im thinking about buying a leather sofa , but my cats like to paw my present sofa is there anything i can do to stop them from doing this.
Answers:
My mom used double sided tape and stuck it to the places the cats were scratching. She would replace it ever couple of days. The cats hated the feel of the tape on their paws and eventually stopped scratching.
When I caught my cat scratching the furniture, I would take him and put his paws on his scratching post. He stopped scratching after I did this about a dozen times.
I have also heard of making a "shake can" by putting a few pebbles into a soda can and taping it shut. Then, when the cat starts to paw you throw the can near (not at) them. I have never tried it though.
Also, do you have tall scratching post? sometimes cats scratch at furniture because they either do not have a place to scratch or their scratching post isn't tall enough for them to get a full stretch.
get rid of the critter
not really cats will do it no matter what. apart from getting rid of the cats then it'll happen
get her a scratching post and spray cat be gone on the sofa
declaw them or they sell these cap things you can place over their nails or those weird sock things you can get them at any pet store pretty cheap too
Have you considered declawing? Or you can buy special covers for the cats nails so they can't shred your items, but I don't know how long they stay on.
Have you tried declawing them? That is the only way you are going to solve this problem. You don't have to get all the claws done, just the front ones. So, if they were to get outside accidentally, they can still survive. Hope this helps!
yes u can ,,i went through that before,,go buy him a scratching board,,,it helps girl
if i were you, i would go with something other than leather. i don't want to say get rid of the cats, so don't get the leather sofa.
The surest way is to have tha cat declawwed.
Short of that, there are sprays, and there are scratching posts.
Spraysthat you can buy at pet stores that are used to repel cats away from the furniture. It doesn't smell to terrible to humans, but it doesn't always work so well,( my experience), either.
Then there are scrach pads and scratching posts, also available at any pet store.Of course some cats can get used to just scratching on a scratching post and will not scratch other places, while others will continue on the furniture.
You might want to try these options out first before you buy the new furniture.
Declawing can cause a lot of distress to a cat - it's illegal in this country. Basically it involves amputating the toes down to the first knuckle. Cats need their claws for balance and climbing.
Try a scratching post - make sure it's a tall one so your cats can stretch all the way up. If they won't use it at first try lacing the post with catnip - guaranteed they'll love it!
Declawing would be a good choice if the cat is always inside. Also reduces scratches on ppl and kids and disease. Cat scratch fever really exists. I recommend front claws removed when owning an inside cat.
Lol,, yes my cat does the same thing. Well we just get on to him for doing it. But maybe spray something on thier that it doesn't like.But i would be afired it would hurt them soo lol i don't no.. Or try to get a scraching post if it dose not already have one. But other then that i really don't no because our can does it off and on and we just get on to him for it that's it. But just don't go as far as getting it declawed. Because they need their claws for proctecting themselves and getting away from dangoer.
Hope i have been of some help to you..
I notice some people have suggested declawing but you should be aware that declawing hurts a cat. Declawing is equivalent to a person having their fingernails pulled out. Also, right after being declawed it hurts cats to scratch, so they stop using the littler box.
I have faced the problem of sofa-clawing with all my cats and have spent a lot of money buying scratching posts, etc. as well as stuff you spray on the sofa to make it taste bad. Haven't yet found a perfect solution.
So, with the voice of experience, I suggest you either forget about getting a new leather sofa or keep the cats out of the living room!
I'm sure there is a way 4 a vet. 2 "declaw" the critters.However you must be completely comitted to providing adaquate care 4 the entirety of ur cats life.I say this because your cat will lose a vital weapon in its hunting/defense arsenal,and you should'nt do that unless your positively sure that ur cats will never lose the saftey and security which your household provides them.If u r unwilling 2 declaw them,I would buy some of those cat scratch things they sell in the pet store.
I don't want to be mean but you my have to dewclaw your cat.They do what they want.
i wouldnt recommend leather sofa with cats with claws.even if they arent scratching on it when they lay on it they will puncture it with their claws without even trying
Getting a leather sofa wont change a thing, theyll ruin it too. Keep a water bottle near you as much as you can. When you catch them, spray them, theyll run. Eventually, they see that everytime they do it, they get sprayed and they hate it.
