Your best tips for preventing cat from scratching furniture?

[Anonymous]

We have a beautiful, loving cat who thinks our old leather furniture is her personal claw-sharpening canvas. This week, our new (cloth) living room furniture will be delivered! I can't wait for our new furniture but am afraid she will aim to destroy it.

What are your best tips for preventing this?

From what I've read online, it seems that you need to provide the cat an alternate item to scratch, while placing some kind of deterrent on the item you don't want the cat to scratch. Does anybody have tips for either of these? I read about a white cedar wood scratching post that seemed like it could work.

[Anonymous]

Wrap peppercorns in cheese cloth and rub over the furniture - you can even stuff the "sachet" in the cushions. If that doesn't work use orange oil or you a combination of the two. Use a spray bottle of water set on mist to spritz the cat if you catch her doing it.

Cats love the disposable corrugated scratchers with catnip. A

Please don't use the chemical sprays they are toxic to animals that is why they stay away.

[Anonymous]

EmeryCat Scratcher with catnip sprinkled on it. Keeps mine from scratching elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Try the nail covers. I think they're called soft paws. They worked like a charm for our kitty. We also offered a variety of scratching posts (vertical, horizontal, sisal and cardboard). His favorite ended up being the horizontal cardboard type that are easily found everywhere. I like them because they're cheap enoigh to put all over but light enough to quickly hide away when company comes.

[Anonymous]

+1 to the claw covers. My cats wear these and they help.

[Anonymous]

Place a cat scratcher in a location near the new furniture. My cat always ignored those cheap cardboard ones, and doesn't care for the carpeted ones, he likes the rope covered ones. So you might want to try a couple different types to see what your cat prefers.
And doubled sided sticky tape. Put it on the edges of the furniture where a cat is most likely to scratch. You can buy it in the cat supply aisle at walmart or target, it's clear and virtually invisible and peels off easily with no residue when no longer needed. I bought one roll of this stuff when my cat was a kitten and I still have the same roll 6 years later. A couple times of sticking his paws on that stuff and he has never scratched a piece of furniture since.

[Anonymous]

PP here- two more suggestions; pay attention to how your cat scratches. Is she a vertical scratcher or horizontal? If she is a vertical scratcher make sure your scratching post is high enough for her to stretch out while she scratches. At least 3 ft tall. Find a post that accomodates her preferred scratching style. Cats are finicky and creatures of habit.
And if you don't already, learn how to trim her claws. Keeping the claws trimmed helps cut down on some scratching.

[Anonymous]

We bought a huge cat tree/scratcher. They love it. Never touch the furniture.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all!! She is a vertical scratcher, and her favorite item to scratch is wood (though she also enjoys furniture). These are great ideas-- I will report back!

[Anonymous]

Op if I am not too late to this. Our 18 month old cat was doing this. I would say no and I would go to her scratching tree and show her by imitating scratching movements, that this was the right place to do it. And after time she followed the lead.

[Anonymous]

cardboard scratching ramp from the pet store stopped mine.