What Can I Use to Stop My Cat From Scratching the Wall Paint?

As part of a cat's instinctual behaviors, it needs to scratch to help groom and sharpen its claws. Unfortunately, sometimes a cat will scratch surfaces in your home, such as the walls, causing damage to the paint. Deter your cat from scratching your walls and redirect its natural behavior to something more acceptable to both you and your cat.

  1. Alternatives

    • Because scratching is a natural behavior for your cat, you need to provide it with attractive alternatives to the walls of your home for it to scratch. Purchase a scratching post for your cat to stretch and groom its nails on. Pick a texture that your cat likes, such as cardboard, sisal or wood. If your cat scratches stretching against your walls, get a sturdy, vertical post high enough for your cat to completely stretch its body upwards while scratching. Sprinkle some catnip over the post to attract your cat to use it. Place the post in front of areas your cat has previously scratched on the wall.

    Deterring

    • Deter your cat from scratching the paint from your walls by making the surfaces unappealing to the cat. Because a cat deposits pheromones on the surfaces it scratches, which consist of scent chemicals only another cat can smell, you need to clean the surfaces with an enzymatic pet cleaner. These cleaners take away the scent, making the surfaces less attractive to your cat. Place double-sided tape over the scratched paint, to give the wall a sticky texture, unpleasant to your cat's paws. To protect your wall, you can put painter's tape down first, since it's not as sticky and won't pull the paint off the wall as easily. Or, place the double-sided tape directly on the floor where your cat usually stands to scratch the wall. You can also spray the surfaces with citronella, a scent that cats dislike, according to PetEducation.com.

    Behavior Modification

    • Your cat may scratch the walls of your home due to boredom or stress. To relieve your cat's boredom, provide it with a variety of cat toys to play with. Spend time with your cat and use interactive toys to engage it into playing with you each day. Treat stress-related scratching behavior with the use of a calming pheromone spray. You can also ask your veterinarian about using prescription anti-anxiety medication to treat your cat's stress, relieving its destructive behavior, recommends Vetinfo.

    Grooming

    • Keep your cat's nails dull by trimming them every two weeks. Use a pet nail clipper, found in pet supply stores, to trim the sharp tips off of each nail. Extend each nail by pressing down on the toe with your thumb and index finger. When trimming the nails, avoid the quick, a blood vessel that runs through the bottom of the nail. While trimming the nails will not eliminate unwanted scratching behavior, it will reduce the destructive effects of the scratching in conjunction with scratching alternatives.