Expert: Brandy - 1/10/2007

Question
Hi Brandy,
I have a very large 1 1/2 year old Norwegian Forest male weighing in at 18lbs already! The breeder warned me he may reach close to 30lbs since he was born larger than his 28lb father. She did a wonderful job teaching him "NO" before I took him at 12 weeks and he is awesome when it comes to listening to it. However, it goes right out of the window when it comes to clawing the sides of my couch. I have 2, the white leather one he does not go even touch. It's the cloth one that he seems to go after.

The breeder told me to get "sticky paws" at Petco which is a double sided tape that cats dislike. I have tried this approach a few times but "Rajah" has eaten it right off of the couch! I have also heard to try a water gun but he loves water! Is there anything else I can do to save my couch?

Answer
He might be 'conveniently' forgetting that the couch, though it might feel like a scratching post, is not one. If you have scratching post(s) for him, make sure that they are not the carpet-covered ones, but rather splurge (it will be well worth it) for the sisal covered ones. If you already have sisal posts, make sure that they are the right size for him. Considering his size (I have Maine Coons, so size-wise they are similar), aim for the 'tall' posts. Rajah could prefer the sofa over a scratching post merely because it lets him stretch out to his impressive glory (Weggies and MCs are sweet, but still like to show off) Ask your breeder for info on a nearby cat show (I'm sure she shows; most cat breeders do), since vendors are always available and can even make one just the right size for your cat. Also those disposable cardboard scratchers are great.  

Now for the sofa...two of my cats LLOOOVVVEEE tape and plastic, and will lick tape right off Christmas presents (you'd think they don't get fed....sheez), and they aren't afraid of water. You could try finding a smell your cat doesn't like (bitter apple, a perfume, even pepper), and spray/sprinkle along the sofa. If that doesn't work, also try cleaning the affected area with a bleach solution to remove any cat odor (cats have scent pads on the tips of their toepads which is a way they mark their territory).

I hate to say this, but at least in my experience, though, sometimes it will be hard to break the cloth-sofa-as-scratchpost habit. We ended up donating a really nice sofa when we first got into breeding when we could not keep the cats off the sofa. The leather one we got in its stead, only shows wear and tear from my husband...

Good luck (and 18 pounds....wow)