Cats are awesome, but their habit to sharpen their nails on the carpet or the furniture is not. Many cat owners know the drill. They get the cat scratching post, clip their cat’s nails, spray the “Cat Go Away!” sprays and short of mangling their cat’s paws through declawing they try everything.
Yet the cats still destroy the corners of couches, of chairs, the ottomans become deflated with their innards strewn about the house, the table legs, and every corner and bit of carpet that holds a scratch is destroyed.
Cats are wonderful pets to keep in the home but many wonder if it’s worth it, as cats and their scratching can do a lot of damage! If you’ve tried everything you’re supposed to and your cats are still turning your couch into a batting pile on the floor, we have some solutions and ideas that might just work.
Cat scratching is an annoying issue for cat owners, and usually is a symptom of an anxious, annoyed cat. Solving both issues will result in a happy cat and furniture that doesn’t look like it came out of an alley way.
Here are some ways to stop a cat from destroying your furniture if you’ve already tried everything else.
5 Effective Ways to Stop Your Cat from Scratching the Carpets and the Furniture:
#1. Give Your Cat Lots of Areas to Climb to Stop Your Cat from Scratching the Furniture
One very interesting solution to obsessive scratching (and many other problems) is giving your cat or cats lots of safe areas to climb and be up high in the home. You may already experience this with a cat that somehow ends up on top of book cases, the fridge, and other high places. While this might not have anything to do directly with the scratching at first glance, the reality is that a lot of cats scratch obsessively because they may be dealing with some form of anxiety. Somehow, having high places to be quells a lot of anxiety in cats.
You can make pathways up walls, make shelf ladders and steps, offer carpet covered PVC tubes that act like a tree that a cat can scurry up where there’s a comfy platform at the top to sit in. You can purchase these things, or make them yourself easily with PVC tubing, cheap pieces of wood board, and some remnant carpeting.
#2. Try Different Textures
Try different textures to quell scratching in spots you don’t like. Cats have preferences. Try scratchers made of not only carpeting, but also sisal twine, corrugated cardboard, sandpaper, burlap, whatever you think might work. The problem could simply be your cat being picky about the scratching medium available to them.
#3. Make Sure That the Cat’s Scratching Post Is Tall Enough
Make sure that if you’re sticking to a cat scratching post that it’s tall enough for them to fully stretch out vertically onto and that it’s sturdy. A cat won’t use a post that’s small and unsatisfying, and one that might fall over on them (making a loud noise too).
#4. Experiment with Double Sided Sticky Tape
On the areas that get the most abuse, try putting double sided sticky tape onto the hot spots. Cats really do not like it and will eventually avoid the tape (and those hot spots) all together. Still offer a better place to scratch at the same time that’s appropriate.
#5. If Absolutely Nothing Helps, Accept the Situation and Deal with It
And finally, sometimes just going with it is the best option. Replace the hot spots on the furniture with thick vinyl sheets, which can look nice cut and secured to look like part of the decor. These can be replaced, and are pretty cheap.
Do you have a problem with your cat scratching the carpets and the furniture? Do you have some additional tips on how to deal with this common cat behavior problem? If you happen to know a trick or two, then please share them with the rest of us in the comments below.