You don't have to choose between your cat and your sofa
Over the years, you've developed a special relationship with your feline friend. You've come to a mutual understanding that involves a regular feeding schedule, frequent treats and lots of attention and affection (on her terms, of course). While your relationship with your cat is special, chances are you have a pretty special relationship with your sofa, too. It's your haven at the end of the day where you relax and unwind. So when kitty and sofa collide, who wins the battle in your heart?
There's good news for you and your sofa: cat scratching is a natural behavior and one that your good ol' cat doesn't have to give up. It's up to you to take control of your kitty's behavior and reroute her scratching. If you let her take control of the sofa, your problems won't end there. She'll move on to the rest of the furniture in your house and you'll end up in a perpetual refurnishing cycle that will cost you more than your kitty's weight in gold. So, where do you start?
Declawing is never the answer
You may have heard about cat declawing or even had a declawed cat when you were younger. While this was once an acceptable method to stop cat clawing, it is now understood that this surgical procedure is inhumane, and therefore not something to which you should subject your feline companion. The surgery involves amputating part of your cat's toes and can cause her serious emotional and physical stress.
Declawing might sound like a quick-fix option to get your kitty to stop scratching, but she won't be the only one to deal with her pain and suffering. She'll begin to act out in other ways like going to the bathroom in places other than her litter box. You might find your favorite odds and ends broken throughout your home because she'll also have trouble maintaining her balance. Save both of you the trouble of this ordeal and work together to modify her scratching behavior with a plan that will build her trust in you, not break it.
Your cat was made to scratch
Scratching is your cat's way of marking her territory, keeping in shape (it kind of looks like kitty yoga when you think about it) and giving herself a feel-good manicure. Your kitty is only playing homage to her natural instincts when she scratches (though your furniture might have a hard time believing that), so don't punish her for it. Instead, channel her scratching to an appropriate area.
Right now, she thinks your furniture is an appropriate area for scratching, and this is perhaps the best evidence that the two of you may not share the same idea of what surfaces are appropriate. At this stage in her life, it may take a few tries to re-route her energy and find a surface she is attracted to, so don't give up if the first scratching post you buy doesn't do it for your kitty. Just make sure the surface you choose is both tall and wide enough for her to fully extend her body in those contortionist yoga positions she does so well and that the surface is stable enough to support her without toppling over. If she loses her trust in the surface, (from a bonk on the head or a fall) she'll avoid it like she would a German Shepherd.
If at first you don't succeed, scratch, scratch again
While you may go through a few rounds of scratching posts to find one that tickles her fancy, there are a few things to keep in mind that can make your efforts more successful:
- She scratches to mark her territory. Her territory isn't in the corner of your living room, it's out where the rest of the family spends their time. After all, she has probably chosen your sofa as her scratching surface because it's somewhere you spend a lot of time. Start with her new scratching surface in the middle of the room and when she takes to it, you can slowly move it out of the way.
- If the post seemed secure but your kitty gets so crazy it topples over, secure it to the floor or add width or weight to the base.
- Make sure your cat knows the area around the scratching post is hers. You can help her understand this by feeding and playing with her near the post. If she likes catnip, sprinkle it around the area and on the post.
- Create a positive association with scratching on the post by rewarding her with a treat when she digs her claws into it and not the sofa.
- If kitty takes to the post, but still scratches the sofa, cover the area on the sofa where she likes to scratch with aluminum foil or double-sided tape. Scratching her nails on these surfaces will be the feline equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.
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