Is there anything I can do to keep my kitty from shredding the furniture?

She was originally trained to use a scratching post, but since the arrival of a brand new (fabric-covered) chair, her attention and claws have turned to lacerating the arms. I've moved her post in front of the chair but don't think it is very effective -- if at all! She's 10-months-old and has been spayed. (The chair is my husband's and he's not a happy camper right now!) De-clawing is NOT an option!

Micki 482011-03-03T22:41:39Z

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My cats don't like the small scratching posts. I have a bigger stable cat tree for them to play on. Try putting a little catnip on your cat's original scratching post and that might help focus his attention back on it. There are also clear sticky strips you can buy to put on your furniture in the spots kitty likes to scratch. It doesn't harm the upholstery, but cats don't like the sticky feeling of it. You could try the nail tips. I've heard people say they work well. Sometimes a plant sprayer with water in it, set on stream works pretty well to get kitty's attention. They don't like getting "streamed". I've used that on my cats.

Ocimom2011-03-04T01:39:08Z

Here is your choices:

1. Keep the nails trimmed short every week.
2. Put the SoftPaws nail caps over the front nails.
3. Get a good tall treehouse to climb and scratch on (minimum of 4 feet tall).
4. Put the sticky tape on the sides of the furniture (you can buy that in the petstores like Petco or Petsmart or even Walmart has it).

Anonymous2011-03-04T01:40:35Z

well you could try the spray cats don't like you get at the pet store but what I did was set decorative pillows on the side of sofas along with the scratching post see we set a post upstairs at the top of stairs and one on the middle landing and one at the area going into the living room

Ben2011-03-04T01:51:13Z

Lock it in a room with food water and nothing to scratch for the rest of the day every time he scratches.

?2011-03-04T01:50:42Z

I am against Declawing as well, they actually have a alternative called Soft Paws. They are small cases which go over your cats nails. Doesn't hurt them at all and you can apply them yourself or take it to a vet.