Help! My Cat Is Destroying My Furniture

You love your cat, but you love your furniture too. Can your cat and your furniture peacefully coexist? Absolutely! It just takes some understanding and a little bit of your time. To understand why cats claw up the furniture, you have to understand why cats scratch. Scratching is a combination of exercise, stretching, sharpening of claws, and marking of territory. To a cat, the corner of the sofa is the perfect spot to do what comes naturally; it's high, sturdy, and scratch -able. In short, your cat scratches your furniture because it doesn't have any furniture of its own to scratch.

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To go about its work, your cat needs a scratching post that is acceptable to her, she has to know that the scratching post belongs to her, and she has to know that using the scratching post pleases you. Merely providing a scratching post isn't enough to save your sofa. An acceptable scratching post is tall and sturdy. Just like the corner of the couch, the post should be tall enough to let your cat get a full stretch and sturdy enough to withstand those really vigorous scratching sessions.

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A barrel-type post covered in sisal rope is just what the kitty needs. Place it in an area that your entire family congregates with plenty of room to maneuver. Believe it or not, your cat tries to emulate your behavior. To let your cat know that the scratching post is the preferred scratching place, you need to use it! When you catch your cat examining the scratching post, extend your own claws and give it a few scratches. She'll quickly get the idea. If your cat responds to catnip, you can rub it on the sisal rope and set up a cardboard scratching post right next to the sturdy one. The cardboard posts can be messy, but they are inexpensive and come already infused with catnip.

Cats typically don't respond well to punishment, but they will bend over backwards to please you. Use that to your advantage - give them a sharp "No!" when you catch them scratching the furniture, and heap praise on them when you catch them using the scratching post. Before long, your cat will use the scratching post just to get the attention from you! As soon as your cat shows the first sign of interest in the scratching post, take away her old scratching areas by covering them with acrylic shields. She'll go looking for a new, permanent scratching spot; your time and energy will be rewarded when she chooses her scratching post instead of another corner of the furniture.

You can have your cat and nice furniture. Just make sure your kitty has furniture of her own to abuse!

Help! My Cat Is Destroying My Furniture

Brock Lorber -- investor, aviation coach, and author -- provides helpful tips for the http://myotherkids.com/cats.htm

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Is Furniture Being Ruined by Your Cat?

First off do not declaw your cat just to save your furniture. Cat scratching is natural and all cats do it. What you want to do, is find a way to direct your cat to scratch where you want your feline to. There are several things you can do to direct your cat or minimize the effects of cat scratching.

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1. Get your cat a scratching post. To get your cat to use this try and start him/her young. Also, I use cat nip to attract my cats to the post. Other things you can do is put a toy on the scratching pad, give your cat a treat when ever they use it, in short try to make the memory of the scratching post or pad enjoyable.

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2. You can trim your cats nails. This could take some doing since cats, as you know, do not like to be held unless they ask for it. Be ready for some resistance to this event.

3. A preventive measure is to protect your furniture, by covering the ends of the furniture with a substance the cat does not like. Such material as aluminum or double sided tape can be used. I used this method till our felines got use to the scratching pad then could take it down the double sided tape and aluminum.

4. Another thing I used was a can with some lose change it it. Whenever the cats started to scratch my furniture I shook the can to scare them. They then associated the noise with scratching and stopped. This only works when you are around the home, so other measures will need to be taken when you are not at home.

These are some of the methods I used to protect my furniture and they work.

Is Furniture Being Ruined by Your Cat?

The scratching pad I use, which I find is the best is, Emery Cat. This works well at keeping your cats nails sharp and your cat happy.

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How to Protect Leather Furniture From Cat Clawing

Leather furniture offers a wonderful advantage over fabric based furniture in that it's easier to clean. Dust and mites don't become embedded in it as they can with fabric based furniture. But what if you have a cat?

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Cats love to scratch and sink their claws into fabric and soft surfaces. It just comes naturally to them. Cats and leather furniture are fairly incompatible. Since leather is a hide from an animal and still contains odors from the animal, a cat may find it irresistible. You cat may have the urge to "knead" the furniture to cover up the scent with its own.

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If you own a cat and are considering leather furniture, you may want to think again. If you own leather furniture and are considering getting a cat, here are some options you can take to prevent the cat from clawing the furniture.

Cover up the Sofa or Chair
One way to prevent damage to your leather furniture from a cat is to cover it up. The cover must be fairly thick so the cat's claws will not penetrate the leather underneath. Furthermore, it must be tight fitting so it won't be pulled off by kitty's claws. You can remove the cover for company and replace it when you're not around to keep an eye on things.

Cover the Cat's Claws
Another approach is to cover the cat's claws. You can use a product called "Soft Paws" which are dense rubberized tight fitting covers for your cat's claws. You will need to put them on all four feet to be effective. Most cats don't like these, but will get used to them after a few days. This is considered a humane approach to de-clawing. But like declawing, it will render you cat defenseless if it roams out of doors.

Use a Cat Deterrent Product
Another approach is a cat deterrent like the product "SSScat". This is a humane spray product that is activated by motion detection. Strategically place the spray around your furniture and the furniture will be "off limits". Cats simply do not like things sprayed at them! This product can be used in other ways too; like keeping kitty away from the fish tank for example.

Keep Alternatives Around
Make sure your cat has plenty of other things to scratch on such as well placed scratching posts around the house. Many cats will simply be happy with this arrangement and leave the furniture alone.

Just Observe
Some cats simply don't like the feel of leather and avoid it completely. The only way you will know if your cat is a "leather lover" or not is to watch it carefully when you first get the cat (or the furniture).

As a cat owner and a leather furniture owner, you will need to face the fact that you have a possible conflict here. If you can't use any of these tips, you may have to choose between the two.

How to Protect Leather Furniture From Cat Clawing

Ross Parker lives in Seattle, Washington. He maintains a website called Home Businesses for Seniors where people can find articles and items of interest for baby boomers and seniors looking for ways to earn extra income.

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