Leather furniture is expensive and we know you are lucky if you have got a perfect match for your house. So one thing is for sure, your cat can’t take it for granted and keep on scratching your precious furniture. If she does, we have to find ways so we know “how to stop cats from scratching leather furniture.” There are plenty of ways to do that.
Cats can scratch anything but mostly, out of fear and anxiety.
They scratch to mark their territory in the house that makes them feel home. There are multiple ways to keep them away from scratching leather furniture, though none of them gives a 100% guarantee of results but they all have affected a lot of cats.
The best way is to train them and that certainly is not a difficult job in this age of information.
Why Do Cats Scratch Leather Furniture?
Well any person asking “how to stop cats from scratching leather furniture.” should know that it’s one of their instinctive habits. Cats get rare chances to relax their muscles in organic way.
Scratching is biologically beneficial for them as it allows them not only relax their muscles but relieve stress.
Cats don’t have any particular attraction towards leather furniture but when there is an itch, they can scratch anything i.e. carpets, trees and even your expensive Leather furniture.
When they scratch, they produce an odor, which gives them some kind of pleasure and eventually they adopt this habit. They scratch frequently, especially when they need to relieve stress.
They scratch their paws even against couches and fences. After that they don’t care even if you cry complaining how to stop cats from scratching leather furniture
How to stop cats from scratching furniture?
Well if the question “how to stop cats from scratching leather furniture?” should be followed with some reliable answers, then the most recommended thing to do first is changing their habits.
Many people try to be penalizing but that should not be the strategy here.
Only mild punishments are recommended and that too, to be given as a reminder. Banning their food, reducing play etc. are not effective in long run as they only ruin their learning capabilities and cats could react negatively as well, may be in the form of scratching even more.
Understanding why your cat is scratching the furniture is very important. Only then you can find the best solution.
You have to come down to their level to understand what they actually want. Provide them with a perfect and equal looking alternative so they have no problem shifting from scratching one object to another.
Cats get their positive energy from scratching, you obviously want to see them energized and happy.
You can provide them with a scratching pole so they scratch it and relax themselves. This procedure is accompanied by some more instructions which we will discuss in next paragraphs.
Your vet can guide you whether your cat scratches due to common reasons or she has individual reasons and needs some specialized treatment.
What to put on leather couch to stop cat scratching? 3 Best Solutions
1. Cat scratch Guard for leather couch
Various kinds of scratch protectors are available which not only prevent the furniture and other stuff from scratching but from other harms done by peeing and vomiting.
If your cat scratches too much and everywhere does she do, sometimes, it is not possible to use protectors everywhere, you have to simply train her for not scratching the important i.e. carpets, furniture etc.
cats can feel easily irritable because for protectors as they can’t get the feeling they think they should get when they try to scratch the furniture protected with sheets
By the way, these products are recommended to try this approach. Feel free to check them.
Panther Armor Furniture Protectors from Cat Scratch
Panther armor protector pack has 8 sheets that can be cut into any size you wanted.
Their premium vinyl sheets are hardly visible and highly strong. Your cat will not like to scratch a furniture which has this kind of protector sheets.
The surface properties of these sheets will not keep any lint, fur or dust.
Further, there are twist pins as an attaching medium other than adhesive. So, these are more likely to stay long time.
You can check more info in this Amazon link.
ROLIAT Anti-Scratch Furniture Protectors
This set offers 6 sheets as a pack.
Strong materials that will last long even under heavy scratching.
Roliat protector pads has adhesive to attach them into your furniture.
The build quality is seeming good even there are flexible.
Further, there are latex free and non-toxic plastic which is good sign for pet’s health.
Check out more info using this Amazon link.
2. Use unappealing smells to stop cat scratching furniture
You have to remove the odor of scratching from your furniture as it is odor which invites her back to scratch. The real attraction is that odor.
Keep cleaning the furniture again and again until the odor is completely wiped out.
Unappealing smells are your ultimate help here. Cats have a general dislike for citrus smells like lemon, orange. They hate to smell Rosemary.
You have to use these smells on your expensive leather furniture to keep them away from it.
If you are looking for a commercial product, then try these to implement this approach.
Emmy’s Best Stop the Scratch Cat Deterrent Spray for Kittens and Cats
This deterrent spray used natural ingredients such as rosemary oil and lemongrass to defer cats from scratching.
All you need to do is spray this into the area where your cat loves to scratch.
However, there are several bad reviews on this spray. Some of users are complaining that this spray won’t work.
So, I could not 100% recommend this one.
Anyhow, we know that these spray may not work on all type of cats. It’s because all the cats are differing from one to another. Some cats could love the scent or does not care about it.
