Cats damaging furniture can be frustrating and expensive. There are effective solutions.
*This presentation was written by Kelley Bollen of Animal Alliances on behalf of AlleyCat.org
Scratching posts should be around the house.
Put the scratching posts in the location where the cat prefers to scratch. If a cat likes to scratch the couch in the living room, putting a scratching post in the basement won't help the problem.
Carpet, sisal, cardboard – offer a variety
Berber carpet is preferred as other carpet can risk a cat getting his nail caught. He won't use the scratcher after that.
You can make these yourself. Can be messy after a lot of scratching.
Cats like to stretch while scratching vertically so make sure tall and stable so it doesn't fall over.
Just the tips. Don’t cut into the quick.
Soft claws need to be reapplied every 4-6 weeks.
Cats are not trying to get even or mad at you. Cats are trying to do what feels right with him.