Expert: Becky - 2/23/2005

Question
I'm not bragging , but my cat only suffers from one bad behavior. I want her to *STOP* scratching the rugs/couch! I've tried keeping her nails short, getting the scratching posts, using citrus smells, spray bottle/water gun... she just keeps at it....  any advice is welcome!!!

Answer
Hi Amanda,

Yes, this can be a hard behaviour to stop.  My cats have a very large cat tree, that goes from floor to ceiling and they LOVE it and will only scratch on it.  These work well because they can stand up and stretch their paws waaaay up to get in a good scratch!   These can be a bit pricey, but I think well WORTH it.  If you search online, you can find some good prices, not to mention ebay.
Now, I cannot guarantee that this will work.  All cats are different.   When my cats were kittens, and would scratch on the couch, I would pick them up...say NO, and place them on the cat tree, taking their paws and manually scratch the tree.  It eventually worked for me!   If this is a really big problem, especially when you are not home , consider confining your cat to a small area like a bathroom....making sure toilet lid is down!  This way, you can supervise her when you are home and try to keep her away from couch and rugs.   It is only natural for them to scratch,  you just need to provide something that they will use......and that takes time.   I hope this helps.

God Bless,
Becky