I've got a cat versus interior decorating problem and am searching for alternative solutions.
The new couch is so new that the matching chair and ottoman haven’t arrived yet and already my cat, Alice Parker, has turned it into a scratching post. This is actually a fairly new problem for me. I’ve had 13 cats and they’ve all been good about not scratching the furniture. The only exception was Kitty, who shredded my mom’s furniture and we ended up getting her declawed.
Now, before you scream at me for declawing a cat I’d like to point out that it was about twenty years ago and at that time declawing was very commonplace and actually recommended. We had no idea of the damage it caused to the cat both physically and mentally. Luckily, Kitty didn’t really have a bad reaction to the declawing and he lived to be 22 years old. But I will say that I have decided declawing is no longer an acceptable alternative for my cats.
So, I now have to find out how to stop Little Miss Alice Parker from destroying my new couch. Hitting doesn’t work with cats and she’s so sensitive I’m afraid a little spanking would send her into hiding for days. I do yell “NO!” at her or clap my hands when she does it and she instantly stops, but it only seems to stop her at that moment because there are new scratch marks that she made when I wasn’t looking.
She and my other cat share a very nice scratching post but Alice Parker isn’t that interested in scratching it. Grimalkin, my other cat, loves scratching it and I think that she has possibly claimed that post as her own and left her scent all over it. I’m currently researching another scratching post but it may be difficult to get Alice Parker to own it since she is so incredibly docile.
The other issue is now my new couch is “marked” with Alice Parker’s scent and she feels she has a right to scratch it, even if she adopts the new scratching post. Cats have a natural aversion to citrus smells so I’ll probably get a nice lemony spray to liberally coat the couch with. There are products made to especially deter cats and you can pick them up at your local pet store, but if you ask me they cost more then they’re worth.
I’ve also been told that hiding the texture from the cat can deter them. This is a solution you use temporarily until the cat has broken the habit. Double sided tape and aluminum foil are the recommended masking textures but I’m loathe to put tape on my new couch and I can’t see wrapping it in tin foil, but I’ll do it if I have to.
I also trim Alice Parker’s nails fairly regularly (when she’ll let me) and I’ve decided that if I can’t break her of this habit I’m going to have to buy nail caps so even if she does scratch she can’t do any damage.
