1. Provide plenty of things that your cat is ALLOWED to scratch.
Cats need to shed their claws, which is why they get the urge to scratch things. I suggest trying out a few items from the local pet supply store, such as a sisal board, scratching post, or cat condo. It took me a few tries to figure out what my cat liked best, but fortunately, the items were fairly inexpensive. You might try sprinkling some cat nip on the items to entice your kitty to rub its scent on it. This always works for my cat. She's a big fan of the cat nip!
2. Keep your cat's claws trimmed.
Like I stated before, cats like to scratch things to shed their claws. If you trim your cats nail on a weekly basis, the cat will not have to shed its nails as often because you are taking care of the problem. Now, your cat may be hesitate at first to getting its nails clipped, but if you keep it up, they will get more comfortable with the process. I always give my cat a treat afterwards to let her know she did a good job.
3. Use double-sided tape
Cats don't like sticky stuff, so it may be helpful to you to try double-sided tape on furniture or other household items you don't want your cat to use as their own personal scratch pad. Petsmart and other pet supply stores sell large pieces of double-sided tape that are made especially for keeping cats off your furniture and work well for the back of your couch and chairs. As soon as your cat tries to claw the sticky area, they will definitely try to flee. Hopefully, that will teach them a lesson and they won't return to the site.
4. The handy squirt gun
This is not a harmful tactic, yet it can be helpful. Keep a small squirt gun nearby for when your cat is lurking around your furniture. If they try to scratch at something they aren't allowed to scratch on, squirt the gun near the cat as a warning. Usually, this will be enough to keep them away from the area. You may have to squirt a few times before they get the hint though : )
5. Try anything but de-clawing
Personally, I'm not a fan of de-clawing your cat. It's unnatural and really takes away from your cat's personality. I believe you can try many other inexpensive methods before going for such a permanent fix.
Please feel free to add your tips for how you've trained your cat to not scratch your furniture! I look forward to hearing from you!
