How to I stop my cats scratching my new sofa?

[WavingNotDrowning]

My cats tore my old sofa to shreds and I sort of let it go because it was old and I knew I was getting a new one.

Now I've got it and i've found them scratching it a few times, I want them to stop! I push them away when I see it, but is there anything else I can do to stop them?

Buy a scratching post or something?

Thanks!

A scratching post would be a fantastic start!

yes, I did realise that! But wondered if it would be enough to distract them. The brand new sofa is very attractive to them!

Yes, behold the owner of several deeply scarred sofas. The best solution I have found is to cover the sofa completely with a heavy blanket. I only take the covers off when I have guests.
Scratching post in the room, sprays did nothing, only the covers work.
A cover can look nice, I'm just about to buy a lovely new one and it's definitely going to be covered.
Also if you don't have an open plan set up you could just keep the living room door shut and not allow them in there.

I seem to remember you can buy clear plastic sticky strips which is supposed to deter them. No idea if they actually work! Also someone on another thread mentioned sprinkling catnip onto a scratching post to encourage them to use it,

They don't work, I've tried them.

I only let my cats in the living room if people are in it to keep an eye on them, my sofas are a year old and no scratches!

My hall and stair carpet however is completely wrecked 😫

oh dear. My downstairs is pretty open plan - if they have access to the kitchen with the catflap and food, then also have access to the sitting room.

We have thick fleecy throws on ours, it does seem to deter them, it also means you can take them off easily and wash them to get rid of cat hair.

I sprayed my sofa with Impulse!!
Never touch it now!!

What worked for us (gorgeous new vintage chairs replacing the ones the cats had scratched to hell) was:

Scratching post with catnip in it.

Spray the sofa with a smell they hate (it'll wear off but they'll be able to smell it a lot longer than you can and by that time they might have implanted the memory that the sofa is Bad Place).

And any time you see them moving towards the sofa with a malicious look in their eyes say "No!" firmly and pick them up and move them over to a scratching post.

Ideally you'd start with a couple of months when you'd lock them out of the room when you weren't there so they would never have access to the forbidden furniture without a human to tell them "don't even think it furball" whenever they showed villainous tendencies. But if your layout prohibits it then maybe you could try the blanket approach instead during the working day and at night.

Mine don't scratch furniture - also an open plan layout.

They need a nice big, tall scratching post, tall enough for them to really get up on the hind legs and scratch away.

If initially not interested in the post you may have to put something that smells of you like an old jumper on it, or spray it with Feliway.

After that you need constant vigilance and telling off if they even think of scratching your lovely new sofa - anything from shouting No!, to taps on the nose to bundling off the sofa. If all else fails, water pistol.

They soon get the message that sofa is for cuddles and sleeping and scratching post is for scratching.

I had a fabric sofa from ikea that they scratched but replaced it with a leather one and they've never touched it!

Double sided sticky tape in the areas they scratch worked for us

I've tried everything excepted sticky tape on ours. That might be next. My living room sofas are old, and scratches don't show much, so I'm not as vigilant.
In the kitchen I have a new John Lewis sofa. I got a corner scratcher for that, which he will scratch. Not the scratchy side though. I had to turn it inside out and he scratches the fluffy side.

Does that really work Wishiwasmoiradingle2017? Any particular scent?!

WavingNotDrowning, in my opinion, there ain't nothing you can do. There's a theory that cats scratch our sofas and chairs because they think they're making them more comfortable for us!

well I got 2 scratching posts and sprayed them with catnip - the cats are very excited about them (although haven't actually used them to scratch yet)!

I sprayed the sofa with something repulsive to them too. I haven't seen them scratch them yet. They like rolling around the catnip posts though! Will just have to carry on pushing them off if they scratch them.

I'm also planning to get a throw which I can drape artfully over each end of the sofa.

Our cat didn't know what scratching post was for when we got it. I got him interested by using his toys around it so that his claws got caught and then he realised that it feels nice to scratch his claws on there. Once they start using it, they tend to continue.

My cat has three scratching posts in our lounge - the one he had as a kitten, one with a play area attached and a giant one he loves to sit on. He adores and uses them all. And still scratches our sofa and the armchair! And used to swing from our voile curtains before he got too fat.