spray to keep cats away from certain areas that you may try spraying on/around your furniture. My experience with those sprays, though, is they work FANTASTIC the first day/few hours that you spray it, but it does wear off pretty quickly (we had a very hard time keeping our cats out of the Christmas tree last year...).

    We just purchased new couches and my boyfriend was very worried about the cats on it. Neither of ours are declawed... but they are VERY good about using their furniture and leaving ours alone. Also, this may or may not make a difference but I figured its worth mentioning -- my cat's furniture is in the living room, they have a scratching post and a cardboard scratching toy. I leave the cardboard scratching toy under my coffee table so it's close enough by that, if they feel the need to scratch on something, that is RIGHT THERE and they don't feel the need to scratch on our couches (at least, that's the logic I make out of it. This might be true, I don't know, but it works for us).

    Good luck.

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  12. #12
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    Nov 2003
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    Tabbyville, PA
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    Leather and microfiber are the way to go with cats. I only have leather furniture these days thanks to my guys. I hated how hot microfiber was, so leather it is!

    Microfiber is smooth and therefor the cats have no interest in scratching it.

  13. #13
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    oh really well i stayed way from leather because i thought they would do just that, but leather is not my thing really, suite is not micro fibre either, as for the double sided tape, would that not look hideous though, not being negative here, just that i am upgrading so i finally have a nice looking couch, cannot do the soft paws thing really as cats are indoor/outdoor.

    I think the bottle of water spraying them, would work for nikki maybe, she is the main offender here, although lexie has ruined everything else in the house you can imagine, she seems so far to have stayed away from the couch, as nikki would simply hate that, you just have to growl at her and she cowers ,poor wee thing, she hates when i put on my telling off voice, and she sure knows when she is in trouble lol.

    I have large scratching post in the lounge, and both cats use it, especially lexie, but lately nikki has been avoiding it and using the couch, grrr!!!.oh well it will be trial and error, and hopefully not a new suite ruined.

    No matter what the cats are still going to be my darlings,nothing they do can ever change that.Thanks for the advice, always appreciated.
    Furangels only lent.
    RIP my gorgeous Sooti, taken from us far too young, we miss your beautiful face and purssonality,take care of Ash for us, love you xx000❤️❤️

    RIP my beautiful Ash,your pawprints are forever in my heart, love and miss you so much my big boy. ❤️❤️

    RIP my sweet gorgeous girl Ellie-Mae, a little battler to the end, you will never ever be forgotten, your little soul is forever in my heart, my thoughts, my memories, my love for you will never die, Love you my darling little precious girl.❤️❤️

    RIP our sweet Nikita taken suddenly ,way too soon ,you were a special girl we loved you so much ,miss you ❤️❤️

    RIP my beautiful Lexie, 15 years of unconditional love you gave us, we loved you so much, and miss you more than words can say.❤️❤️

    RIP beautiful Evee Ray Skye ,my life will never be the same with out you ,I loved you so much, I will never forget you ,miss you my darling .❤️❤️

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Santa Paula, CA
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    27,648
    I had to cover my furniture to help to protect it better. It was new many years ago. My cats also have many cat trees, scratchers, and scratching posts near the furniture. If your cats like catnip, I've found that using catnip spray on their cat furniture will help to entice them to use them more. I tried the double sided tape before and this just didn't work for me. Also about microfiber, I have microfiber dining room chairs and they do scratch on them so this type of fabic didn't stop them. I hope you'll find a good solution quickly. Good luck.

  15. #15
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    Sep 2005
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    St. Louis, Missouri
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    We stayed away from leather not because I was concerned about them scratching at it, but rather I was concerned about the cats (and dog) jumping onto the couch and leaving a hole in it. We settled for microfiber!

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