Two things I have done in the past are apply soft paws to my cat's nails www.softpaws.com. Soft paws are nail caps that eventually fall off as your cat's nails grow. They are an alternative to declawing and my cat doesn't mind them at all. She also the most fashionable cat in her hot pink nails.

I have also used the clear plastic strips that are sticky on both sides that you can apply to your couch to deter your cat from scratching. This also works. Good luck.

Hi Alex. We have the exact same dilemma with our 3 cats. We have been successful with Sticky Paws, which is a double-sided clear tape that can be applied to any surface without damaging furniture. After a few weeks, the cats learned not to mess around with the couch and we were able to remove the tape. A loaded squirt gun nearby also helps to reinforce things.

Cheers!

I have seen friends put clear packing tape on the corners of the arms (where thier cats really enjoyed scratching) for a months or so after bringing the new sofa home . . . the cats (3 heavy sracthers) didn't like the feel of it-- and were provided with a new, and now much more-atteractive-than-sofa scatchy-post at the same time.
After a month the tape came off with no damage to t he couch and the behavior was set: sofa= crappy scatching place, post= fantastic one.
This bait and switch behavior mod has held up for 4+ years.

double sided sticky tape... i bought big thick stuff at PetSmart that I put around the edges of my couch for about a week and the cat learned to not claw. Also, we get our cat's nails trimmed about every other month. That helps too.

I bought a sisal area rug and placed it in front of the sofa in my living room and taught my cat to use it as his scratching post- i'll scratch the rug while he is lounging on it and pet him when he scratches it. The sisal is strong enough to hold its fibers together and my cat loves the texture. He won't even look at the sofa anymore!

I recently bought a leather couch, and was worried about my cat, because she clawed my old twill-upholstered couch to pieces (not to mention climbing up inside it and pulling half the stuffing out when she was young and crazy), but she doesn't like leather. She doesn't even sit on it, let alone scratch it.

So my advice is stay away from twill, think about leather or possibly microfiber. Anything that doesn't have a weave the cat can get a grip on should be good.

We found the perfect cat-proof upholstery fabric at Crate and Barrel. It's has a nice nubby texture but since the nubs are not loops that "catch" their claws, the cats are uninterested. I think it's a microfiber but nothing like ultrasuede. I believe I still have the sample with the name/number at home, so I will check on that tonight.

I'll second dagmar's opinion. The best way to get a cat to avoid scratching something is to provide a more attractive alternative for them to scratch. Scratching is so ingrained in their instinct and behavior that they'll never just stop.

Sometimes I feel like a real pusher since I've recommended this post so many times, but check out

www.purrfectpost.com

They're not too ugly and cats love them with an embarrassing passion (to paraphrase wende). They're sturdy enough that cats can really indulge in a good vigorous scratch, play and wrestle with each other on them, and even climb and hang. The vet who designed it even gives behavior modification tips for cats already scratching in a bad place.

I have a very athletic cat that goes bonkers inside, so I've also made her a jungle gym out of sisal rug remnants, sisal rope, a wood ladder and concrete forming tubes from home despot. I don't know how big your place is or how handy you feel, but that's another option.

regards,
trillium

i personally don't have a cat, but saw this product referenced on another blog i read:

http://www.softpaws.com/

may be worth a try ...

Check out the book Animal House Style by Julia Szabo (published 2005). She covers issues of materials for pets including scratching, staining and cleaning. It's a pretty good book with some good design ideas that keep the animals from dominating the house design.
One of the best things you can do is get your cat a fabulous scratching post - preferably sisal with no carpet on it. Put this near the sofa so the cat can be near you when scratching. Rub catnip into the post at least once a month to encourage use. You want to provide something that is more appealing than the sofa itself. The post should be VERY stable - as stable as your sofa. There are several discussed on this site over the last month.
The next item you should have is a water spray bottle. It is best damn cat control device out there. IMHO, cats are like two year olds - always testing boundaries. I keep spray bottles next to my couch, my dining table, in the kitchen and by the bed.

just a caveat on the leather recommendation: it doesn't always work out so well. My mother's cats don't sharpen their claws on her leather sofa, but they do nap on it and walk over it leaving scratch marks in their wake.

in addition to the tips others have offered, I would add:
a) different cats have different scratching temperments (some like horizontal, some like vertical, some like carpet, come like cardboard, etc). Observe your kitties, then be sure that you provide them with a scratching place that they love. That will go a long way towards saving your couch.
b) the need to scratch is partly a need to stretch, so the cats hook their claws in something and really pull. Make sure the scratching item you offer is sturdy enough to allow this.

good luck!

