How do you stop a kitten from scratching the furniture...

Besides declawing and spraying them with water..any other suggestions?

Thx.

Get a very very sturdy cat scratching post. The little short ones are too small, and they like to feel secure using it, so taller/stronger (ie won't shake or tip over) is best.

Try different materials, our cat loves sisal but not carpet.

When your kitten is going after furniture, bring her to the post and show it to scratch where you want. Catnip on the post can help sometimes too.

Thanks. I got him a smaller post, but I will try a bigger one. He always scratches it though, along with the couch..I put it near the couch thinking it will kind of remind him to scratch that instead of the couch..

I am going to try the catnip too..but, he is crazy and active right now..I'm scared he will be even more once he eats the catnip...

Thanks for your suggestions.

We have a scratching post that is made of both carpet & sisal rope .. and he claws on the rope only .. actually loves it .. makes it a game.

However .. I would never be able to use cat nip on a scratching post .. my kitty loves licking and rolling in cat nip .. so it would never work.

I agree with what was already said .. about taking your cat to the post when you catch your kitty clawing on the wrong things. You need to put kitty's front paws up on the post, and you yourself need to pretend to claw on the post. Sounds crazy .. but that's how we trained our guy.

Definitely get a strong & stable post.

Also .. I read the best place for a clawing post is at a doorway .. which is where we have kept ours for as long as we've had our kitty .. and we've had success. I forget the reasoning why to place it at a doorway .. but our kitty's clawing post is just inside the doorway to his room. So .. when he gets all goofy .. he charges up the stairs, makes a sharp turn down the hall to his room, and makes a quick 180-degree turn after going through the door to tear into his post .. with a real 'tough-guy' attitude. It's really pretty hilarious!

By the way .. the spray bottle never worked on our 'tough guy' .. he would just look at you very non-chalant .. almost as if he's thinking 'yeah, like that's supposed to bother me'


Good Luck with your kitty .. be patient .. but persistant .. you have to make this a routine until your kitty gets the idea.

One other suggestion .. when you do catch kitty clawing in the wrong place .. don't make a big fuss .. just swoop kitty up and go straight to the clawing post .. no spanking, shouting, etc. If you make a big fuss about kitty doing the wrong thing .. kitty may get the idea this is a good way to get your attention.

We used sticky paws (I think that's what they are called). It's basically double sided tape that is made to stop cats from scratching furniture. They don't like when their paws stick to it. (BTW, it doesn't hurt them and it doesn't mess up your couch.)
We also put a scratching post in front of where he liked to scratched and put his paws on it so he knew to use it. Then each day we would move the scratching post a little bit away from the couch.
I read these in cat training books and they worked for my cat.
Good luck!

When mine started (aw I miss the kitten days!) I would take his paw and hold it firmly and look and him and say 'NO!', 'BAD BLUE!'. He only did it once, and I did that afterwards, so it must have worked. I have leather sofas an no scratching...but he's a good boy...oh yes, he is!

OK I'm losing it!

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Posted by Kel

We have a scratching post that is made of both carpet & sisal rope .. and he claws on the rope only .. actually loves it .. makes it a game.

However .. I would never be able to use cat nip on a scratching post .. my kitty loves licking and rolling in cat nip .. so it would never work.

I agree with what was already said .. about taking your cat to the post when you catch your kitty clawing on the wrong things. You need to put kitty's front paws up on the post, and you yourself need to pretend to claw on the post. Sounds crazy .. but that's how we trained our guy.

Definitely get a strong & stable post.

Also .. I read the best place for a clawing post is at a doorway .. which is where we have kept ours for as long as we've had our kitty .. and we've had success. I forget the reasoning why to place it at a doorway .. but our kitty's clawing post is just inside the doorway to his room. So .. when he gets all goofy .. he charges up the stairs, makes a sharp turn down the hall to his room, and makes a quick 180-degree turn after going through the door to tear into his post .. with a real 'tough-guy' attitude. It's really pretty hilarious!

By the way .. the spray bottle never worked on our 'tough guy' .. he would just look at you very non-chalant .. almost as if he's thinking 'yeah, like that's supposed to bother me'


Good Luck with your kitty .. be patient .. but persistant .. you have to make this a routine until your kitty gets the idea.

One other suggestion .. when you do catch kitty clawing in the wrong place .. don't make a big fuss .. just swoop kitty up and go straight to the clawing post .. no spanking, shouting, etc. If you make a big fuss about kitty doing the wrong thing .. kitty may get the idea this is a good way to get your attention.

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Thanks for the advice...I enjoyed reading this..hehehaha!! lol..

Thanks girls for all of the advice.

Did you guys ever hear of those plastic caps that you glue on the cats nails? My vet said they are safe and work..hmmm..

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Posted by jozieb0925

Thanks girls for all of the advice.

Did you guys ever hear of those plastic caps that you glue on the cats nails? My vet said they are safe and work..hmmm..

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I looked at the website for the claw covers but I wondered how much fun it would be to put them on.

We have two scratching areas. One is a big post and the other is a sort of like a jungle gym for cats. It has two perches and a tree-like thing in the middle with branches that come out and there are balls hanging from ropes off of the branches. If I find it on Petco website, I'll post it. My kittens love it!

Ok...I have two indoor cats and a brand new home with new furniture. So I have experimented with everything you can think of.

My cats LOVE water. They always sit in the bathtub and the shower. The spray bottle of water never worked.

I bought the soft paws. They are really easy to put on. The cat didn't even notice I put them on. But some fell off. Good solution but because they fall off its not perfect.

I also bought a spray which seems to be working pretty well. You spray the areas you don't want them to scratch. They still sit on the couch but won't scratch it.

I bought a spray with a motion detector. You put it on counters or the couch. When they go in front of it, it makes a noise, then it sprays the gas. Totally harmless, but the cats HATE it. It seems to have finally gotten them off of the counters. The problem: if you walk in front of it, it trips the sensor and it goes off. So my husband actually put his hand in front of it and it sprayed the manicotti I made. It was $45.

My mom just got be a scat mat. You lay it on the couch. When the cat jumps on, it gives him an electric shock. It will work, but I haven't used it yet.

There is also something called Tattle Tale....its a motion detecter and when the cat goes near it a horrible noise sounds. Really should use it when you are not home and able to watch your cat.

Never used it but heard it works.

I also bought a spray which seems to be working pretty well. You spray the areas you don't want them to scratch. They still sit on the couch but won't scratch it.

I bought a spray with a motion detector. You put it on counters or the couch. When they go in front of it, it makes a noise, then it sprays the gas. Totally harmless, but the cats HATE it. It seems to have finally gotten them off of the counters. The problem: if you walk in front of it, it trips the sensor and it goes off. So my husband actually put his hand in front of it and it sprayed the manicotti I made. It was $45.

My mom just got be a scat mat. You lay it on the couch. When the cat jumps on, it gives him an electric shock. It will work, but I haven't used it yet

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Does the first spray that you mention make the couch smell funny? What's the name of it and where did you get it?

Spray w/ Motion detector - I have to say..that's a funny story..what's the name and where did you get it?

The matt - does that hurt the cat?