Why does an animal ruin furniture?
There are several reasons why a cat scratches furniture and wallpaper. For example, this is how she performs “physical gymnastics.” By extending and retracting its claws, the pet stimulates the work of the ligaments. It also strains and stretches muscles, kneads joints. The natural need of the feline species is to grind off the upper stratum corneum from the claws, since it will interfere with the animal’s movement and can dig into the pads on the paws. In nature, pets do this with the help of trees, so they may mistake home furniture or wallpaper for a natural scratching post.
There are psychological reasons why a cat tears up furniture:
- Jealousy of other pets or defense of one's territory. On the surface of cats' paws there are special glands that secrete pheromones. The human sense of smell is not able to distinguish this smell, but for animals it means that the territory belongs to the creature that marked it. They can interrupt the marks of other pets with their own.
- A stressful situation in which a cat finds itself can become a reason for property damage. For example, if the animal’s owner has changed or the owner pays too little attention to the pet. Also, cats are always stressed due to moving to another place of residence or getting a new pet. The death of the owner and his long absence from home can negatively affect the animal’s psyche, which also often serves as a reason for scratching interior items.
The reason why an animal scratches furniture is often due to age. Little kittens have not yet been trained in anything, and may simply not know that they should not tear up the sofa or wallpaper. Also, young animals are often very active and playful. They do it out of boredom, to get attention or just to get some exercise.
If you don’t teach a young pet the right place to sharpen its claws, it can get used to damaging upholstered furniture, but it’s much more difficult to wean an adult animal off.
Jealousy of other pets or defense of territory
Stress
Young age
How to stop a cat from tearing up furniture
Claws must be trimmed very carefully so as not to damage soft tissues.
You can remove the claws of an animal: it is impossible to stop a cat from tearing up furniture. The manipulation is called onychectomy, and it is done in any veterinary hospital. Let's call this method the most popular way to save sofas from the attack of cat paws. But this is an operation, and not every cat owner will take such measures when a damaged sofa stands between the pet and the owner. The cat needs to be given anesthesia - this does not go unnoticed for the body.
Metal nippers for trimming cat claws
A cat deprived of claws is an inferior animal that can be considered a real disabled person. He will not be able to play, scratch, or fully jump.
Cutting a cat's claw in the right, wrong and dangerous positions
A cat can fall off the balcony ledge if it likes such walks: the animal will not catch its claws on the edge. This method will damage the cat’s posture, and the animal will begin to live in constant stress.
The location of a cat's toe inside the foot when walking
How to wean a cat from a bad habit
There are several ways to stop a cat from tearing up furniture and wallpaper. For example, you can train an animal using commands or signals. To do this, it is recommended to use objects that make loud sounds (rattles, metal objects, balloons), as well as to say “no”, “no”, “fu” or hiss at your pet. It is recommended to use these measures before attempting to sharpen the claws or in the first seconds of this process.
Step-by-step instructions for upholstering furniture with your own hands
For the pet, these actions will be associated with punishment, which will help to wean the cat from tearing up furniture. Another way to protect your home set is with adhesive pads. They can be attached to any surface.
scratching post
The simplest and most effective way to stop a cat from scratching furniture and wallpaper is to purchase a scratching post for him. There are many options on the market, there are both individual columns and built-in houses, entire complexes for games. It is worth purchasing a scratching post made of a material more similar to the one your pet has chosen in the house. For installation, you need to select a free corner or another area of the apartment. A place for the animal's needs can be made from a board, carpet, twine or regular clothesline. This requires wrapping the material around a rigid and stable base.
To accustom your pet to a scratching post, you can use catnip or valerian (infusion). This area is first coated with the substance, after which it is brought to the animal’s device. It is necessary to start playing with the cat so that it releases its claws. After this, her paw needs to be brought to the structure, copying the natural sharpening. It is recommended to repeat the process until the animal gets used to it and begins to do it on its own. The scratching post for cats needs to be made large enough so that the pet can fully stretch out.
Equipment for a personal sleeping area
To prevent your cat from tearing up furniture and wallpaper, it is recommended to make a personal place for him to sleep. This will reduce the animal's stress if people have multiple pets. You can use special houses, sun loungers or ordinary cardboard boxes. You need to choose a suitable space for installation and accustom the cat to it using training or aromatic substances (mint, valerian).
