We receive many calls to our office about cats scratching the furniture. Even though people buy scratching posts for their cats, it seems Fluffy still manages to turn the furniture into confetti.
A common mistake I see many people make is to try to train the cat NOT to scratch at all. They will squirt water at the cat, punish, yell, chase, and just about anything else, in an effort to protect the furniture. The problem with those techniques is that scratching is a natural behavior and you can’t stop it. If you simply chase the cat away or punish him, the natural desire to scratch still remains – he’ll just end up doing it in secret, out of fear of being punished. In addition to the stress he’ll feel when he does go to scratch, he’ll also begin to fear you – and I know that’s certainly the last thing you want.
Am I suggesting you surrender your furniture to the cat? Certainly not. What you need is a solid game plan that addresses the cat’s desire to scratch and your desire to keep your furniture intact. The place to start is with a good scratching post. Now you may already have a scratching post for your cat but if he isn’t using it, then it’s either the wrong type or it’s in the wrong location. The three basics to scratching post success are:
1. Get a post that is tall and sturdy
2. Make sure it’s covered in a rough material
3. Put it in a desired location
Let’s break down the basics. First, unless your cat is a tiny kitten, you’ll need a post that is tall enough so he can get a good stretch. Cat’s scratch for a variety of reasons and one of them is to be able to give their back and shoulder muscles a thorough stretch. Being able to dig their nails into the top of the post and unkink those muscles is important. If the post is too short, he has to stay in a hunched position in order to scratch – and he can never use the post for a good stretch. The post also needs to be sturdy. The taller the post, the larger the base should be. You don’t want the post toppling over when your cat leans against it.
Next, let’s talk about the material that covers the post. Carpeting, for the most part, is unacceptable. The cat’s claws can get caught in the loops. Carpeting is also too soft so the cat can’t effectively rake his claws across it. Scratching carpeting is like trying to use a dull nail file. Instead, look for posts with sisal or another rough texture. If you currently have a post at home that’s tall and sturdy but has a carpet covering, consider wrapping it with rope.
Location is last but certainly not least. Although the scratching post may not be something you want front and center in the living room, if it isn’t convenient to where kitty likes to scratch, he’s going to find the next best thing. That thing may end up being your favorite chair. Pay attention to where the cat likes to scratch and place the post right in that spot. If he’s currently scratching the sofa, cover the sides of the sofa with double-faced tape such as Sticky Paws (made just for this purpose) and then place the new post right next to it. Your cat will go over for his usual scratch and discover that the sofa isn’t as appealing as he once thought but WOW, there’s a great new option.
If your cat likes to scratch horizontally and has been shredding
carpets or mats, place a corrugated cardboard scatching pad
over the area. They're inexpensive and cats love them!
Some excellent vertical sisal-covered posts include Smart Cat and also TopCat.
For more information on retraining your cat to the scratching
post, refer to the books Starting from Scratch 
Think Like a Cat.
