How do I stop cats scratching the carpet

[Kazzawazzawo0]

Just that really - I'm moving to a rental property in four weeks with my daughter and cats and I'm wondering if there's any way I can stop them scratching the carpets. They've scratched in my current house and ruined them, mainly on the stairs.

Is there something I can spray on the carpet to stop them?

Cats seem to hate citrus, so maybe a spritz of orange peel? Not that i have this problem. My dogs chew on my carpet, they just grab it with their teeth and pull it up. The cats scratch the doorways.

Direct them to the nearest scratching post?

Put a rug down somewhere and encourage them to use that instead. You'll still have to stop them if they try it on the actual carpet but it should help.

Get the really heavy duty double sided tape from B&Q and put it anywhere you don't want them to scratch (ie - stair carpet). They hate stickiness on their paws. Once you've broken the habit, remove the tape (maybe after a few weeks). Also supply alternatives - if they like carpet scratching, get them a horizontal scratcher too - scratching is really important to cats so you can't eradicate it entirely, but you can redirect it.

Thanks for the advice. They have a scratching post and activity tree, but it doesn't stop them scratching the carpet.

I'll get the cardboard scratching mats and also try some sort of citrus scent.