How do you train a cat to stop scratching your furniture?

[jinduy]

in other words... how do i train em to use their scratching post?

 

[helpme]

I just picked her up and put her paws on the scratching post ever time she started to scratch something else.

 

[virtuamike]

Spray bottle. Or canned air

 

[AlienCraft]

Ginger likes the cardboard sctratchers, but I put some catnip on it for her and she really goes nuts scratching. You might try that.

 

[Centinall]

this is so funny. i just finished building my cat a scratching post today. ends up that i think i built it a little too big... probably just the right size if i had a pet lion or something.

anyway, my cat just looks at it and then continues to scratch the chairs. i tried putting her paws on it but she just looks at me as if i'm mad.

 

[styrafoam]

Wrap tinfoil around the cats paws.

 

[jinduy]

Originally posted by: AlienCraft
Ginger likes the cardboard sctratchers, but I put some catnip on it for her and she really goes nuts scratching. You might try that.

you just place a pot of catnip by the post?

edit: ah after some googling i see you can turn it into a grounded form and just sprinkle it .

 

[KK]

Declaw them. Take a pair of needlenose pliers and rip them out.

KK

 

[Azraele]

Just keep showing your cat the scratching post. Spray kitty with water whenever she scratches something inappropriate.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: virtuamike
Spray bottle. Or canned air

I wish canned air wasn't so expensive. I never even thought to use it, but the spray bottle was out of reach one day so I just grabbed it when she was scratching something. Man, the cat hates that stuff. The spray bottle she just ignores now, but canned air scares the crap out of her.

 

[djNickb]

My friend says everytime they do something like that he burns their paw with a cigarette. Says they don't do it anymore


























j/k :beer:

 

[techfuzz]

We got some water guns from the dollar store that work wonders. Our cat hates getting shot in the face with water so if he's doing anything wrong and see's the water gun come out, he's off into another room before you can blink!

techfuzz

 

[dman]

Simple, Start sitting on the scratching post.

 

[Hammer]

water guns work on all pets.

 

[cherrytwist]

Originally posted by: Hammer
water guns work on all pets.

May or may not work, but sure sounds like fun

 

[Amused]

If there is a specific area it likes to scratch, wrap it in foil. Then show the cat the scratching post.

Many of the above ideas are good, and no single plan is the "right" plan. But whatever you try will take dedication. There is no quick fix here.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: Amused
If there is a specific area it likes to scratch, wrap it in foil. Then show the cat the scratching post.

Many of the above ideas are good, and no single plan is the "right" plan. But whatever you try will take dedication. There is no quick fix here.

which is good?

the declawing with pliers?
cigarette burns?
sitting on the scratching post?

hehe

seriously though i have the same problem with my new cat.. i'll have to figure something out.

 

[DuffmanOhYeah]

shoot it in the face?

 

[VictorLazlo]

Originally posted by: dman
Simple, Start sitting on the scratching post.

LOL! We went the other direction with my mothers cats. We went around to the places that the cats would scratch, and cover them with pieces of carpet.

If the cat likes scratching a particular piece of furniture, go to the carpet store and pick up a carpet sample that closely matches the furniture and tack it up there.

 

[JackDawkins]

A taser works well.

 

[Shelly21]

seriously, just buy some "sticky paws", they are two sided clear plastic stickers. Stick 'em at the affected area. My cats never touch my IKEA chairs again. I didn't care about the cheap carpet so they can scratch that all they want.

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: helpme
I just picked her up and put her paws on the scratching post ever time she started to scratch something else.

That works well and is what we did. We also took the scratching post and put some catnip under the rope to attract them to it a bit more.

 

[StageLeft]

Remove its front claws.

 

[slick230]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Remove its front claws.

Seriously, if it's an indoor only cat why not declaw it? Better than having your furniture fvcked up, or turning you house into some ghetto POS by putting carpet samples all over everything,

 

[Jzero]

Offer positive reinforcement when they scratch the real scratching post - a treat, or some catnip or what have you.