The good news is that you absolutely can get your cat to stop scratching your things.
Here are few tips and steps to follow:
1. The first step is to purchase several cat scratching posts and a few interactive cat toys. This is a crucial step in the process. It is important to choose the right scratching post to provide your cat with a scratching surface she likes.
Take note that cats like humans have preferences; otherwise, isn't going to work. It is imperative to choose a post that is strong, sturdy, tall, and covered in a material that cats love to scratch.
2. The second step is to place the scratching posts around your home. The best places to look for are the places that your cat already likes to hang out, such as near sofa, chair, window or any other locations.
It's also important to place a post in front of the area of the couch that your cat is scratching.
As you know, the first thing cats love to do is to stretch and scratch when they first wake up from a catnap; so, placing a scratching post near her regular sleeping area is a good idea.
Sometimes, we think that having scratching posts all around the house it doesn't look fancy at all...
But, If you have a cat you should be responsible for her and learn everything about.
3. In addition, get your cat even more interested in the post(s) by using a wand toy. Start by playing with the wand toy a few feet away from the post. Once your cat is playing along, sweep the toy so that its end drapes over the post. Often, when cats "discover" their post this way, especially when it's covered in a great scratch-worthy material like sisal fabric, they will come back to it again and again.
When you see your cat investigating the new posts, give her quiet praise and a cat treat if she likes them. Food, play and other enjoyable forms of attention will go a long way.
Take your time, few minutes every day, to play with your cat using a feather or a mice by moving it on the scratching post, so you'll encourage your cat to play and love the scratching post.
4. Get your cat interested in the scratching posts by sprinkling them with catnip or spraying them with honeysuckle. Catnip still works for our cats.
5. Make the sofa unattractive by applying double-sided sticky tape that feels unpleasant to paws, bubble wrap that makes popping sounds or aluminum foil on the couch.
Once your cat gets into the habit of scratching the correct object, you can remove the tape or foil.
Cats have sensitive noses, so you can also try spraying citrus-scent or applying baby powder or cinnamon on your furniture.
6. Use a Sisal Cat Scratch Board Furniture Protector or Sisal rope to protect the furniture. There are also special scratching carpet posts to choose from...
The essential thing is to use CATNIP... the magical catnip. Don't forget to rub catnip on all the scratching posts!
By this point, your cat should not be trying to scratch your sofa or furniture anymore.