I've been battling this problem for years. While I found that softclaws worked, they were hard on my cat's nails, causing them to split over time. We have a sisal rug in front of the couch which works wonders, however the best thing is just to keep their nails clipped. It's painless and easy and lets them keep their nails without ruining your furniture. Click on my name for a link to a good cat nail clipper.

I have one of these cardboard scratching posts

http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=8116

right behind my couch. The cats really love it and use it all the time. Before I did this they ruined a leather chair (their favorite material to dig claws into). After introducing the scratching post, they did try to scratch the couch a couple of times. But when I caught them, I just picked them up and put them on the scratching post with some catnip. Now we don't have any problems.

To Kim's point, one of our cats likes scratching vertically and one likes horizontal. For vertical scratchers you need something that's not just heavy enough not to topple but TALL enough for them to really stretch out. For the horizontal scratchers who ruin rugs, try this: we use an Ikea "Sindal" door mat ($4.99) in the kitchen, as a rug in front of the sink. The latex backing grips the floor so kitty gets good resistance. And when it gets too ratty you can just replace it.

I will soon be dealing with this very issue myself when a new sofa comes in, and based on the research I've done I'm planning on using a combination of tinfoil and double-sided tape. I've also seen recommendations that people put upside down car mats in areas where cats like to stand before stretching up to scratch, since they don't like standing on it.

I have to say microfiber or not my cat scratches everything that's on her way. Doesn't really matter on fabric with some cats. DO NOT use sprays i used one and she ignores it. I have to put cover on it now, since i'm still waiting on delivery of sticky tape.

I had the same worries before we bought our couch, because our cat Milo scratched several lovely pieces of furniture to bits, so I talked to a bunch of furniture sales people with pets before I made a fabric decision. The most important thing is that the fabric doesn't have loops for their claws to catch on. Microfiber, mohair, and velvet are all fine because the fibers are more like hair-- open at the ends-- rather than closed in loops like twill or any other woven fabric. Leather can be a good choice, although their claws may scratch it a bit-- but if you like that worn leather look the scratching may not bother you. Any fabric with a crosshatched weave will be irresistible to your cats, and my guess is that no amount of bitter apple spray will protect a twill couch forever.

We ended up buying a microsuede couch and I really like it-- and, more importantly, Milo totally ignores it. It still looks as nice as when we bought it, too-- the microsuede holds up really well. Good luck!

I too have battled this problem for years, and if you see the arm of my couch, you'll note that the couch has been the loser.

I tried the double sticky tape for awhile, and I thought it worked, but then in the middle of the night I would hear the distinct "pop, pop, pop" of claws on couch, and have to run into the other room to catch Seamus in the act. I also have a large alternative scratching post, which he uses, but still prefers the couch.

Ultimately, when I leave my apartment for work I've resorted to putting a chair or a balance ball in front of the couch arm he always scratches. He doesn't seem to scratch any other area, just that one arm...so I guess it's problem solves, but not really.

The best thing to do to keep cats from scratching is give them an alternative place to scratch RIGHT NEXT TO what you don't want them to scratch on. Everytime you catch them scratching on the couch, pick them up, and put them on the scratching post/box/whatever.

It's like litter box training, without the nose-in-urine-rubbing. The cat will get the idea and realize that the scratching post doesn't get them in trouble. Personally, I like some of the kitty condos out there - mine is a three-platform scratching post about six feet tall covered in buff-colored carpet.

Last year I bought a new couch from Jennifer Convertibles and it was destroyed by my cats within 6 months. The second time around I decided to buy a couch with a microsuede/fiber type fabric which the cats don't really care to scratch on.

I bought the softpaws but they were such a pain in the ass to put on and they all fell off within a few days. I don't suggest those.

I bought the sticky tape stuff and that seemed to work a little bit, but I think the real reason they don't scratch the new couch is they don't like the microfiber. I do still have a problem with puncture holes in general from the cats horsing around and sprinting across the couch, but there isn't much I can do about that. Ive accepted that small holes are better than long rips and shreds.

I also have some storage baskets from ikea that the cats were crazy over but ever since I bought one of those cardboard tray scratchers they haven't laid a paw on the baskets. They love that thing!

My cats have town up my new Crate and Barrel sofa, and now I'm looking at wood-frame sofas where the back, bottom, and sides of the sofa is covered in wood. West Elm has a cool wood-frame sectional (but it is over-priced, I think), and I've seen at least one at Room & Board that I like.

