Sofas are not scratching posts! AIBU?

[OrangeLane]

For the love of all that is feline and holy, how do I stop my cats using furniture as scratching posts? My two bottom (carpeted) stairs are being shredded, and our sofa arms too.

(And yes, we have scratching posts nearby, which also get used, but having them doesn't seem to stop the carpet and sofa scratching).

I don't know, I loudly say 'no' when ours get into the position and they stop there and then.

Once sprayed the side of my sofa with Impulse body spray! Worked a treat actually!!

I wish I knew how. My bastard cat has ruined every bit of carpet on the stairs. Her late sister never behaved like this, she used to do it on the fence post outside.

I've put the plastic scratch resistant stuff on it from Amazon. Also the dog has picked up that we don't want the cats to scratch and he chases them when they do it!

Foil and telling off!

I read that some cats like to vertical scratch and others horizontal. I bought a cat scratch thing in I think B&M . It looks like a shallow shoe box with cardboard inside, my car loves it. She has pretty much stopped scratching anything else. She's on her second one. I think it was about four pounds. Recommend.

It was ever thus. There's a baby photo of me from the 60s, where I'm sitting in an armchair and both chair arms and the front of the chair are completely shredded thanks to my parents' two cats. Incidentally, both those cats were still with us (and no doubt still shredding furniture) when I turned 18!

My own little furry darling preferred door frames, which I didn't mind too much.

I have heard that double sided sticky tape works. I really should try it for my 2, the stairs are getting shredded 🙄

My favourite photo of me as a baby is sitting in those supine bouncers and my parents' cat that was a stray is straddled across the bottom of the stroller and putting up her paws like: "No pictures please!" She was honestly my nanny. Cats are ace. My mum let her secretly scratch around the back of the sofa because frankly she was an indentured staff member! Feral miscreant to my best friend. I had to take a day off school when she died as I just cried for hours on a stool in the kitchen. I still miss you Paddy Paws!

ETA: We didn't have staff, not remotely, but Paddy acted so much like she had a real job in the household. No one was allowed to answer the front door without her being there, she was so vigilant, it was very sweet. She invented ride or die before it was a phrase!

Noooooo!!! You were all supposed to reply saying there’s a magic way to stop them doing it, and signpost me to getting it / doing it.

I love them dearly but….what fucking losers.

Erm foil!

YABU

signed,
the cat

Of course sofas are scratching posts. Know your place hooman!

😆 Seriously, no advice at all... When my little demons did this, I tried to stop them by yelling STOP IT! Made feck-all difference though! 😩

I use sheets of scratching fabric with adhesive that can be cut to size and has adhered pretty well.
I have it on furniture and walls.

Also, I'm sure already have a scratching place for them, but consider getting more.

Some cats go mad for the cardboard scratchers over the jute ones for example.

Can you position the scratching post literally at the sofa's corner somehow?

If you've got more than one cat, they are probably constantly trying to scent the same spots.

I don't think trying to discipline works for cats, just alternatives!

YABU. Sofas are conveniently located with just enough resistance for a satisfying scratch. And when one has finished sharpening one's claws one can jump onto the sofa and curl up for a restful nap.

Have you considered buying some wooden chairs to sit on instead?

We have a carpet scratcher, and having tried every type of cat scratching item available, we are sad and resigned to it now. He does it mainly at night in his mad half hour, and it’s his sign to accompany him to get snacks/let him out/give tummies. He does sometimes use the scratching post attached to his cat tree but me, I just go about with pockets full of carpet loops.

Our previous girl never scratched other than on a big silver birch tree in the garden. This little boy is very naughty!

Pretty sure mine just roll their eyes at me when I tell them off.

Tell me more about the foil though - do you mean just literally sticking foil to the upright sofa arm? (And if so, do they then 'wean' off of the scratching and then I can take the foil off?)

Ok, this is interesting. The one that does it on the stairs is not the one who does it on the sofas. So intrigued by this theory about horizontal scratching, as that would fit with the stair scratcher - he does it while on his side, going along the lip of the stair, side to side.

I'll investigate a horizontal scratcher for him!

Absolutely - one cannot 'discipline' a cat - one can hope only to dissuade, distract or de-escalate...

😼

If you search 'sofa cat scratching protector' on amazon, there's loads of products you can attach to the sofa to either get cats to scratch that instead or put them off

Yes I once saw a programme about cat behaviour that had a nugget in it that I remember.

Basically, it was something like, cats won't associate the telling off with the behaviour (unlike dogs), so all it achieves is your cat believes "my human can be suddenly be very scary and shout".

I always bear that in mind with mine, even though she is a total rascal!

Ours really like their scratching post, luckily. I think it had had catnip sprayed on it as they get quite a spaced out look when they are using it. We are now on our third.

Yes try a horizontal scratcher. My cat wrecked both my couches even though she had a big vertical scratcher. As soon I got a horizontal cardboard scratcher she never scratched anything else again. She loves it, she’s always having a scratch on it (and leaving shredded cardboard everywhere, but small price to pay).

What worked for my two was putting Olbas Oil onto a piece of kitchen roll and placing that folded up onto the furniture, one sniff and they wouldn't go near it. My sinuses were very clear and they seem to have learnt that the sofa is a no go.