Furniture and Cat Claws

EmersonandEvie

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How does everyone deter their cats from scratching their sofas? We have tried everything from a spray bottle (bad, I know) to loud noises to Sticky Paws, and yet Evie and Emerson just continue to scratch the sofa with a giant cat tree not 3 feet away from the sofa and numerous posts within 10 feet.

I've looked into slipcovers/sofa covers and the cheapest I could find for our couch (it has a chaise, so it's shaped awkwardly and not "standard") and accent chair would be close to $350! Sheesh. Besides, they would just scratch the cover, so I'm not entirely sure that would protect what is left of the sofa.

I kind of want to try the claw caps, but I'm really not sure how they would react to them. Dexter chews this nails and I'm afraid that he would eat them.

I welcome anyone's tricks and tactics to save the furniture!
 

LTS3

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A custom slip cover is an option for the sofa but likely expensive. Did you look at slip covers at Target, Wal Mart, Amazon, etc for what might fit the more standard furniture?

I don't think slip coves would deter a cat anyways. My parents had cheap denim-type slip covers on their old hand-me-down falling apart furniture and the cat still scratched away.

You must be aware of the articles TCS has on furniture scratching:



My cats don't scratch the sofa so I don't have any tips. What fabric is your furniture? I heard some fabrics are more enticing to cats than others. I have microfiber.
 
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EmersonandEvie

Mom to Evie, Emerson and Dexter
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A custom slip cover is an option for the sofa but likely expensive. Did you look at slip covers at Target, Wal Mart, Amazon, etc for what might fit the more standard furniture?

I don't think slip coves would deter a cat anyways. My parents had cheap denim-type slip covers on their old hand-me-down falling apart furniture and the cat still scratched away.

You must be aware of the articles TCS has on furniture scratching:

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My cats don't scratch the sofa so I don't have any tips. What fabric is your furniture? I heard some fabrics are more enticing to cats than others. I have microfiber.
The only one I've found and didn't have bad reviews was on Amazon. That's the problem, it isn't a standard piece due to the chaise.

The fabric is just a cloth. I don't know exactly what kind, maybe polyester?
 

Tobermory

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For scratching purposes, the diffusers don’t work. Those are for anxiety and aggression. You want the spray bottle version of Feliway. Mist the places you don’t want them to scratch. Test an inconspicuous spot first to make sure it doesn’t damage the fabric, but I’ve used it for a couple of years with no problems. You don’t want to spray it while kitties are around according to the directions. You also don’t want to spray near any scratching posts where you DO want them to scratch.

With Mocha, it was certain area rugs and an upholstered footstool. I lightly sprayed them a couple of times a day for several weeks, and she never scratched in those spots. Even now, two years later, she’s really good about avoiding those places and using her scratchers. I did have to get it out a few weeks ago to spray a rug she started to take an interest in.

I know some cats seem to be “immune” to it, but it worked for me!

FELIWAY CLASSIC Spray
 

Jem

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I have always just put a scratching post (one of the small ones) directly in front of where they liked to scratch. Not 10, 5 or even 1 foot away, it had to be exactly where they liked to scratch. They would then scratch the post instead and eventually I was able to move the post to a less "in the way" area and they would continue to use the post and leave the furniture alone.
 

CHIKITTIES

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I use clear packing tape over fabric sofa. Not a fancy solution but works for our purpose.

Kitties know they are not supposed to scratch, and have lots of scratching post/board. Only reason they scratch sofa is to get my immediate attention, so "set the post/board right next to" does not work for us :devilcat2:
 

Sonatine

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I relate with your frustration. One of my cats scratches the furniture to get my attention. Which means that any reaction I give her is affirmation, but it's awfully hard to just ignore.

If I had solutions, my couch would not look the way it does. Luckily the couch was cheap.

8E3593C3-F4F3-43EC-8F7F-7E6F3CB2C4AD.jpeg
 

basscat

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Find the same fabric the furniture is made out of, and make a scratching post out of it. Then double sided tape the scratched areas on the furniture for awhile.
 

She's a witch

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My cat was scratching my couch because it was stable and wouldn’t move, plus it allowed full body stretch. I also noticed he preferred the couch corners and all the posts that I had were rounded. He stopped when I offered him a scratching post with similar qualities: big, heavy, stable,rectangular, wouldn’t move under his stretch. I also placed it in the middle of my living room to ensure he has great access to it. Mine is similar to the one below, but it’s covered in carpet rather than sisal:

AmazonBasics Large Premium Tall Cat Scratching Post - 16 x 35 x 16 Inches, Wood
 
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