Types of products for cleaning upholstered furniture at home, rules
It is recommended to place the pet's house near a place where people are often present, since cats love company and rarely tolerate loneliness. It is necessary to wean other animals from trying to occupy someone else's house and equip a separate one for each. This will reduce the number of stressful situations for cats and help prevent property damage.
Water use
You can use a spray bottle if you need to stop your cat from scratching furniture, as animals are afraid of water. To do this, you need to spray the device into his face or onto his fur. It is important to avoid getting liquid into your cat's ears, as it can cause disease or inflammation. You can add various aromatic substances to the water that repel pets, for example, citrus juice or spices. You should spray water on animals very carefully, as you can get into household appliances or wet the wallpaper.
If you splash a cat after the claw point, he will not understand why he was punished.
Wallpaper protection
If an animal scratches wallpaper or furniture in one place, then you should get fabric covers. They are easy to attach to the surface using nails, glue, and paper clips. The damaged area can be covered with adhesive tape. It is subtle, but effective against cats, as they really don’t like it when something sticks to them. You can also use a woven cotton rug that is attached to a wall or furniture. It, like fabric, will allow your pet to sharpen its claws without damaging interior items.
It is recommended to choose liquid, slippery wallpaper or replace old ones with them. This way, the cat will have nothing to cling to, and it will stop tearing at the wall. The most drastic solution may be to cover the damaged areas with tiles or decorative plaster.
What will help you stop your cat from tearing up wallpaper and furniture?
After the owner has figured out the reasons for the pet’s incorrect behavior, it is necessary to try to eliminate the negative factors. If your cat is suffering from severe stress, you may need to consult a veterinarian or animal psychologist for treatment.
In order to teach a cat to sharpen its claws in the right place, you must prepare and take the necessary measures to instill good manners in your pet.
scratching post
First of all, you need to purchase this device or make it yourself. There are many types of scratching posts, but if your pet is already in the habit of tearing wallpaper and furniture, then it is better to purchase both a vertical and a corner one.
To get accustomed to this device, felinologists advise:
- Place the scratching post as close as possible to a place especially favored by the pet in order to sharpen its claws.
- Apply a special spray to the surface of the device to attract the cat's attention.
- “Show” the animal how to sharpen its claws by periodically running its front paws along the surface of the scratching post.
- For each successful experiment, reward the cat with pieces of treats and verbal praise. Under no circumstances should you scold your pet if it suddenly tears the wallpaper again. All comments must be made in a stern tone, without raising your voice.
- You can hang your favorite toy from the device. This will attract the cat's attention. And while playing, she will feel a surface under her claws that is ideal for sharpening her claws.
- When choosing a scratching post, you need to pay attention to the material from which it is made. Most animals like vertical posts wrapped in jute rope. The first time she fiddles, debris from pulled out hairs forms on the floor near her. But soon the “extra” parts will be torn out, and all cats, without exception, love to sharpen their claws on jute. Some animals like carpet. In this case, you can purchase a house upholstered with this fabric. It is advisable that it be combined with a scratching post.
Cat's personal space
When arranging his home when moving or renovating, the owner should also think about his pet. A cat must have its own corner, personal space. A small house with a scratching post is quite suitable for a calm cat.
If the cat is too active, then it is better to purchase a gaming complex with a scratching post and do not forget about interactive and soft toys. If he is constantly busy, he will not have time and energy left for outrages.
If there are a lot of pets, then it is advisable to make several play corners in the house and place sleeping beds in favorite places.
If cats have personal space in the house - houses where they can hide and be alone, an area for playing and climbing, toys, an equipped place for feeding, they feel protected, needed, surrounded by attention. In this case, it will be much easier to teach them to sharpen their claws in the right place.
Nail trimming
Regular nail trimming, especially on the front paws, can help combat the bad habit of picking wallpaper.
If the owner does not have experience, then this procedure must be carried out several times at the beginning in a veterinary clinic. It's completely uncomplicated. It is necessary to purchase a special nail clipper and cut off no more than 1 mm of the claw strictly at a right angle, so as not to touch the blood vessels.
Under no circumstances should an animal be subjected to declawing procedures. This disgusting operation borders on knackering and will bring nothing good to either the cat or the owner.
