Scratching on couch

Cheryl8000

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How do I let my six month old kitten know that he’s allowed on the couch, but scratching it is not ok. He jumps on the top, leans over and scratches the back. I think he may be trying to get me to engage with him, but I’m not sure. I play with him a lot, and he has a lot of toys, cat towers, and scratching posts. Like I said, I do engage with him, but sometimes I need to just chill and read. I have sticky tape on the sides, but he still finds spots to scratch.
 

ArtNJ

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C Cheryl8000 your name is ironic, since probably about 7,999 of us on this site have struggled with this same issue, including my wife, Cheryle with an "e" at the end. We have a 4 month old kitten now that we are working with on this issue and have dealt with it with prior kittens several times.

There is an article somewhere in the Articles tab on top of this site I believe, but I'm not going to dig it out for you since if I recall right I've read it before and don't recall any magic answers. What you need to do is a combination of gentle negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement and redirection. Before you start, make sure you have an assortment of quality scratching posts. I recommend at least one of the combo carpet and rope (sisal) ones, making sure it is large enough not to tip over, and a quality cardboard one as well. Here is my method

(1) Gentle negative reinforcement - when the kitten scratches the couch, make a somewhat loud "no!" This won't work at all right away, much less discourage them from going on the couch and not scratching. You are correct, however, that sometimes negative reinforcement does have the sort of unintended consequence you are afraid of. That said, it is really, really hard to train kittens not to scratch, and I would not be willing to forgo negative reinforcement. I've never had a kitten become afraid of the couch as a result. Its not impossible, but as long as you strike the right balance it should be ok. If the kitten is bonded with you and comes when you call them, make sure to pet them a lot on the couch when they are not scratching. (It is worth noting that if the kitten is strongly bonded to you, and they are scratching something where you don't mind them never going on it, you can make the negative reinforcement a little stronger. Not saying to be a jerk, but you can make the "no!" louder as you run towards them. I use this for things like curtains. If the kitten is strongly bonded, this won't remotely sour them on you, but will be even more effective. For something like a couch, and if the kitten is not as strongly bonded, a little more care is required.)

(2) Redirection. Move the kitten to the scratching post, make like you are scratching, and praise them if they do it. It is vital to not hold the kitten there or hold their paws and force them to scratch to show them the method. Some have reported success with this, but I feel strongly it will make them afraid of the scratching post.

(3) Reinforcement. When they use a scratching post, praise them. Speak gently and pet them. A treat, perhaps. You can also sprinkle some catnip on the post (may not help, but wont hurt).
 
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FeebysOwner

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Hi. On the back side of the couch? Can't exactly place a scratching post there! But, you could take a vertical scratching post and affix it (at least temporarily) to the top of the couch? You could also use this type of furniture protector (see link below) to minimize the damage to the back of the couch while you work on getting him to use the vertical scratching post.

Here is a TCS article that might help to give you some ideas about how to work with him to scratch acceptable surfaces and what you can do to help discourage from scratching all other areas.
23 Proven Ways To Stop A Cat From Scratching Furniture – Cat Articles

 

Caspers Human

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I think he may be trying to get me to engage with him, but I’m not sure.
I think you are right. There isn't much reason for a cat to scratch where he knows he's not allowed while his human is right there, watching.

Casper does similar things when he thinks we aren't paying enough attention to him.

He would scratch the back of an easy chair, right there in front of use. He would even look right at us as he did it.

He also jumps up on the TV cabinet, gets behind the TV and peers out at us from behind.



When he scratches, it's "cas-PER! No!" and that usually stops.

The long term solution was to move the chair and put his cat tree where the chair was.

Now, he just climbs up to his perch in the cat tree and acts all cute. ;)
 

RangersMom

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Just keep saying no firmly and redirecting him to a toy or to a scratcher. Kittens are like this but he will grow out of it and use his posts.
I know its frustrating, but at the end of the day, a couch isnt a living thing and a cat wont really cause that much damage to it :)
 

PushPurrCatPaws

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How do I let my six month old kitten know that he’s allowed on the couch, but scratching it is not ok. He jumps on the top, leans over and scratches the back. I think he may be trying to get me to engage with him, but I’m not sure. I play with him a lot, and he has a lot of toys, cat towers, and scratching posts. Like I said, I do engage with him, but sometimes I need to just chill and read. I have sticky tape on the sides, but he still finds spots to scratch.
I do agree with you and other commenters, that this is a way he is showing he wants to interact or play. I'm four years away from when my cat was last your kitten's age, and it can be exhausting to have a kitten. It's hard to find time to chill and relax sometimes. But I guess I would say, remember he is a kitten only once and only for several months, while your book or computer or magazine will always be around for you to read. :) Sometimes interacting and playing only has to be for 5 or 10 minutes, and then you can chill and relax again and your kitty has had a great time because you recognized his signal that he wants to play!
:hugs:

(I'll also add that now that you know he might have this "interaction signal" of scratching your couch, you can "see it coming" and just get up and start to play with him before he scratches. That's what we do in our house when we want to discourage a behavior... just learn to read their body language and act before a "bad" behavior starts. Head it off at the pass, so to speak.)
 
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