How to Stop Your Cat Scratching the Furniture

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Shredded sofa arms are the price many of us pay for feline company, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The trick isn’t stopping your cat scratching (you can’t, and shouldn’t); it’s giving them somewhere better to do it. Here’s how, without punishment.

First, understand why cats scratch

Scratching is a normal, healthy, essential behaviour, not naughtiness. Cats scratch to:

• Keep their claws healthy, shedding the worn outer sheaths.
• Mark territory, paws have scent glands, so scratching leaves a visible and scented signal.
• Stretch their muscles and spine.
• Relieve stress and feel good.

Because it meets real needs, the goal is to redirect it, never to stop it or punish it.

Offer the right scratching posts

Most “my cat ignores the scratcher” problems come down to the post being wrong. Cats are particular:

• Tall and sturdy. A post must be tall enough for a full stretch and heavy/stable enough not to wobble, a post that tips over will be abandoned instantly.
• The right material. Most cats love sisal rope or sisal fabric; many also like cardboard scratchers. Carpet-covered posts often confuse cats (it feels like the carpet they’re told not to scratch).
• Vertical and horizontal options. Some cats scratch upright, others prefer flat cardboard or angled scratchers. Offer both and see what they choose.

👉 Browse sisal scratching posts · cardboard scratchers

Put posts in the right places

Location is everything:

• Right next to the furniture they’re scratching, make the good option more convenient than the sofa.
• By sleeping spots, cats love a scratch and stretch after waking.
• In prominent, social areas, not hidden away, scratching is partly about visible marking.
• Have one per room they spend time in, and one per cat.

Make the furniture less appealing

While you redirect them:

• Cover targeted areas temporarily with double-sided sticky tape or a furniture protector, cats dislike the tacky feel.
• Try a feline pheromone spray on the scratched spot to reduce marking there.
• Reward every use of the post with praise or a treat, and gently place your cat by the post (never force their paws onto it).

What not to do

• Never punish, shout or spray water. It doesn’t stop the underlying need, and it damages trust and can make things worse.
• Don’t declaw. It’s an amputation, banned or condemned across much of the world, and causes lasting pain and behaviour problems.
• Don’t remove the post the moment it looks tatty, a well-worn post is a loved post.

The bottom line

You can’t stop a cat scratching, but you can absolutely redirect it. Offer tall, stable, sisal posts (both vertical and horizontal) placed right where your cat wants to scratch, make the furniture temporarily unappealing, and reward the right choice. Do that and, within a couple of weeks, most cats happily leave the sofa alone.