Recently, it has become fashionable to stick special anti-scratch caps on claws. They are attached using a special glue, which inevitably violates the integrity of the surface of the claw and can lead to painful deformation. In addition, such “protection” is ineffective. An active pet can easily remove them with his teeth or during play.
Aids
Some pets can be weaned from tearing furniture and wallpaper using strong odors.
Cats have a hypersensitive sense of smell and substances that smell strongly, are unpleasant and repel animals:
- citrus;
- onion and garlic;
- essential oils;
- balm “Star”;
- concentrated perfumes;
- vinegar;
- special repellent zoo lotions and “Anti-claw” sprays.
These substances can be applied to the sofa and wallpaper by simply spreading them on the surfaces or preparing a solution and spraying it evenly in the right places.
In addition, you can stick double-sided tape to the surface that your pet has chosen for sharpening its claws. The sticky base will keep the cat away. True, if a new place is chosen as an object for outrages, then it will have to be pasted over too.
Choosing the right wallpaper
If furniture can be protected using strong repellents, then with wallpaper it is more difficult - the liquid leaves untidy stains on them. And odors disappear faster from them.
In this case, during the next repair you can completely abandon this type of coating. Now there are new painting technologies that give walls the perfect look. You can also use “liquid wallpaper”, which is essentially a new plaster technology.
But if you want the apartment to be decorated with wallpaper, then if there is a cat living in this room, it is better to choose them correctly:
- Vinyl - they are quite durable and fit tightly to the walls.
- For painting - they usually have a smooth surface and are not interesting to animals. In addition, the damaged area is easy to paint over again.
- Fiberglass wallpaper is the most durable and can withstand about twenty updates.
If all else fails
If water and a scratching post do not solve the problem, you will have to think about how to stop your cat from scratching furniture, using more serious methods. You can use special silicone attachments for animals. They are attached to the claws with an adhesive substance and last from 1 to 2 months. After the upper horny part of the cat's toe peels off, the pad falls off along with it.
An alternative to silicone devices is surgical declawing. This procedure is not recommended for use as it is similar to amputating a human finger and is not humane.
You can also protect items from the kitten using covers. They are similar to fabric covers that are attached to the surface, but cover the entire furniture or a separate part of it. If a cat is tearing at an element of the interior, it is recommended to use a spray with a strong repulsive odor. You can find it at a veterinary pharmacy or prepare it yourself. This substance has an unpleasant aroma for cats and can discourage the animal from any furniture. You can mix essential oils, spices, citrus juice with water, or hang bags of spices near the problem area. This method is not always suitable, since the listed substances emit an unpleasant aroma for humans and can also leave streaks and stains.
Classification of modern types of fabrics for furniture, selection criteria
Silicone claw pads
Repellent spray
Furniture covers made of anti-vandal fabric
A mixture of water and essential oils
Onychectomy: pros and cons
Simply put, this is the complete removal of cat claws. Some people don’t even think about how to stop a cat from scratching furniture, and to save their property, they take their pet to a veterinary clinic. It seems like a simple operation, but why doesn’t any good vet recommend it? Here's the thing:
- During the operation, not only the animal’s claws are removed, but also some of its fingers so that there are no more problems!
- Cats tolerate anesthesia very poorly.
- A cat without claws is disabled! The animal loses coordination of movements and cannot move as gracefully. If the cat wants to jump higher, he will simply fall down, because he has been deprived of clues.
- Due to the discomfort experienced, posture may deteriorate, and in the future the animal will suffer from back pain.
- The life of an animal after such an operation will turn into an endless stretch of stress!
How to stop a cat from scratching furniture? Definitely not through declawing surgery. Without them, a cat ceases to be a cat. Let's look at other ways to protect the interior.
If you don’t find any other way, then just try trimming your pet’s nails. This will not harm his health, the furniture will remain safe and sound.
Common Mistakes
To prevent a cat from scratching furniture and wallpaper, it should be trained or weaned from this process. The most common mistake is the use of shouting or physical force. You should not hit the animal or raise your voice at your pet, as this can cause stress, a feeling of revenge, and may not have the desired effect. It is necessary to replace the scream with a stern tone, and the blows with ordinary water. Also, all measures of influence should be applied only when the animal commits its “crime”. This is necessary so that the cat understands why he is being punished and learns what not to do.