Also yell out NO, my cats would run when they heard me yell. I also got a cat tree, and it has scratching posts all over it. My female cat used to scratch everything till we got the cat tree. They love it.
Getting a cat declawed can deform their paws, not always, but it is possible. We watched a program on this, and it was really sad. Cats CAN be trained with a little time from the owner.
declaw or clip her nails, i have leather couches and if i dont keep her nails clipped she scratches everything, Including the leather
You can train your cat to scratch on a scratching post.
Please do not go for the declawing option, its barbaric. I doubt a UK Vet would do it unless there was a medical reason for it .
This website tells you why you should not declaw and gives you advice on how to prevent them scratching on unwanted areas. Although I cannot see how trimming the cats claws is of any use - surely it will encourage it to scratch more?
A couple of other pages with advice on how to deal with furniture scratching..
http://www.catscratching.com/
http://www.flippyscatpage.com/catsscratc.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2543_stop-cat-sc.
Maybe sort the sofa scratching problem out before buying that new leather sofa.
Good luck
Before you buy that sofa, you can train your cat to use a paw scratcher which you should be able to purchase at your local pet shop. If you are still worrie about the sofa put a throwover cover on it.
If you are intent upon keeping cats, I would suggest a different type of sofa.
A cat scratch post would probably be the most helpful:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_d.
it will give them something to scratch up other than your couch. You'll have to "train" them to use it. Just put them near the scratch post and if they start for the couch get a spray bottle and spray them. Good luck!
Get a water spray, and when the cats go to the sofa, spray them with it, they hate water and being wet. You dont need to soak them by the way, or use a water pistol, they won't know where the water came from, and associate scratching the sofa with being wet.
Whatever you do, donot declaw, its bloody cruel, painful and causes stress.
I have leather chairs which I bought before I got my cats. My first kitten was handicapped and used her claws to climb as she couldn't jump very well. As she grew older and stronger this wasn't a problem. I trained her to use a scratching post by telling her "No!" when she went near the furniture and by giving her a cat treat when she used the scratching post. I ended up with an unclawed sofa and she ended up with the sharpest claws in Yorkshire, and an unending supply of cat treats. My second kitten is being trained the same way and shows no interest in the leather. Boot polish takes care of the odd scratch mark. If you want leather furniture, you have to make the alternatives more enticing!
Funny. I was thinking of getting a leather sofa too since I am redecorating my home. However I have cats and dogs so I have decided against it. My animals are way more important that a bit of furniture which will go out of fashion and look tatty in a few years time in any case.
My cats don't scratch my furniture but the dogs nails might damage the sofa.
Hmmm.sofa or cat.cat or sofa.??
I know which I would choose :-)
Buy them a scratching post. DO NOT declaw, it's barbaric and should be made illegal! Friend of mine has two cats and two leather sofas and they have never scratched it because they have plenty of other things to scratch at!
Good luck
HI there! Well, as a dedicated cat owner, who adores her little buggers, I can tell you from experience, they love to sharpen those claws on my leather sofa. its very difficult to stop cats scratching, its a natural thing they need to do to keep them sharp for their hunting predator instinct etc (Although the only things mine hunt are bits of paper!).
I am a strong believer that cats need claws, no matter what, and would never ever consider getting mine declawed. I honestly believe this is cruel, particularly if you have an outdoor cat. They need them to climb etc.
I am afraid if you love your cat, you need to bear in mind they will scratch whatever they bl**dy feel like and put up with it! The only cruel free deterrents I could advise - there are apparently some sticky plastic pad things you can buy which you stick to the arms of your sofa. They are transparent so you wont see them, but the cats wont go near them as wont like the stickiness.
In addition, I have heard that getting a lemon scented soap and gently rubbing it on the furniture (whilst dry!) will also deter them as they hate citrus smells. How long that lasts I have no idea as never tried it.
And the old scratching post thing - well mine have several but still claw most of the furniture too!
DON'T DO IT!!
We have a cream leather settee and the scratches really show up.You could try rubbing half a lemon on the area that the cat likes to scratch,it seems to deter our mog.
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