Cats using sofa as scratching post...

[despondentatwork]

And we have scratching posts!! The sofa is clearly just 'nicer'. Except they are ruining it. Any tips on how to stop them...

No advice, just a follow from another wrecked sofa owner

I propped up cushions in the spot that my cat scratched so when she tried to scratch the cushion moved or fell. That seemed to sort it out. You can also try sprinkling catnip on and around the scratching posts.

Snap! And the sofa is right next to the scratching post as well! We have tried citrus spray with very limited results, needed to spray it twice a day but the next day if I forgot to spray it she was right back to scratching it.

My cat likes to scratch our sofa but because of the fabric it doesn't really show that much, it has sort of lines in a pattern. My mum looks after her sometimes and she has a leather couch and she's never tried to scratch it 🤷‍♀️

If they are scratching a specific area, try covering it witt double sided tape to break the habit. You can buy specific tape for this purpose, but any double sided tape should do the job. Just be careful to test it on a small area first to make sure you can remove it later without damaging the fabric.

We stapled carpet to the corners/arms of our sofas so that if they do scratch, it doesn't do any actual damage to the fabric. It worked!

I bought a scratcher that's a metre tall and around 20cm square. One scratch of that and he was hooked. He now only scratches the sofa when he wants my attention and is being a dick.
CA&T Heavy Duty Large Cat Scratching Post | Ultimate Cat Scratcher Post in Beige Colour Made From Durable Material For Heavy Use | Cat Scratch Post Perfect For Indoor/Outdoor Cats https://amzn.eu/d/d3KRhNH

These did the trick for us.

Our male does this, and he walks past two scratching posts to do so.

we had an IKEA Erktop sofa which was years old and starting to collapse. As it fitted in the space exactly, had replaceable covers and a gap underneath that was perfect for them to hide under , we got a new Erktop…

He does a quick scratch for attention , gets told “NO” then stops.
And goes for your feet instead, little toad

I have a really tall scratch post that my cat occasionally used, but she loved ripping both sofa sides too (one fabric and one leather). I then got a cardboard horizontal scratcher. She hasn't touched the sofas since, she loves the horizontal one.

Try a cardboard cat scratcher. My cats (both carpet and sofa scratchers in the past, the carpet in particular was a real issue) took to the cardboard ones straight away. They liked the horizontal ones best with a slight incline (not as keen on vertical, I think because they can really get a good grip on the horizontal, and as they stand on it to scratch it doesn't slide about). Widely available online.

Ha just read the previous post from Saverage!! I hadn't even read that before posting!

No advice really but I feel your pain.

My old cat spent years scratching carpets and furniture and ignoring every type of scratching post I ever bought her...

All my chairs and sofas have suffered the same fate from generations of cats, despite plentiful scratching posts and deterrent sprays. I'm waiting for new chairs to be delivered in a few weeks, and have bought these protectors - shall report back in due course!