Stop Your Cat from Scratching Your Couch (...and other things kitties aren't supposed to scratch)

Cat Scratching is a natural behavior that serves several functions.

Cats scratch to mark their territory. (I have two cats. When Patches scratches a particular sisal mat, it gets Leo's attention, and he has to come "rescratch".) They scratch to groom their claws - and they also scratch to stretch their muscles.

The cat scratching the couch isn't a feline plot for revenge - your cat does it because it feels good, and it's his way of "leaving a message".

You can't stop the scratching behavior, but you can transfer the behavior to another surface.

If your cat is scratching the couch, get a scratching post and place it near the area that the cat likes to scratch.

Make sure the post matches your cat's scratching preferences - see below.

The next thing you can do about your couch scratching cat is make the surface undesirable for the cat.

There are several ways to do this. You can put tin foil over the area, or put double sided tap on your sofa. (Test an area first.) Cats don't like the feel of either of these items.

When you make the surface undesirable and put the scratching post nearby, your cat will move his activities.

Use automatic noise makers and air blasters.

These tools emit a sound or a blast of air that will deter the cat from the couch scratching area.

They're also great because they can be there when you can't and provide consistency.

(Stay Away has both sound and air blast. See below.)

It's important to notice if your cat is scratching vertically or horizontally (or both). If you're trying to stop your cat from scratching the couch for example, is your cat scratching the sides or on top of the cushions.

You need to make sure that the type of scratching post you get matches your cat's preferred scratching style - flat or vertical.

You also want to match the surface texture matches as well (ie nubby cloth, carpet, sisal, etc).

The closer you match the texture and direction of the scratch, the more success you're likely to see in redirecting the scratching behavior from the couch to the post.

If you're the DIY kind of person and want to stop your cat scratching your couch, here are some instructions for building your own cat scratching post.

Click here for instructions from wikihow: (There's a video if you scroll down this page.)

Click here for instructions from about.com. (There are instructions for horizontal and vertical scratching posts.)

Click the picture to the left for 11 cat tree plans and a bonus plans for a see-saw scratcher.

Warning: Soap Box Ahead

DO NOT Declaw your cat! This is inhumane - most people don't understand that they don't just remove the claws - which would be bad enough by iteslf. They actually cut off the top of the cat's toes. It'd be like getting each of your fingers cut off at the first knuckle.

Can you imagine? (I currently live in Italy and declawing is illegal in many European countries. It's considered cruelty to animals.)

There are other solutions for stopping cat scratching. You can trim your cat's claws, and they even make claw caps, but before you do that, try some of the techniques above.