Help! My Cat is Destroying My New Sofa!

From Kaya S. in Sheboygan, Wisconsin

My husband and I recently adopted a cat, a stray who wandered up to us from out of a grassy field near our house. We had no idea where he came from, but he was very friendly and confident so we decided to take him in.

Well, of course, he was covered in fleas, anemic, and very hungry, but he quickly won our hearts over with his sweet nature, his purring (of course) and the general fun we have watching him while he plays. Seeing him and the dog go at it is a lot of fun!

Our problem is this: We recently acquired some expensive new leather furniture and he's taken to clawing it. I don't know what to do. I was going to get him declawed, but my friends said that it was painful and inhumane, so now I don't want to do that. But I don't want him destroying our furniture so soon after we've just gotten it. Do you have any suggestions?

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Well, I suppose I should refrain from suggesting that you take your new furniture back and get something more cat-friendly? I suppose so -- as most people aren't interested in redecorating with the cat in mind.

Unfortunately, one of the first things you learn upon acquiring a cat is that the notion of "no training involved" just isn't the case. However, the other popular notion, that you can't train a cat, is also not entirely true. Both of these issues come into play when the very common problem of inappropriate scratching manifests itself.

Primarily, you should understand that there are two main reasons that your cat feels the need to scratch. The first is to keep their naturally lean hunter's bodies in good shape. Even though they may be domesticated "seat cushion warmers" today, deep in their hearts a cat still remembers the good ol' days of hunting and prowling through the Serengeti. Somewhere, deep in the recesses of it's little feline mind is the need to scratch to keep these important hunting tools trim and under control.

Cats also use scratching as one way to mark their territory. So if something new has been introduced into their living space (such as lovely new leather furniture) they're going to feel a compulsion to scratch and otherwise mark it (of course, cats will also engage in scratching and marking behavior if they feel threatened, such as when a new cat, dog, or baby is introduced, although that doesn't sound like the case here).

The thing is, you can't stop a cat from scratching -- it's absolutely intrinsic to their nature. But you can redirect the behavior to someplace where you actually want them to scratch. One of the most common ways to do this is with a scratching post.

Most pet stores have these. Some are carpeted, some have sisal twine wrapped around them (it's been my experience that the latter is a particular favorite of my cats). Place the scratching post in a high traffic area, somewhere everyone in the house goes frequently. Your cats are more sociable than you may think, and they want to be where you are. Additionally, they're marking their territory, and a hidden post won't work very well for that purpose.

Of course, getting your cat to actually use the post can often be tricky. The key word here is "enticement." Play with them near the post, feed them near it, even hang things from it so that they're near it when they're in a frisky mood. The sisal twine posts can be a good place to sprinkle catnip which can make the spot very attractive to the right cat. The other key is that the scratching post is often a more desirable texture for them to scratch on than the furniture!

Ultimately, the key here is "the carrot and the stick." Clap your hands, shake a can full of dry beans, or make some other loud noise everytime you see your cat clawing the furniture. Be persistent. Or, just pick him up when he's clawing the furniture and put him on the scratching post. You want to make him understand that "Scratching furniture BAD, scratching post GOOD!"

As an aside, I don't recommend ever smacking your cat when they do something wrong, as physically reprimanding cats has been pretty much proven to be ineffective.

Persistence pays off, especially if you can start when your cat is young, like yours seems to be. I've had tremendous success in getting my cats to claw scratching posts. And, with a little bit of work, I'll bet you can as well. Good luck!