I completely agree with Alex. After my cats destroyed my roomate's couch and I caught one of them having a go at the kitchen cabinets (!) my vet suggested that we buy a scratching post. Whenever they so much as raise a claw near the couch, they get a very stern "NO!" and we pick them up and put them on their scratching post (one of those horribly ugly carpet and sisal contraptions (it's 8 feet high and they love it!). THat, plus having a spray bottle nearby seems to have cured them of their most egregious behaviour! By the way, DO NOT SPEND MUCHO DINERO on the cat scratch trees/stands that they sell in local pet stores! There are tons of them (Brand New, shipped directly from the factory) for sale on EBAY, just do a search under "cat tree" or "cat stand" and they will come up. We got ours for $50, shipping included, it costs about $300 in the stores.

Thanks everyone for the tips. I have been thinking what to do when I get a new couch because my cats don't like the post I got them

I use Soft Paws and it works great...the first application is always the hardest, but then it's just maintining one or two a week as they fall off. But leave your cat's dignitiy intact and get the clear ones, ok?

I live in Astoria. When we moved into our building we had a REALLY BAD mouse problem. When we got our cat he fixed the problem right away, but our furniture started to suffer. Someone bought us this black pad that has an alarm attached to it. When the cat steps on it it makes a really loud beeping noise that scares him away. He was smart though, and pretty soon he figured out what the thing looked like and just avoided it. So I hid it under a blanket that was just laid across the couch in a not-so-obvous way. It worked! He doesn't get on the couch any more.

My two young cats, rescued from the streets, are now such home decor experts that they quickly gave up on the sofa (the double-sided clear sticky tape works!) to focus on destroying the way more expensive oriental rugs.
The kitties laugh at sprays and aluminum foil and ignore scratching posts. But they love sisal/coir door mats so we have one next to every good rug. And inside the biggest closet I velcro to the wall a big square of corrugated cardboard rubbed with catnip. I leave the door ajar and the cats pop in for a long vertical scratch-n-stretch.
They still like the rugs best, but all these distractions have bought the carpets some time. And the vet who talked me out of de-clawing stops by once a month to clip claws.
At least, like some children, they behave better at other peoples' homes. When visiting their favorite cat sitter, they don't touch her rugs or sofa.

Oh, also for counters and other things I don't want the cats to climb on I lay an upside down DHL/Fed Ex Sticky clear pocket (with the sticky part exposed upwards) so the cats get stuck on it once or twice and then they get the point.
Those sticky pockets are also excellent for de-linting or de-furring large surfaces.

I think like others have said that the attraction is something that their claws get snagged in. I was afraid that my cat would scratch my leather couch but she's never even tried to claw at it ... then I was worried that she would scratch the posig pouf thing I got and she's not interested in that either. She just makes biscuits on it and sits in the middle like a little princess. :P

She does however loves horizontal scratching and has taken to destroying these cheap rugs / doormat things that I get at the dollar store for $1 a pop. When they are too worn out I just get new ones. I've also gotten her one of those super ugly carpeted post and a birdhouse thigny with more carpet on it. It's ugly as heck but it works.

Clipping your cat's claws also helps to reduce accidental scratches on leather.

I was never able to determine which fabrics my cat hated or loved. I have a couch and chair upholstered in wool camel hair type fabric which my cat scratched for a minute then ignored. My biggest solution are floors covered with very thick nylon broadloom rugs. She loved them and they never got damaged from the scratching. Occasionally she did scratch on other pieces of furniture, usually when I was out of the house. Therefore, water sprays and commands only helped when I was at home.

If you like broadloom carpet, buy something super thick like Karastan and direct your cat to scratch on it, if you can. To protect your furniture when you're away, clip your cat's front claws every week or two. That way if it decides to test out clawing your furniture, there will be little or no damage.

Good Luck!

I've had cats all my life and I also am involved in rescue. So, the best things that seem to work are as mentioned, soft claws and sticy paws or the like. AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A SCRATCHING POST AS AN ALTERNATIVE. A friend of mine bitched and moaned over how her 3 cats destroyed their new couch. When I asked about the scratching post, her response, "but they're so ugly." Well, they're better than a ripped up couch that cost you a couple grand.

ALSO, behavior modification with blowing on the cat and using the squirt bottle.

Be vigilant and consistent and your furniture should come out pretty unscathed.

