LEARN HOW TO PREVENT YOUR CAT FROM SCRATCHING YOUR FURNITURE
You brought home your cat, and everything is going great. You have even brought them in to see the veterinarians at VetCare Pet Clinic! However, now that your furry friend is getting comfortable in your home, you’ve found that they are scratching up your furniture. How do you get them to stop without removing their claws altogether? We recommend following these steps: Deter, displace, and dull.
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DETER YOUR CAT FROM SCRATCHING
If your cat doesn’t want to scratch an area, then they won’t! You can use tape and sprays that have been designed to deter kitties from scratching up the area. The upholstery on the corners of your mattress, your couch, and that comfy chair in your living room look just as inviting as a solid scratching post, so this can take some serious work. We recommend spraying a special “no scratch” spray in these areas. The scent won’t be noticeable to you, but your cat will do anything to avoid it. Cats also hate touching sticky things, so using double-sided tape is a great option to get them to stop. This is because they use their claws in the wild to detect vibrations from prey. Sticky tapes get in the way of how they feel as they scratch, and this can be extremely annoying to your cat.
DISPLACE WHERE YOUR CAT IS SCRATCHING
If your cat doesn’t have a designated spot to scratch, it makes sense that they keep returning to your furniture! If you give your kitty some more inviting places to relieve those scratching urges, it’s likely that they will leave the rest of your expensive furniture alone. Purchasing a scratching post, a cat tree, or a board of some kind might be exactly what your cat needs. If your cat likes the legs of desks and other wooded areas, try to find a cat post. Some cats prefer the soft feel of upholstery; if this is true for your cat, we recommend finding a cat tree or perch that has been carpeted. No matter which option you use, putting some catnip on the new scratching item should attract your cat to that spot. Just be sure that your cat cannot knock it over! This is a sure way to bore them and get them moving onto other scratching areas again.
DULL YOUR CAT’S CLAWS
Regularly trimming your cat’s nails can help lessen the damage their claws inflict upon your furniture. Use a clipper, gently squeeze the top of the paw until the claw comes out, and trim the tips carefully to avoid clipping of the sensitive parts of the nail. You can also try nail caps, which you can glue onto your cat’s nails. These last for four to six weeks and they do not get in the way of your cat’s comfort. All they do is lessen the damage done by your kitty when they scratch!
Blog Source: VETCARE | PREVENT YOUR CAT FROM SCRATCHING YOUR FURNITURE
