What actions can you take if your beloved cats are using your furniture for scratching? Scratching posts, redirection, play, and additional methods are effective strategies to encourage your cat to avoid the sofa.
Do you find yourself anxious about purchasing new furniture and bringing it home, only to discover it marred by scratch marks within a few days?
While we cherish our cats, their scratching tendencies can sometimes be quite exasperating!
Naturally, it is not their intention to cause damage. Scratching is an instinctive behavior for every cat, serving purposes such as stretching, marking territory, exercising, and maintaining their claws.
In the wild, a cat would typically select rough surfaces like tree bark for scratching. However, within a home environment, the options for scratching may be more restricted. Consequently, your cat might have opted for an unsuitable scratching area, such as your furniture.
What strategies can you employ to guide this behavior towards a more suitable location?
1- Consider the placement of your scratching posts:
To prevent your cat from marking the furniture, it is essential to provide scratching posts—ideally one for each cat, as felines tend to be territorial about their scratching areas! However, merely having a scratching post does not ensure that your cat will utilize it. Occasionally, our beloved companions can be somewhat selective! To maximize the likelihood of your scratching post being accepted by your cat, it is crucial to consider both its location and the type of post you select. Is it sufficiently tall, robust, and made of the appropriate material? Is it positioned close to where your cat already enjoys scratching? All these factors are vital for a scratching post to be enticing, so make sure to take your cat's preferences into account!
2. Remove current scratch marks:
Scratching serves as a small reminder for your cats - they create a visual mark to indicate "this is home", and they enjoy being reminded to return and scratch again!
When your cats scratch, they also leave a scent mark with their paws. Although this scent is undetectable to humans, other cats and animals can recognize that this area belongs to them!
To prevent unwanted scratching, it is essential to eliminate as many of these reminder marks as possible - clean all scratched areas with soap and water to remove those markers and discourage your cat from revisiting the same locations.
3. Assess for stress and anxiety:
Is your cat scratching significantly more than usual? Although some scratching is a typical and natural behavior for felines, excessive clawing may indicate that your furry friend is experiencing some discomfort!
If you notice a change in your cat's scratching habits, especially if it is extensive, be vigilant for potential stressors affecting your cat. The introduction of a new cat, a change in location, or alterations in routine or environment can all serve as triggers for stress that may be affecting your pet.
FELIWAY Optimum can assist your cat in managing stress resulting from these changes.
4. Engage in activities to divert attention and dishearten:
Can’t get your cat to leave the furniture alone? Sometimes all you need to do to persuade a stubborn kitty is to redirect their attention with some fun!
So when you next notice your cat clawing the couch, try to remove them from the area - and be sure to play with them! Give them a toy, pet them to bond with them and distract them with a little love. It’s a great excuse for some fuss and affection!
If you do have a scratching post, this is a great time to ‘show’ your cat how to use it and direct their attention there.
Assisting Your Cat in Finding Alternative Scratching Locations:
With a bit of affection, assistance, patience, and motivation, the suggestions provided above should persuade your cats to shift from the furniture to a more suitable scratching area.
FELIWAY Classic Spray can be applied to the furniture where you wish to prevent the cat from scratching.
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