I have found that nothing works. The spray, the tape, the press on nails, nothing. I've had cats most of my life and I hate to say this...but the declawing hurt her for a few days-but now she is the happiest cat ever. As long as your cats are strictly indoors, I saw declaw. It's just not worth spending so much money on furniture when you cat destroys it. The nail caps are AWFUL. I would come home to find my poor kitty with her nails stuck on my clothes, curtains, and furniture. And she would have no way to get loose if it weren't for me. The constant pain she experienced with the nails caps is far worse than her declawing.

After Bartholomew, the 2 -year old cat, destroyed a sofa in the den, we decided to get a new sofa 5 months ago. It is upholstered in microfiber and of course he still tries to claw it, despite a horizontal corrugated cardboard scratcher and a sisal-covered 2 feet tall vertical column smeared with catnip...
So we resorted to more drastic measures: I clip his claws every 2 weeks with a catclaw clipper (bought at Wal-mart!) and we spread mothballs around and on the sofa and leave them overnight. Yes, it stinks like mothballs but it will keep Bart off the sofa for at least 2 weeks. I also give the sofa the mothball treatment whenever we go out of town. Works very well in flowerpots too.

Sorry to have to say it, SK, but declawing is cruel and selfish. Yes, it works, but let's be honest about it and call it what it is - mutilation of a pet for our own convenience. If keeping furniture pristine is so important, don't have cats.

Ultimately, if none of the suggestions work, then the best thing is to clip their nails every two weeks, as mafalda suggests. Short nails don't poke holes, but again, the upkeep is tedious.

Stacy Kate,

I hope your cat never escapes. My friend's declawed cat did and was killed by a neighborhood dog. Not to mention that declawing is supposed to be the equivalent of removing the first joint of a human finger.

I use Soft Paws, and have had no problem with them. In fact, I don't even see how a cat would get these caught on something that their "unsheathed" claws wouldn't get caught on. The difference is literally a millimeter in width.

if compassion doesn't disuade you from declawing your cats (I hope it does), there are practical reasons as well. Many cats become skittish biters afterwards (since they feel at a disadvantage without their natural defenses), don't get along with other animals (same reason), and lose their famous balance (try walking with part of your toes missing!).

As for scratching options, if money is an issue, nailing some carpet (inside out) to a wall, door, or door jamb, often does the trick for vertical scratchers. You can find an out of the way place to avoid the eyesore...

let them shred the old couch to pieces.Wait until the stuffing is fallingo ut before you replace the couch. Let's face it, these animals rule the roost and we have no say in it. I give up.
-Jessica

I apologize for not having time to read all the posts, but I'll second any post that says the best way to save your furniture is to provide an alternative scratching surface...if they won't use a standard post, keep trying other surfaces, like cardboard, until you find one they like. Cats must scratch - they shed layers of claws like snakes shed layers of skin.

Plus you do have to take some time and energy to train them. My cats never claw the furniture, but they also know that I am the boss. I don't rely on spray bottles or canned air, because I want them to know it's ME doing the disciplining, just like they would if I were the mother cat. Usually I rely on NO and a finger-pointing (sometimes I have to stand up from wherever I'm sitting so they know I mean business), but I've train them out of their worst behaviours by grabbing them by the scruff-of-the-neck, which immobilizes them and makes them instantly submissive. (Don't ever lift them this way, or you'll hurt them!) Some people may think that's cruel, but it's how their own mothers train them, and it's worked for me to end scratching, biting, and other really bad behaviour in five different cats now - two acquired as kittens and three acquired as adult cats (two from shelters, where they seem to learn some really bad stuff!) - and I've always wound up with very affectionate, sociable, happy, and well-behaved kitties, despite being "mean" to them. In fact, when I brought home my latest couch and chairs, they each tried to scratch a chair ONCE - I only had to tell them NO once, and they've never tried since - and my furniture is still in perfect shape, so they're not doing it when I'm not home, either.

I also applaud you for refusing to de-claw, which, as far as I'm concerned, is a form of animal abuse.

Oh, just to clarify - I don't have five cats at once! I've had a total of five since I've been on my own. I have two now...one I "rescued" (cough cough stole cough) from a neglectful/abusive neighbour when he was a kitten, and one I adopted from the SPCA when she was two years old.

if you are going to have a cat, you have to provide something for him or her to scratch on. It's as essential as a water dish and a litter box, in my opinion. The other posters who mentioned retraining (as in, saying NO! and then moving the cat to the correct scratching location) are right on. You simply can't get a cat to quit scratching, cold turkey. And why should you?

If you have a big house and lots of tempting furniture, you may need multiple scratching pads/poles. My cat, Lance, goes into a blissful stupor after a good scratch on the corrugated cardboard pad I bought him, which I laced with organic catnip.

I agree: the best thing you can do is provide a really appealing scratching surface. I bought a hideous carpet/sisal mult-platformed cat 'tree,' and I'm so glad I did (even if it is SOOOO ugly). No more scratching on the furniture, no more fur on the furniture. My cat just loves the thing.

DWR has a wall-mounted scratching post called Skritch. Made in Spain for $225.
http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=9298

Good call, Chuck. I like this one as much or better:

http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=9023

Everyday Wall-Mounted Cat Tree

The cat-proof upholstery fabric we found at Crate and Barrel is No. 3367 (Grade E). We got it in cocoa but I think it came in some other colors too.

I had some friends who gave up on the Lee-press on nails for kitties and just got their adult cats declawed. They said there's some humane new laser method that doesn't hurt the cats as much. Is that true?

It sounds nutty, but Feliway is an amazing product. It claims to be feline facial hormone and the cat will feel lovely and friendly toward the couch rather than destructive. I've had great luck with it, and a few sprays for a few days will be enough. Much more pleasing than sticky tape!

I find the sticky paws works best. My cats like wood, sheetrock, carpet, and furniture, both vertical and horizontal scratchers even though they get to scratch the trees outside twice a day. They love their scratching post, but love the furniture just as much. I had a wicker floor lamp that they were sure was a scratching post and use of the sticky paws completely stopped the scratching of it. Don't declaw!

When it comes to scratching posts, I usually build my own (I have two 5-year-old cats, sisters from the same litter). I've found most of the scratching posts sold commercially are too light and they tip over if a cat really puts a lot of pressure on them. What I do is I build a wooden box out of plywood or shelf boards, then staple pieces of carpet remnants to the outside and inside of the box. I cover half of the box top and add a second level so the cats can get high enough to look out of the window. I use the box to store the cat toys, and the cats like to play in it.

While scratching still occasionally is an issue, my biggest concern right now is a sudden hunger my cats have developed for plastic. One of my cats really loves to chew on the part of the plastic garbage bag that hangs from the container, and I live in bear country so I get fined if I keep my garbage outside. I've also had to replace a few computer and other electronics cords, while rubberbands don't last. I've tried bitter apple, sprays, a New Year's Eve party noisemaker, and other methods, but they only work if I catch the cats in the act. Does anybody have a solution to the plastic/rubber fetish? I'm worried the plastic/rubber could be building up in the cats' digestive systems and I might be looking at expensive surgery in the future.

I agree with the person who said not to get cats if you love your furniture so much -- which, by the way, doesn't make you a bad person. If cats are allowed to simply be "the way they are," we humans should, too.

Here's the thing: I've worked hard to get the furniture I have. It's collectible and valuable. It makes my house a nice place to be. I enjoy it.

I really like my two cats, too, but I have to say, if I could do it over again, I wouldn't get them. They're incredibly destructive, impossible to train (you know, being cats and all), and I've spent more money and time buying and trying to use products such as SoftPaws, Scat Mats, double-sided tape, aluminum foil, those hideous cat towers, twenty different scratching posts, etc. etc. than I can count.

If you're at all like me (and I know most people on this site are not), please, PLEASE reconsider getting a cat. It's just not worth it! Unless you don't care that much about your stuff, or are lucky enough to end up with a cat who just happens to not be into behaviors that wreck that stuff (which HAS to be rare), DON'T GET A CAT.

The relationship between pet and owner should be a harmonious one, and while I'd never, ever harm my cats (I won't even entertain the idea of declawing them), I know they have to sense my deep resentment that "we can't have nice things" without them getting destroyed. They have a comfortable life. They're good friends, and have lots of toys, plenty of space to play, stairs to run up and down. But I know they'd probably be happier if they sensed that I was cool with everything they do.

Then again, they ARE cats, so they probably don't care. In fact, I'm pretty sure that if they were larger, they'd kill me in my sleep.

Needless to say, it's a really unpleasent situation around my house today, as I just discovered that one of my "guys" has thrashed a $3000 rug. And since my cats are only 7 and 2, unless I decide to stop caring as much as I do (my only recourse, I suppose), the little ba***rds are gonna outlive me.

And don't get me started about the one who will poop on the floor unless he gets a COMPLETELY fresh box of litter every day!!!

