How do you stop a cat from scratching furniture?

That was a BIG problem for me too, until my daughter gave me some cat supplies as a gift, and one of them was a corrigated cardboard scratch pad. It came with a packet of catnip to sprinkle on it (just a little occasionally). I have 2 cats and they immediately took to it and use it all the time to scratch on. They have NEVER once scratched on anything else in the house. (One is 100% house cat). As soon as the other cat comes in the house...the first thing he does is to go to the scratch pad and sharpen his claws on it. They love it so much and one of them will often take a nap on top of it. My daughter also gave me a scratching post at the same time, but they never wanted to use it so I got rid of it. (I had put cat nip on it too). The scratch pads are inexpensive, (I buy mine at Walmart). You can turn it over, too, and use the other side, so it lasts a long time. After it has been used for quite some time, I replace it with a new one. I will never be without one ever again! By the way, I tried the cat repellent spray and it didn't work.

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Hi there,

Scratch pads are of great use, but this won't stop your cat scratching your furniture. Cats have special places where they like doing that, so offering them a second spot doesn't necessarily mean they would give up the first one.

But here's the trick: some of these scratching pads come with a plant that cats feel attracted to, but the quantity is just not enough. There are many plants that have this effect on cats. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) is one of them. Try it.

LloydBurrell

Squirt bottles with cold water in them are great deterrents for unwanted cat behaviors. Ask your friend to make sure the cat has a scratching post. Rub catnip on it to get the cat interested. Spray cat repellent on the scratchable parts of the furniture, too. That often helps.

The reason why cats do that is because they are trimming their nails..so the best thing you can do is get a cat play toy and just let them do all the work themselves without them messing up your furniture.

Something to wear out their claws. Purchase a cat post or an Emery Cat, something that can relieve their anger. They only do it because they need their claws worn down.