Need Help!! Please

[phatbuddha]

i have 2 cats. Zoe who is 9yo, China who is 8yo. i have recently bought a new house and am going to buy new furniture.

my question is ... what products out there "really work"? for deterring my cats from tearing up the furniture! when they were kittens. i tried cat sprays which ended up staining my furniture and also tried, the tape on the furniture, that just made them go to other furniture. i should have my new furniture in 3 weeks and am hoping for some help!

thanks.

 

[purity]

Have you got any scratching posts for them? I have a large cat tree, a small one, and a couple small scratch pads, and my two have never gone near my furniture

 

[phatbuddha]

my apologies. this is my first time on this forum. didnt see the "official thread" for this topic.

but i dont have have a cat tree/ condo, we made one years ago. but they didnt use it often. but i have a scratching "rug (that i put catnip on when i first got it, i put it by there food)" also. have tried the catnip cardboard boxes u can buy at the pet store.

 

[purity]

Different cats prefer different scratchers, some like them vertical, some like them horizontal. Having a mix of both caters for all occassions!

I would recommend getting a condo, and anytime they start to scratch elsewhere gently pick them up and place them on their furniture. Use positive reinforcement and they should get the hint quickly enough

 

[beckiboo]

You can also buy something called "soft paws" at Petsmart or Petco. It is little soft tips you glue on the cat's nails, so if they do scratch at the new furniture, it won't hurt it. This might be helpful while you are training the cats.

Also, if you could keep one old chair in the corner of the room, or in another room, since they already scratch it, they will prefer it to the new furniture.

 

[luvmybirmans]

They love it. One goes to town on the leg wrapped with sisal rope and the other prefers to run up and down the carpeted leg. They both like to sleep on the carpeted basket which has a good vantage perch over both the house and the street. Mine is not really "decorator friendly" so I move it into the laundry room when I have more formal company (where the cats prefer to hide anyway).

 

[joecool]

Try rubbing citrus peels on the furniture. Cats hate the smell of it, but many humans like it. It should keep them off it. Get them a scratch post with a rough outer surface like wood, not carpet. The citrus is usually very helpful. Aluminum foil can also work too. They often don't like the sound it makes when they step on it. Try putting that on the furniture. Hopefully Helpfully,
Joecool

 

[phatbuddha]

Thanks for the info! bought two cat condo's today. in hopes that works. fingers crossed

 

[purity]

Had another thought this morning....make sure the condos are in busy, interesting parts of the house, if they're in a corner and the cats can't keep an eye on things from there then they probably won't use them as much

I tried aluminium foil with my two, they loved the sound & feel of it