wiggles destroys our furniture with his claws

Our 14-month old, neutered male cat, Wiggles is destroying our sofa with his claws. About 6 months ago, we tried out a scratching post, but he basically ignored it. How can we train him to stop? Or is there a way to protect the sofa? Or is there some other solution? We are stymied
and need some coaching.
--Wigglesmom

First off don't let your frustration boil up to the point where you would declaw him.

There are a lot of things that you can do. Sticky Paws is an option:

Sticky Paws

Some cats are horizonal scratchers and some are vetical. The scratching post has to be tall enough, and sturdy enough that the cat can reach up with his claws, bend his back, pull and stretch. If it wobbles, or if it is to short, he won't use it.

A turbo scratcher is another alternative

turbo scratcher

In my home of multiple cats this toy is a benefit.

Other things you can do, is buy those really small mylar balloons and using double sided tape, tape them to the couch area where the kitty scratches, it startles them away from the area.

Buy a cat condo that has sisal rope on it, that will help. The post and the condo need to be near an open doorway or a window, and to encourage your cat to use these instead of the couch, you can feed the cat near the post. Most cats after chowing down, love a good stretch.

Thanks, Hissy for the suggestions. Sticky Paws sounds like a neat idea. But we can't figure out, from the web page you linked us to, just how the turbo scratcher works. What makes it special?

(P.S. We would NEVER declaw Wiggles!)

If your scratching pole is indeed in the right size and all, like Hissy explained, you can try and put some Catnip on it - a plant that you can find in pet stores in the form of a powder. The catnip has a scent that MOST cats go crazy for! only a small number of cats will ignore it completely, but most simply love it.

I have seen cats go through a lot of trouble to steel some catnip in the cat shelter... You should try it - maybe that will arouse your Kitty and make him choose the scenty pole over the sofa!

And - im glad you're against declawing. It is a horrible thing to do to cats.

Good Luck!

Cover the place she likes to scratch with double sided tape and then place a tall sturdy scratching post right next to the place she likes to scratch.

All but one of my cats actually prefer the cheap cardboard scratching pads, so I have them scattered around the house. The one cat who likes upright scratching prefers to scratch on a sisal post.

I have also heard that (in addition to the things described above) that if you spray the places a cat is scratching with Feliway, that the scratching will stop. I haven't tried that myself, so I'm not sure how well that works.

The turbo scratcher has a ball inside the ring that the cats will chase round-and-round. After chasing the ball for a while, they scratch and scratch the cardboard pad in the center. My cats are all too old to play with the turbo scratcher, but when they were younger they would literally play with it for hours!

Renae, I guess mine never grow up, because all my cats go nuts for this thing. I have had to keep buying the cardboard inserts, they last about oh- 2 weeks! LOL

Hissy, that is too funny! Maybe I should bring one home again to see whether they would play with it since it has been a few years since we had one.

Another thing you can do is just clip the claws. Nothing too drastic, and just make sure you don't clip too much or it will hurt the kitty (kinda like breaking a fingernail below the white area). We clip our cats' claws and have a cat tree that they like using. We also have a smaller one that we got, but it's too light for them to use. The cat tree works well because they can scratch it every which way. Now the only time they scratch the furniture is when they feel neglected and want attention then and there.

we just have a very cheap sofa

I also clip my cat's claws (after the vet showed me exactly how to do it, and where not to cut - so it won't hurt or bleed). Not that it helps too much with the scratching... it just hurts less to play with them!

We tried sticky paws - but one of our cats just liked to pull it off with her teeth and eat it

Originally posted by MtnBikerChk
We tried sticky paws - but one of our cats just liked to pull it off with her teeth and eat it

Click to expand...

That is too funny...one of mine likes to pull it off as well. He has very long fur so it always gets stuck in the fur under his chin. Luckily it isn't real sticky so it pulls off very easily. I thought my wacky boy was the only cat who would do such a silly thing!

i clip there nails, it seems to keep them from destroying stuff.

Hi Wigglesmom and welcome!

This is extracted from a previous posting:

Just to share with you on a personal level:

With my own kitties, i groom them pretty regularly. Thus, i have a chance to check on their nails. i trim their nails regularly, to ensure they are short and neat. (Oh yes, please be careful about cutting into the pink "quick" areas.)

Also, i get them interested in scratching their nails on the dedicated posts/pads by doing it myself. You see i scratch the sisal ropes on their tree or any scratch posts i buy for them with my own nails. It works with them... teehee!

i was thinking: whenever you see your kitty scratch your sofa, could you bring a mini scratch pad at that area, and start scratching the pad with your own nails? Hopefully, she will know there are better and more appropriate avenues?

Kitties love heights and window views. Could you provide a window view of some sort? Both my kitties look out of the window different times throughout the day. i think it is great to broaden their horizons. Also, a tree is great, as it is an spot for your kitty to climb, play or simply relax.

i always encourage all my friends to play interactive toys with their kitties (great time to bond as well.)

Most cats love playing with these toys. They come in many forms : a bug, feathers, slithering snakes, pheasant feathers, feathers, etc. They are such teasers and most kitties are pretty intrigued by them.

Smiles and Cheers!