How do I stop my cat scratching the furniture?

Scratching is not damage-seeking behaviour and it cannot be trained out, because it serves three genuine purposes at once. The reason cats choose the arm of a sofa is that it is exactly what a scratching site should be: rigid, tall, in a prominent social location, and with a satisfying texture. Most scratching posts fail on at least one of those, which is why they get ignored while the sofa does not.

Safety

What you'll need

• A tall rigid sisal scratching post
• A horizontal cardboard scratcher
• Double-sided tape or a temporary cover (optional)
• Cat treats (optional)

Step by step

1. Look at what the cat is actually choosing.Vertical or horizontal? Rough weave or smooth? In the middle of the room or by a doorway? The cat is telling you the specification it wants. Match the replacement to it rather than to what looks tidy.
2. Buy a post that meets the real requirements.Taller than the cat can reach with its front paws fully stretched — for most adult cats that means at least around seventy-five centimetres of scratchable height. Heavy and rigid enough that it does not rock at all, because a post that moves is useless to a cat. Sisal rope or sisal fabric, not carpet, which teaches the cat that carpet is for scratching.
3. Add a horizontal option too.Plenty of cats scratch horizontally, on carpets, doormats and stair treads. A flat corrugated cardboard scratcher costs very little and is often the one that gets used.
4. Put it exactly where the cat already scratches.Directly in front of the sofa arm, not in the corner where it will not be seen. Scratching is territorial marking and it has to be in a prominent place to serve its purpose. This is the step most people get wrong.
5. Make the old spot temporarily unattractive.Double-sided tape, a piece of smooth plastic, or a throw pinned tightly over the arm. Cats dislike the texture and disengage. This is temporary — remove it once the post is established, usually after a few weeks.
6. Reward every single use of the post for the first fortnight.A treat and quiet praise each time you see the cat use it. Play a wand toy game that finishes at the post so the cat grabs it. Never take the cat's paws and rub them on the post — most cats find it unpleasant and it puts them off the post.
7. Put posts in more than one place.One near where the cat sleeps, because cats scratch and stretch on waking, one by the main doorway of the room, and one wherever there is already damage. In a multi-cat house, several posts in different places prevents scratching from becoming a competition.
8. Move the post gradually if you want it somewhere else.A few centimetres a day once it is being used reliably, and stop if the cat goes back to the sofa. Moving it across the room in one go simply ends the habit you just built.
9. Keep the claws maintained if the cat accepts it.Regular tip trimming reduces damage, though it does not reduce the urge to scratch. Not every cat tolerates it, and it is not a substitute for a post. Never use claw caps as a first resort and never consider declawing, which is illegal here.
10. Treat a sudden change in scratching as a signal.A cat that starts scratching new places, or scratching much more, is often responding to stress — a new cat in the neighbourhood, a new baby, building work, a change in the household. Address the stressor and the resources, and see the vet, because stress and urinary problems travel together in cats.

Tips

• Buy the post that looks too big. Almost every scratching post sold is shorter than an adult cat's full stretch, which is the main reason they are ignored.
• Cats scratch on waking, so a post beside the bed or the favourite sleeping spot gets far more use than one tucked away.
• Pheromone products marketed for scratching can help direct a cat towards the post. They work best alongside the placement and reward routine, not instead of it.

Common mistakes

• Putting the post in the corner out of the way — Scratch marks are territorial signals and need to be seen. A post in a hidden corner does not do the job the sofa arm was doing.
• Buying a short or wobbly post — A cat needs to stretch fully and lean its weight into it. A post that rocks or that is shorter than the cat's reach is not usable and will be ignored.
• Punishing or startling the cat — It teaches the cat to avoid you rather than the sofa, and adds stress, which typically increases scratching. It also damages the relationship.
• Choosing a carpet-covered post — It teaches the cat that carpet is an appropriate surface, which is a problem if you have any elsewhere in the house.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask