How to Spray to Prevent Cats From Scratching

You have just brought precious little Fluffy home from the pet store and now she's scratching the antique cherry coffee table left to you by late Aunt Gertie. What do you do? Loving your new cat is the easy part. Training her not to scratch your furniture can be difficult and frustrating. Here are four methods to help you keep your cat, your furniture and your sanity.

Things You'll Need

  • Scratching post
  • Several water bottles
  • Catnip
  • Citronella
  • Commercial cat repellents
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fill several water bottles with cool water and place them throughout the house. As you see your cat scratching or climbing a piece of furniture, spray your cat a couple of times to teach her that this is unacceptable behavior. This method is labor-intensive, since you are responsible for watching your cat or kitten on a regular basis until she is trained. You must follow up later with this spray method since it is easy for cats to fall back into their natural habits.

    • 2

      Buy a scratching post. This is the most common form of claw control. There are numerous types, styles and colors of posts for every budget. Unfortunately, these alone do not always grab your cat's attention. When a scratching post is not enough, fill an empty water bottle with water and a small amount of catnip (found in any pet store). Lightly spray the scratching post and step back to see if this gets your cat's attention. This may completely cure your cat of the desire to scratch your other furniture, or it may only decrease the damage done to other furniture.

    • 3

      Try some citronella. Readily available in home improvement stores, discount stores and most stores selling outdoor chemicals, citronella is a strong-smelling oil used in backyards to ward off mosquitoes and other yard insects. Cats do not care for the smell of citronella and will stay away from any furniture with this odor. A small amount can be applied by a spray bottle or wiped carefully onto wood furniture surfaces. However, while this option may keep your cat away from your furniture, it could keep you away from the furniture, too!

    • 4

      Shop for cat-training spray repellents, such as "Stay Away," "Boundary," "No-Stay" and "Keep Off!" These can be found in local pet stores or online.