Okay, I'm done. :)

Got all the alternatives and won't resort to declawing. I'm interested in saving my wood furniture (dressers, etc.) from cat scratches inflicted by the initial jump up and jump down. I've got to think there's some kind of clear vinyl(?) cut-to-fit product out there. Ever heard of anything? I'm not craftsy, but perhaps from some arena not typically pet related?

My roommate (sister) moved out and I have a 2 bedroom 2 bath place with an empty living room and empty bedroom now. My cat will probably direct her scratching to my stuff now. Although for months, I had a scratching post. I have a cheap mat that she loves to scratch right by my bed. So my mattress is okay. I don't know the material of my mat. As for furniture, for many years I wanted a high quality leather sofa and chair. I have expensive taste. But this cat makes me hesitate about buying what I really want. If it was not for scorpions in the apartment complex (I'm in Phoenix), I would not have got the cat at all, although I've always loved cats. If I get the sofa, I will consider getting some thick canvas cover for when I'm at work. All your posts above depend on being there where the cat is to reinforce the no clawing policy. A cat who wants to scratch your expensive furniture when you are gone will feel free to do so. And for when I'm home with the cat, I will take your suggestion and get some sisel carpet and a good sturdy scratching post nearby (and keep squirt bottle at hand). I like my cat very much. I don't believe in declawing (too brutal). And I do like fine furniture.

Where can I find plastic or vinyl leg protectors to slip onto upholstered chairs legs?

The only clear protectors I've found are at this website.

http://www.purrfectpaw.com/?gclid=COLSwo2AoooCFRsZVAodb1Ocug

I have 2 male cats, one 11 and the other 7. My problem is the fabric covers for the back of my kitchen chairs. They were 50's retro vinyl but the cats totally mutilated them so I found an adorable strawberry fabric and made the covers myself and now they too are destroyed. A lady at the fabric store suggested duck cloth so that's what I'm going to try next. She said it was sturdier than canvas. I also have a cat perch to put together with sisal, carpet, etc. Wish me luck. Yes, it's annoying to have your favorite things cremated by them but the love, affection and low blood pressure they provide is worth all the furniture in the world.

We have two cats , Stop That! and his brother, NoDamnit! who were relentless with the claws, in spite of the expensive cat trees covered with rope and carpet, cardboard scratching posts, my screaming and hissing like a ruptured snake several times a day and squirt bottles used so often that what was not shredded was mildewed.
I was on the verge of having furniture made from telephone poles and kevlar. Or having a stroke.
Purrfectpaws saved my sanity!
They are wonderful.
I took a rather..evil delight in watching the boys get all frustrated by these marvelous corner protectors.
The expensive chair is safe, the expensive cat trees get used, life is good, get these things and love your cats again.

I don't understand people who say "if you would declaw then don't get a cat at all", because given the oversupply of cats that is kind of like saying you would rather see a cat die than live as a declawed pet. No?

Enough with all the gimmicks and training that I need to do. I have $3000 in couches and there go the cats. The only thing that works is clear vinyl and a pin that they sell on
cat scratch guard.com

We've always used the spray bottle method of training our cats. Get a squirt gun or a spray bottle and fill it with water. (If using a spray bottle, make sure the nozzle is set on the "stream" setting)

Any time your cat does anything undesirable, such as scratching the furniture or jumping up on the kitchen table, give them a quick squirt of water. They don't like the water, and after just a couple times, they won't do the behavior anymore. This is completely harmless and humane to the kitties. This method worked so well for our cats that we don't even have to spray them anymore...they just see the bottle and take off running!

This is a great way of getting rid of bad habits.

http://catscratchguard.com/

The only scratching deterent that works for as long as you want it to. My cats haven't scratched on our couch or any other furniture for three months. Best Furniture protector I know of

Fabric really does make a difference. We have 4 cats,
and the fabric that really holds up and it virtually cat proof
is a tightly woven chenille. Even if they occasionally use the couch to scoot across the floor by way of claws, or 'stretch', there is no damage. As to scratching, they are not interested.

That does it! I'm buying my cats a leather couch! :) They seem a little blue with the cold weather we are having.

MicroFiber has treated me very good.....

Do not use mothballs, they are toxic to a cats liver, and will eventually make your cat sick or kill him.

I agree with michael. My cats have brought new meaning to shabby chic-decimated my couch. I spoke to my vet about declawing and he said the biggest reason given for people bringing their cats to shelters is destructive behavior. in the end, I couldnt do it because I do believe it's cruel but I'd rather see a declawed cat in a good home then one in the gas chamber.i love my little guys- Still have the damn couch!