Has your sofa been shredded? Is the carpet a mass of tangled strings? It sounds as if kitty has been scratching.
If you've been reprimanding your cat for scratching the furniture, you've probably noticed that such a negative method doesn't work.
Your cat isn't scratching because she wants to misbehave; she's scratching because it's a natural and needed behavior. The reason she may have chosen a piece of furniture or the carpet is that it was her best option in the home.
Well, we're going to change that so she can scratch happily -- AND your furniture can stay safe.
If your cat has been scratching on vertical objects such as the side of the sofa, get a product called Sticky Paws at your pet supply store or online. This is a double-sided tape that, according to the manufacturer, won't leave a residue on the upholstery. Place the tape over the scratched spots. This way, when your cat goes to the area she'll discover it's no longer appealing.
Next -- and this is the crucial part -- provide her with a better alternative. Choose a scratching post that's tall, sturdy, and covered in a rough material such as sisal. Don't buy a soft, carpet-covered post. Cats generally prefer a rough texture for scratching. The post also has to be tall enough so she can fully stretch out her muscles.
Location is important when placing the new post. Put it in the area where she was previously scratching. If she liked to scratch the sofa, place the new post right next to the sofa. Don't put the post where YOU want it -- put it where the CAT prefers, if you want the retraining to be successful.
If your cat scratches the carpet, then she's a horizontal scratcher, and the type of post must match her preference. Choose a corrugated cardboard scratching pad or a sisal scratching pad, and place it over the spot she currently scratches.
For more detailed, step-by-step instructions on retraining your cat to the scratching post, check out my book Think Like a Cat.
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