This is the Amazon link for the product. Check user review
Pet MasterMind Cat Spray
Another anti scratch spray you can try out. Pet MasterMind spray works similar to the product that I have explained in above section.
All the ingredients used in this product is natural too. So no need to be worry about the safety of your cat.
However, several users claimed that this one does not work too. That is acceptable for this kind of solution. We may not get 100% result in this approach.
If you are interested to check more details on this product, click this link to Amazon product page.
3. Sticky tape to stop cats scratching furniture
You can use sticky tapes, though it might hurt them as well i.e. cats’ fur can be damaged leaving them feeling a lot of pain and distress.
But as the last option at least, sticky tapes might help in this regard as cats hate sticky surfaces.
By the way, if you want to try this option, you can use Panther Armor sticky tapes.
It’s a great product with lots of good reviews.
You can find more info through this link from Amazon.
What home remedy will keep cats from scratching furniture?
Scratching as mentioned earlier is very important psychological relief for cats as it has a soothing effect for them.
When you decide to train her to not scratch, you actually decide where she can scratch and where she can’t.
So you can start by scolding her whenever you find her scratching the places you don’t want her to scratch. That gives her a straight message that this is not her cup of tea.
Guide her to the place where you have already placed the scratching post for her needs.
You can stop her from scratching leather furniture by splashing water over her the moment she forgets the advice.
The best solution would be that you arrange a scratching carpet or tree for her. These objects are her favourite in most cases.
If the place is short, you can place long cut scratching trees, cats love to scratch them.
Doesn’t it make sense that Leather furniture that your cat has harmed, would definitely be placed at a place she likes, like where she eats, plays watches TV?
Here is the clue, the alternative scratching post must be placed at that very place. It establishes her emotional connection with the object of your choice.
Keep observing her attitude and learning curve. When you feel she is showing some positive signs and trying to avoid the forbidden objects, reward her with treats and extra playtime.
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Some strict Not-to-Do’s
Well, declawing them is an inhumane thing to do. People often do so but I still say, there are other ways which work really well.
You can trim their nails so even if they scratch precious things, they don’t harm them irreversibly. Trimming the nails is super easy when they are sleeping, try it.
Don’t over punish them, some splashes of water, a loud threatening voice is enough. More than that could make her reactive towards your attitude.
If your cat is still scratching the same objects, you better have a look at the alternatives you have provided to her. She might be struggling with stress issues.
Stress can be a product of decreased human contact which could change into separation anxiety as well. This anxiety is then expressed in the form of excessive scratching. Better way to get rid of stress is following a strict routine.
Modern research has linked excessive scratching with anxiety issues. Try to reduce noise and make sure you provide her a place to hide herself when she feels insecure, it will relieve her anxiety.
How to remove cat’s scent from furniture?
You can use vacuum cleaner to remove all traces of cats from leather furniture. You can spray vinegar plus water combo to clawed paces on it, you can soak a piece of fiber in this liquid and then clean the furniture with it.
Try to keep the furniture dry afterwards, at least for half a day.
For leather furniture’s, you can use below method.
Step 1: First, you will need 4 part of hydrogen peroxide, ¼ part of baking soda, and 1 table spoon of bleach free liquid dish soap. Mix them properly.
Step 2: Now, spray this solution into the area where there is a scent coming from. Keep the sprayed solution for several minutes.
Step 3: Now, clean the extra moisture using towel. Let it dry. Within few hours, the scent will be destroyed.
Does vinegar stop cats from scratching?
Typically, vinegar does not stop the cats scratching behavior.
But, there are some cases which use Apple vinegar as an effective way to stop cat scratching the furniture.
Even though we do not use this in our cases, you can use this as a DIY method to test.
All you need to do is mix 1 part of apple cider vinegar with 1 part of water.
Then spray that mix into the area where your cat love to scratch.
By the way, do not spray too much. It can be repulsive to cats.
Final Thoughts
So, there are multiples ways to keep cats away not only from leather furniture but anything you want. Beyond that, it’s your choice whether you like to train them or you want to go for easy to use products, both ways work. Sometimes a combination of both is necessary.
Any possible solution should be giving them the chance to scratch things and that too with a satisfaction. Anything managed with this condition satisfied, will do the job. Cats will stop scratching leather furniture.
Reference
- How to Keep a Cat From Clawing Leather Furniture, The Nest
- Why Do Cats Scratch?, Pet Central
- Train Your Cat to Stop Scratching Your Couch in 7 Days or Less, PurrfectPost
- Feline Behavior Problems: Destructive Behavior, Cornell University, Cornell Feline Health Center
- Scratching behaviour and its features: a questionnaire-based study in an Italian sample of domestic cats, J Feline Med Surg., DOI: 10.1177/1098612X13481468