Hey tdk'rs how was Turky day on Thursday? Hope you are all having a great weekend!
My dad brought me a couch that comes out as a futon. Problem is it is covered in a material the cats LOVE to scratch. How do I discourage them from scratching and encourage them to use their scratching post?
If I have to I will get a better futon in the spring but I would like to see if I can discourage the scratching.
Chey
Hey Chey! What worked for me is that double-sided sticky tape they sell..I don't remember the name, but something like "sticky paws"...they hate the feel of it, and it's worked wonders with my 3 (who loved stretching up to scratch on the arms of the sofa).. the only drawback is that any and all kinds of lint, fur, fuzz will stick to the tape! I also put their scratching post fairly near the sofa...I'd suggest a tall sturdy one if they, like mine, like to stretch to scratch..sisal works better for my guys than carpetting..
Oh my Chey, sorry about the couch. I still have a shredded chair I keep in memory of my cat. I think there are sprays you can buy, I found out my kitty hated fresh cilantro and used to leave it in places where she liked to scratch. I bet Petsmart will have something.
You might also try a horizontal scratching post, or the cardboard scratcher pads. Use some high-octane catnip as an attractant, and then stand there and run a string across the scratching surface... chances are very good you'll get their attention!
When they use the scratching post, praise them lavishly! Seriously, best-thing-since-sliced-bread kind of praise. Pet them and tell them what good kitties they are. They'll catch on quickly, I'm pretty sure, especially if the scratching post/s are in a well-trafficked part of the house.
Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #
Chey, your timing is precious!! We took delivery of 2 new sofas today, and Eric thinks they're deluxe new scratching posts, just for him! I'll try some of these tips too :o)
Posted 3 years ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #
Don't forget that cats don't like citrus. If you have lemon or orange soap you can stick in corners and under pillows, use orange scented pot pourri, see if you can find some orange scented air spray to spray on the underside or any place it won't hurt the material. Check out the thread on Keeping Cats off of your Christmas Tree in the Cats and Kittens section of TDK. For flat surfaces you can also put down sheets of aluminum foil. They hate walking on it. Remember these methods are not something you need to do forever. Only until the cats get out of the habit of using the sofa as a scratching post. I would also discourage putting the scratching post right next to the sofa. I think the relationship between the sofa and scratching post will invite scratching on both. Good luck. Let us know what works.
Cat Scratch Guard.com
I fought with the cat scratching and destroying my couch and other furniture for years and really just gave up until I got married. Now I had nice furniture and got very frustrated with everything that doesn't work. My wife started to threaten the pound and I came up with a very good idea, it is like Fresh Kitty furniture protectors but stays attatched. It has saved all 24 corners of furniture in our house. Cheap, easy and done
With a futon assuming the whole front gets scratched I make an 18inch protector that you could put horizontally. I also have 7 and 11 inch if you need to add to the 18. It works, just prevent the damage they will find another place to scratch on their own.
Eric Anderson
Posted 3 years ago by anderson123 #
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