How to Stop Your Cat from Scratching Furniture (Without Declawing)
The first time I saw my new sofa, it had a single thread dangling from the armrest. Three weeks later, that thread had become a six-inch gash, and the corner cushion looked like it had gone three rounds with a cheese grater. My cat Mochi sat nearby, tail curled, utterly unrepentant. I couldn’t blame her. Scratching isn’t destruction for its own sake. Cats scratch to mark territory, stretch their muscles, and shed the dead outer layers of their claws. A 2021 study in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery found that 83% of cat owners report some form of furniture scratching, making it the most common feline behavior complaint in the U.S. ...