How to Stop Cats from Scratching Furniture

Take a moment and hold up your hand. Now, imagine someone nipping off your finger at the first knuckle. Ouch!

That is the human equivalent of what is done to a cat when it is declawed. You do not need to declaw your cat to keep it from damaging your belongings. You need only do the things suggested in this article.

It is basically impossible to stop a cat from scratching. They will want to scratch, no matter what! I really do not think most people could train a cat not to scratch at all.

What you can train them to do is only scratch things that are "theirs". By this, I mean something that the cat is allowed to scratch. In our home, we use a nice scratching post with a pedestal on top. Cheap cat scratching posts tear up too easily, and leave you -- the cat owner -- cleaning up messes all the time. When you buy a cat scratch post, go the extra mile -- get a nice one made from durable materials that will stand up to your cat's natural need to scratch.

We also have a cat scratch pad in our home. You can find these made from cardboard, carpet, and other materials. If you choose a cardboard cat scratching pad, you will need to change it now and again -- the cardboard gets pretty tattered, so expect to be picking it up off your floor sometimes.

Often, pads for cat scratching (and posts, too) come with a packet of catnip, to give your pet more interest in scratching the "right" thing. Why scratch up the sofa when the scratching post has something on it that brings delight and playfulness?

Of course, catnip is available for sale separately from cat scratchers.

Finally, we come to the most important part of the plan -- a cat claw trimmer. This type of item helps you protect your furniture from cat scratches by reducing the sharpness of your cat's claws. There are two styles of trimmers for cat claws -- the guillatine style, and the rotary tool style. The former is faster, but it can be rough on your cat's claws, and painful if you cut too short. The latter works nicely for smaller pets, like cats, and is definitely worth first try.

You can simply trim your cat's claws and keep your furniture looking nice. No need to declaw your little friend.