It is also not recommended to frequently move the scratching post around the apartment, as the animal gets used to one place and may ignore this device in the future. If it is necessary to protect furniture from the claws of a pet, then the procedures for training and teaching it should be carried out until it is completely memorized. If you train it irregularly, the animal will not get used to the process and will continue to tear up the furniture. It is not recommended to overdo it with the number of training methods used simultaneously. This can lead to the opposite result, as the cat may become stressed or take revenge on the owner.
Don't yell at or hit the cat
It is not recommended to frequently change the location of the scratching post.
Don't go overboard with the number of teaching methods
Why do cats sharpen their claws?
Our pet tailed purrs are not the only ones that scratch things around them. All wild cats, as well as homeless ones, scratch their claws on trees. This is necessary in order to mark the territory. The smell of a certain individual remains on the tree, as well as marks. Strangers, seeing the footprints and smelling the smell, will pass by and will not encroach on someone else’s property.
Also, all cats simply need to sharpen their claws - this is a kind of hygienic procedure. If you sharpen your claws on furniture, the fabric helps remove unnecessary parts of the plates, as well as scales that have served their purpose. This is how cats get a “manicure.” This helps keep the nails clean and they stay healthy longer. Surely, everyone has at least once found their pet's claw in the sofa or carpet. So, this is not an element that accidentally fell off due to too diligent carding, but material that has already served its purpose and is no longer needed. Cats simply don’t know any other way to get rid of it.
“Scratching” the claws is a physical necessity, as the cat practices the skills of releasing and retracting them. Pets don’t need this skill anymore, because they don’t need to hunt to eat or climb a tall tree to escape an enemy. But for cats, this is an exercise at the level of instincts that are passed on from generation to generation.
Some animals relieve stress this way, expressing their emotions, dissatisfaction, for example. When answering the question of how to stop a cat from scratching furniture out of spite, you must first figure out what the animal didn’t like so much!
Another reason is the expression of love. If a cat only attacks the chair you are sitting on, then it is about the person you love most!
We suggest moving on to the question of how to stop a cat from scratching furniture and other items in your interior.
How to deal with cat addiction
It will not be possible to stop a cat from sharpening its claws - such are the needs of the pet. However, you can save property - to do this you need to switch or distract the cat's attention.
Train your cat to use a scratching post
If you still don’t have a scratching post in your cat’s house, you need to urgently correct the situation. At the same time, they buy at least 2-3 scratching posts for each room.
Also try different types of scratching posts to see what your cat likes best.
You can find out more about training cats to use a scratching post in our related article.
How to train a kitten to use a scratching post
Make the sofa unattractive
It is possible that the cat already liked the piece of furniture as a scratching post. Then the cat should be trained at the same time as weaning it from unwanted habits.
Cats don't like sticky surfaces - try placing double-sided tape or sticky tape on the attacked sofa. Also, many cats are afraid of foil - use this to scare the cat away from its favorite place.
Over time, the pet will understand that sharpening its claws on the sofa is unpleasant and will leave the unfortunate one behind.
Scare away a cat with smells
Whiskered pets hate the smell of citrus fruits - try placing an orange peel next to the sofa. While doing this, rub some catnip on the scratching post to attract your cat.
You can also buy a special spray at the pet store to protect furniture and wallpaper. This spray contains a scent that calms the cat and encourages it not to mark the area. The product is especially useful when purchasing new furniture.
Trim the claws
Of course, with trimmed claws, a cat will not stop sharpening its claws anywhere. However, with a short manicure, the cat will not be able to do much damage.
In addition, the cat's desire to scratch with its claws may decrease.
Entertain your cat with other things
It is possible that the cat is trying to attract the attention of its beloved owner with such hooliganism. Try playing with your cat more and feeding her treats when she behaves correctly.
Don't leave your cat alone with your favorite sofa if the cat wants to sharpen its claws on it. It's better to lock your pet in another room.
In addition, try taking the cat's paw and sharpening the scratching post for it - perhaps the cat itself will guess what you want from it. It is possible that the cat is simply bored at home - in this case, try to come up with active entertainment for her, buy a new play set or arrange walks. Pay attention to your beloved pet and love him, and then the cat will not want to destroy your house!
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