A cat can't be trained out of scratching. Scratching is inborn - a cat scratches to shed dead layers of keratin from its claws, stretch the back and shoulder muscles, mark territory with pheromones from glands in its paw pads, and release emotion. It's a behaviour that can't be eliminated without harming a cat's physical and mental health.
What you can do is get a cat to stop scratching the sofa. The answer isn't punishment, deterrents, or covering the furniture. The answer is giving a cat something that serves those same functions better than the sofa does. In more than 14 years of breeding pedigree cats, I've watched cats abandon furniture within days - provided they get the right alternative in the right place.
A cat doesn't scratch the sofa to spite you. It scratches it because the sofa meets its criteria better than anything else in the home. A sofa is stable - it doesn't wobble under the cat's weight. It's big enough for a cat to stretch out against. It stands in the central point of the home, where the household spends its time - and a cat marks territory exactly where it wants to signal its presence.
Before you buy a scratcher, watch how the cat scratches the sofa. Does it scratch vertically (the back, the side)? Horizontally (the seat, the armrest)? Does it always scratch the same spot? At what time - after waking, after eating, when you come home? These observations will help you choose a scratcher that will genuinely replace the sofa.
The most common mistake is buying a scratcher and putting it in a corner of the room or in the hallway. A cat won't give up the sofa for a scratcher standing somewhere it doesn't spend time.
A scratcher should stand exactly next to the piece of furniture the cat scratches. If the cat scratches the right side of the sofa, the scratcher goes by the right side of the sofa. If it scratches the backrest, the scratcher goes next to the backrest. The cat needs a choice - sofa or scratcher - in the same spot.
Only once the cat starts regularly using the scratcher instead of the sofa can you gradually move it towards its intended spot - a few centimetres a day. It's the same mechanism that works when introducing new elements into a cat's space - change has to be gradual.
A cat that scratches the sofa vertically needs a vertical scratcher - tall enough for it to stretch its whole body out. A standing scratcher needs to be stable and not wobble under the cat's weight. If it wobbles, the cat will go back to the sofa.
A cat that scratches the sofa horizontally (the seat, the armrest) needs a horizontal scratching surface. In my own cattery, I see cats scratch felt on wall shelves and platforms readily - felt gives grip to a cat's paws while also serving as a surface for horizontal scratching, resting and watching, all in one spot.
Many cats combine both modes. They scratch vertically after waking (stretching muscles) and horizontally after play (releasing energy). A well-designed space should offer both options.
A sofa is often the only large, stable object in the living room a cat can scratch, climb and watch its surroundings from. If a cat has access to a wall shelf system, a wall scratcher with a tree, and a bed set high up, the sofa stops being the only option.
In my own cattery, cats that have access to vertical space show practically no interest in the furniture. They have stable spots for scratching, climbing, watching and resting - the sofa simply becomes less appealing.
This isn't theory. It's an observation repeated in my own cattery for more than 14 years, and confirmed by breeders in many countries who test PRASKA products before they go on sale.
Don't punish a cat for scratching. Shouting, spraying with water, tapping its paw - these methods don't teach a cat where to scratch. They teach it that scratching in front of its owner is dangerous. The result: the cat scratches the sofa when no one's home.
Don't permanently cover the sofa with aluminium foil or double-sided tape. That's a temporary fix that doesn't remove the cause - the lack of a proper place to scratch. Foil can help during the transition (once the scratcher is already next to the sofa and the cat is learning to use it), but it shouldn't be the only method.
Don't trim claws as a way to protect furniture. Trimming claws is a grooming procedure, not a scratching solution. A cat with trimmed claws will still scratch - because it scratches not just to sharpen its claws, but also to stretch, mark territory and release emotion.
A sudden increase in scratching intensity - especially in new, unusual spots - can signal stress. Redecorating, a new household member, a new cat, a disrupted routine, a strange cat appearing outside the window - these are typical disruptors that lead to compensatory scratching.
If a cat that never used to scratch furniture suddenly starts scratching intensively and in several spots at once, it's worth checking whether something has changed in its environment - before investing in a new scratcher.
I've run a pedigree cattery for more than 14 years, and I watch their behaviour every day. It's exactly that everyday experience, conversations with breeders, and weeks of testing that make sure PRASKA products are built around cats' real needs, not passing trends.
Izabela Praska
Pedigree cat breeder, founder and designer of PRASKA
You can't train a cat out of scratching - it's inborn behaviour. What you can do is give it a better alternative: a stable, tall enough scratcher placed next to the furniture the cat scratches. Once the cat starts using it regularly, gradually move it to its intended spot.
The sofa is more stable, taller, or better located. Check whether the scratcher wobbles, whether it's tall enough for a full stretch, and whether it stands in the cat's active zone - not in a corner of the room.
It can encourage first contact with a new scratcher, but it's not a long-term solution. A cat only comes back to a scratcher every day if it meets its criteria: stability, the right height, and the right location.
Claw caps block a cat's natural behaviour - scratching, gripping, climbing. A cat wearing them can't properly maintain its claws or mark territory. They don't address the cause of furniture scratching.
At least 2, in different locations. In a multi-cat home, there should be at least 1 scratcher per cat plus 1 extra. Scratchers should stand in different zones of the home.
It depends on how the cat scratches the sofa. If it scratches vertically (side, backrest), a wall scratcher or a stable standing scratcher will work better as an alternative. If it scratches horizontally (seat), a flat felt surface - like a wall shelf or play area - works better.
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