helena Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 We just replaced our old tattered couch, and the cats are eager this morning to claw it to shreds. I've put foil over their favorite spot, a while back we bought a mega kitty scratching tree (which they love), we've trimmed their nails... I have a bottle of spray which has an unpleasant (to cats) scent, it never seemed to work, but I'm going to douse the couch as soon as I'm done typing this. Has anyone tried Soft Paws? http://www.softpaws.com/ I'm thinking about picking some up today. I'd love any advice on this (except declawing). Thanks :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingnlearning Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Soft Paws are wonderful-well worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I do a combo of avoidance spray on the couch (eucalyptus based, from Target) and catnip on the scratching post. I have to reapply nearly every day, which is a pain, but it works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 You spray the cats with a squirt gun or spray bottle set on "stream" instead of "mist." And you yell at them at the same time, 'cuz they have to know that your voice means "bad cat!! something awful is gonna happen!" :D Curiously, my cats wouldn't scratch the furniture if a folded afghan/blanket were hanging off the arm/down the back, even though it was physically possible to do so. I don't know why, but once I artfully draped afghans on the backs of chairs and sofas, the kitties gave up scratching the furniture. Go figure. And I had tried putting those clear plastic shields on the corners of the chairs (which were easily accessible and bore the brunt of kitty claws, more so than the backs). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 You spray the cats with a squirt gun or spray bottle set on "stream" instead of "mist." And you yell at them at the same time, 'cuz they have to know that your voice means "bad cat!! something awful is gonna happen!" :D Curiously, my cats wouldn't scratch the furniture if a folded afghan/blanket were hanging off the arm/down the back, even though it was physically possible to do so. I don't know why, but once I artfully draped afghans on the backs of chairs and sofas, the kitties gave up scratching the furniture. Go figure. And I had tried putting those clear plastic shields on the corners of the chairs (which were easily accessible and bore the brunt of kitty claws, more so than the backs). Yes, it's set to stream. :D I just got one of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 I do a combo of avoidance spray on the couch (eucalyptus based, from Target) and catnip on the scratching post. I have to reapply nearly every day, which is a pain, but it works! I'll pick some up today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 Do you have a scratching post for them? I worked hard to get my cat interested in her scratching post (cat nip, finding the right spot for it) and she has never scratched our couch. Yes, we have a huge one. They like to destroy that too. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 My cat is doing the same thing to my new recliner. :glare: I generally just throw a stuffed animal at her. It doesn't seem to be a long-term deterrent, though. Next I'm going to cover the part she likes to shred with double-sided tape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Soft Paws are wonderful-well worth it! How do they work? In the pictures, it looks like they keep the claws fully extended all the time. Wouldn't that be horribly uncomfortable for the cat, and make it hard to walk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 The softpaws worked for us EXCEPT they do fall off faster than 4-6 weeks. At any given time the cat would be missing one or two and for our smooth leather couch - that's terrible. I guess with a fabric couch it wouldn't make such a big difference, but when she jumps on our couch at all she's leaving claw marks. :glare: Obviously, the purchase of this couch was not well thought out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingnlearning Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 We would softly press the cat's paw to make the claws come out and apply the cover, done! It's about as easy as you can picture it-the most difficult part can be holding onto the cat! They can still retract their claws, it's as if there isn't anything on them functionally though some cats do the foot shake dance for a while after application. Some would chew on them until they got used to them also. Here's a list of faq's http://www.softpaws.com/faqs.html and I think there are some youtubes of how to apply them. good luck! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 We've used soft paws on two different cats and it's been fine. Just be prepared to find little pink plastic softpaws lying around the house every few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VA6336 Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I second the artfully placed blanket/throw/afghans. It has helped my cats avoid scratching those pieces of furniture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I second the artfully placed blanket/throw/afghans. It has helped my cats avoid scratching those pieces of furniture. There you go. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VA6336 Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 There you go. :) It is weird, isn't it? Maybe it's a psychological thing...either way, I'm not going to point out the obvious to my *darling* felines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingnlearning Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 squirt guns can be fun too. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 I second the artfully placed blanket/throw/afghans. It has helped my cats avoid scratching those pieces of furniture. Sadly, we tried that and it doesn't work. I last squirted her while she was under the blanket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 My husband went and picked up the Soft Paws! Soon all the furniture will be safe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine.more Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I second the artfully placed blanket/throw/afghans. It has helped my cats avoid scratching those pieces of furniture. Yep, after 5 years this is what I've figured out works too. I bought one of those super soft throw blankets from Target and draped it over the arm of the chair, works like a charm. The kitties haven't tried to scratch the sofa since and our guests are none the wiser :) We had tried scratching post, squirt bottle, yelling, throwing things, soft paws, and double-sided tape and none worked well. The tape stopped them from scratching but collects hair and dust and looks terrible so quickly and is impossible to remove so that wasn't a good solution for me. A simple blanket was all we needed all along :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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