Are you tired of finding your beloved furniture and couches transformed into shredded works of art by your furry friend? It’s a common scenario for many cat owners, but fear not, as there’s hope to maintain both your cat’s happiness and your furniture’s integrity. In this guide, we’ll explore effective techniques to train your cat to stop scratching the couch and furniture. With patience, consistency, and a few expert strategies, you can achieve harmony in your home and keep your furniture looking brand new.
One of the biggest challenges is teaching your cat to stop scratching the couch and furniture. That’s if you’re not so « lucky » to have a cat that enjoys climbing curtains. Or perhaps your cat takes issue with where you’ve placed the flower vase and other items that, in their vision, belong neatly arranged on the hardwood or tile floor.
Before we delve into what you can do to deter your cat from using their claws on your furniture, sofa, or carpet, let’s understand the root of this behavior. Why do cats scratch and dig their claws into sofas, furniture, carpets, or any other items they can find?
Pourquoi votre chat gratte-t-il les meubles, le canapé ou la moquette ?
Before we explore how to train your cat to stop scratching the couch and furniture, let’s understand why they exhibit this behavior. This habit is entirely normal for felines and serves several purposes.
First and foremost, indoor cats use scratching to warm up their muscles and tendons, essentially as a relaxation technique. You’ll often notice many cats starting to scratch the sofa or carpet after waking up, while others do it before playtime, getting ready to dart around the house.
By scratching various materials, cats sharpen their claws. A cat’s claw consists of several concentric layers of keratin that shed periodically. Through scratching, the dead layers on the surface of the claw are removed, leaving the cat with sharp and polished claws, prepared for potential attacks or self-defense. Claws are a feline’s primary weapon.
Stress and anxiety relief is another reason why some cats choose to scratch the couch, carpet, or furniture. If a cat doesn’t receive enough attention or is left alone for extended periods, this behavior may intensify.
Outdoor cats use scratching as a territorial warning to potential intruders. They scratch visible wooden surfaces or tree bark to demonstrate their capabilities to unwanted visitors. Moreover, by scratching, a cat leaves behind an olfactory imprint. There are sweat glands at the base of a cat’s paw pads that secrete a substance with a unique odor for each individual. It’s like an olfactory fingerprint, imperceptible to humans but a means by which cats identify each other. Cats are known to have a much more developed sense of smell than humans, and they recognize individuals, places, or elements in their environment by scent.
Comment apprendre à votre chat à arrêter de gratter le canapé et les meubles
Being a species-specific trait, this habit cannot be trained out of a cat. « Scratching » is as normal for a cat as purring or using a litter box.
Les chats ne grattent que certaines surfaces, celles dans lesquelles ils peuvent enfoncer leurs griffes et qui leur offrent une résistance lorsqu'ils commencent à gratter. Si vous avez un tapis moelleux ou un canapé avec une surface douce et soyeuse, il y a peu de chances que le chat enfonce ses griffes et se gratte.
La méthode la plus efficace consiste à fournir à votre chat un griffoir ou un tapis spécial, de préférence en sisal.
Pet shops offer a wide range of cat playsets equipped with sisal. Most sisals consist of a sturdy wooden or cardboard base with a thick twine glued or wound onto it. This « invites » the cat to scratch it, diverting their attention from the furniture, couch, or carpet.
Les sisals sont disponibles en différentes résistances et tailles. Un sisal peut être aussi simple qu'un poteau enveloppé dans de la ficelle ou un tapis avec un tissu de ficelle résistant. Entraînez votre chat à arrêter de gratter le canapé et les meubles avec un sisal adapté.
Placer un sisal est la méthode la plus efficace pour entraînez votre chat à arrêter de gratter le canapé et les meubles.
When you bring the sisal into your home, don’t force your cat to use it immediately. Let her explore it and encourage her with toys placed around it. Once she realizes it’s a perfect spot for her claws, she’ll adore it!
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Cependant, certains chats, même avec un ou plusieurs sisals dans la maison, peuvent continuer à gratter les dossiers de chaises rembourrées, les canapés ou d'autres meubles. Dans ce cas, le mieux est de protéger ces zones. Couvrez le dossier rembourré avec un sweat-shirt ou un sweat à capuche pendant un moment, utilisez des substances/sprays répulsifs ou quelque chose à base d'agrumes. Ces odeurs éloigneront le chat de cet endroit.
Trimming the claws is not an efficient solution. While it’s recommended for indoor cats to have their claws trimmed, they will still attempt to scratch certain surfaces.
