How to Stop Cats From Scratching Furniture

First, you need to realize that scratching is a perfectly normal and natural behavior for cats of any age. This is probably evident when looking around your house at your shredded discount furniture. But it is comforting to know that it is a natural behavior, and the cat isn’t trying to get on your nerves and annoy you.

Cats are different from dogs in that they do not respond to punishment.  Cats seem to just give you a blank stare - like they have no idea why you are so worked up.  In order to prevent your cat from scratching up your sofa, you need to purchase an appropriate scratching post for her to sharpen her claws.  Make sure it is one that is heavy duty - you do not want to purchase a scratching post that is soft and luxurious.

You want to start by having the scratching post in the same room as the family spends most of their time.  Put the post right by what she tends to scratch the most (you may have to purchase a few to cover all her favorite spots).  You can trick her into scratching by playing games with her to get her interested in the post.  Eventually she will become accustomed to the new post and will stop scratching your furniture.

Another way to discourage her from scratching is by using aluminum foil or double sided tape to cover the areas you want to protect - these things do not feel very good to scratch.  If you have any other ideas on how to protect your furniture from your cat’s sharp claws, please leave a comment.

Thanks for reading!  As always your participation in comments and discussions are encouraged and greatly appreciated!!