How to stop cat scratching sofa

[FedUpWithBriiiiiick]

After 10 years of owing our battered and completely fucked sofa, we are getting a brand spanking new one in August

I'm terrified that DCat will scratch it up from day one. He's not an indoor cat, so he gets outside on the regular for a good stretch and scratch, but still loves to give a wolverine impression on the sofa

Planning to get a nice new big scratching post for him, but how can I encourage him to use it and not the new sofa? Does using a citrus spray on the fabric actually work?

Any top tips, cat fans?

Mine doesn't scratch the sofas at all. He scratches the bed to shit though. It's a fair trade tbh, no-one sees the bed.

Offer a similar trade?

Ah now see @YesItsMeIDontCare that implies that my DCat is open to reasonable discussion but alas, he is not. He's a big lumpy eejit.

No idea sorry other than spraying with water if he does. My beasts are s bloody pain. Didn’t scratch as youngsters but now do including stairs carpet. Feckers

Ah-ha, if he's an eejit it should be easy - just completely ignore him when he scratches the sofa and completely lose you shit when he scratches the bed. In his furry mind he'll think he's being a complete wanker true to catkind when he favours scratching the bed over scratching the sofa.

You bloody genius @YesItsMeIDontCare

The big scratching post is a good idea. Make sure it's tall enough so that he can stretch out fully. Then put it near to where the new sofa is going to be and guide him to use it. Ideally using it should be well established before the new sofa arrives. Then, keep the scratching post near to the new sofa. Hope it helps! We'd like a new sofa too OP, and need 2 sofas anyway, but know there'd be a giant dog and large cat stretched out on it, with we humans on the old one!

Is it a fabric one? Ours never scratched when we had leather. I got a duresta fabric one & he scratched it.

He’s got a lifetime ban from the lounge now.

We have one leather and one fabric sofa and one scratching post next to them. DCat scratches hell out of fabric and leather and ignores scratching post. Just saying.

Yes, we have 3 scratching posts one yard from a settee - which they use, BUT they still scratch the settees!

You obviously all have very naughty cats and mine is absolutely perfect.

You can buy sofa covers, I got one for when we got a new sofa and kept it on a month until I was confident the cat wouldn't scratch it. A cat post should help. I think it also depends on the sofa material, see fabrics are too tempting for cats to scratch! If it's a fabric that they can get their claws in you might have a problem but if it's leather or a tightly knit fabric then you should be ok.

Get off! Spray stopped my boy seeing on the new sofa when he got him? Didn't stop him scratch at it though, I put a new scratch pole right by the arm which stopped him going at it.

Sorry that should say peeing not seeing lol

Did you know when your cat scratches your furniture that they are actually mark in their territory.

Back on topic, there is a double sided tape thingies called sticky paws stop or you can cap their claws. Like a little plastic fake nail over it that drops off when the real nail sheds.