How to keep cats away from your sofa

Is your cat constantly sinking its claws into your favourite sofa? Cats usually do this as a sign of affection, or they’re just being territorial (according to cat experts).

Rest easy as this post will teach you how to prevent this from ever happening again, and making sure your living place looks neat and livable.

Here are some easy ways to give your sofa a few extra years:

1. Conditioning your cat

Putting a scratching board by the sofa

There are a couple of ways to do this:

• Placing “sticky paws” tape on the area where your little feline friend loves to scratch
• Putting a scratching board or post beside the frequently scratched area

With these protective sticky tape (any tape works actually), it might not be the most aesthetic but it works well as the cats don’t like that icky feeling on their claws.

According to many though (myself included), putting scratching posts or boards are fairly effective as these cats would basically get used to the new “scratching station” and forget about the sofa.

If you’re not a fan of the scratching post being seen, these can gradually be moved into another room simply by increasing the distance between the sofa and the scratching post/board.

The concept is pretty simple, just like potty-training the kitty.

2. Bitter apple spray

Bitter apple spray for bad cats

Cats have high sensitivity to scent! 40 times that of a human’s to be exact, so using bitter apple spray on your sofa in the area where your cat loves hanging around the most 😉

Using a little will help, but that’s provided you do it daily which can be quite a hassle. Some say vinegar (mixed with water) or citrus works too, but I prefer to opt for the latter since it smells a lot better.

3. Trim your cat’s claws

Trimming kitty’s claws

For most people this might be the least favourite choice as these cats need their claws to protect themselves and it can be quite a hassle calming them down before actually getting to trimming their claws.

Most of the time it’s actually good practice to do this once a month or so, especially if they’re indoor cats – then there really isn’t any need for their claws to protect themselves. Sometimes you just gotta show kitty who’s boss and they wouldn’t struggle as much*.

*Pro Tip: Getting a friend to hold them by the neck usually leaves them somewhat powerless, so that’s the best time to cut their nails or bathe them.

4. Armrest covers for your favourite sofa (Comfort Works’ Recommendation)

Klippan 2 Seater Armrest Cover in Kino Green

If your cats like to scratch the top of your armrests, then you might want to consider getting some armrest protectors.

These arm caps act as a second layer of defense so if possible, have it made in highly durable fabrics so cats are less likely to destroy your sofa and if kids spill their rainbow coloured drinks, you can send it to the wash quite easily.

The best part is that you can easily get these custom made (from Comfort Works) with a slipcover so that it blends in well together.

Pretty and practical. If you have an IKEA sofa, order your armrest protectors here. For other sofa models, order them here.

Take home

Yes, we do love our cat companions and giving them up is not going to be an option – but neither is spending too much on a new sofa.

Now that you’re equipped with some alternative solutions, it’ll definitely be lot easier to save your sofa while the cat remains in your good books.

Good luck cat lovers and miaw!

Photo credits:
– Cat scratchng board photo: http://www.catster.com/
– Bitter Apple Spray photo: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/
– Cat trimming photo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99PtaOQbBIY