How to Keep My Cat From Stratching Up My New Sofa

Cats scratch items of furniture to visually mark their territory and to leave behind their scent pheromones with the scent pads on the bottoms of their feet. Cats also scratch as part of their instinctual behavior to groom their nails and to stretch their muscles. If you purchase a new sofa and don't want to have to worry about your cat scratching it, you need to provide an acceptable alternative for it to express its natural behavior.

Things You'll Need

  • Slipcover
  • Double-sided tape
  • Scratching post
  • Catnip spray or dried catnip
  • Spray bottle filled with water
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cover the sofa with a slipcover to protect it from your cat's scratching. Choose one made of a strong cotton-twill material that will stand up to any scratching from your cat.

    • 2

      Place double-sided tape over the slipcover to make the surface of the sofa unpleasant to your cat. Cats will not scratch a sticky surface and the slipcover will protect the new sofa from the glue residue from the tape.

    • 3

      Place a tall scratching post next to the new sofa to give the cat an attractive alternative for its natural scratching behavior. Purchase a sturdy post tall enough to allow your cat to stretch to its full height when scratching. Make sure that the post is covered in a material, such as sisal, cardboard or carpeting, that cats like to scratch.

    • 4

      Spray a liquid catnip extract on the post or sprinkle it with dried catnip to attract your cat to it. Refresh the spray daily until the cat uses the post regularly instead of focusing on the sofa. When you see your cat using the scratching post, give it a cat treat to further encourage it to use the post instead of the sofa to scratch.

    • 5

      Squirt the cat with water if you see it try to scratch your sofa. Spray immediately so your cat associates scratching the sofa with something unpleasant. Try not to let the cat see you squirt it, if possible, so the cat won't associate you with the water.