How to Stop Unwanted Scratching Without Declawing

June 17th, 2025

Has your cat been scratching your favorite furniture or personal belongings? Scratching is a perfectly normal behavior for cats but can pose quite a frustration for pet parents. Our team at All About Cats Veterinary Hospital is dedicated to helping you understand and redirect your cat’s scratching by providing a more suitable outlet for this unwelcome behavior. We are always happy to answer your questions and address your concerns.

Why Do Cats Scratch?

Scratching is an instinctive behavior cats engage in to remove dead husks from their claws, stretch their muscles, or mark their territory. Cat scratching typically begins as early as eight weeks old, which is the perfect time to start trimming their nails and work on redirecting this natural instinct. The sooner you get unwanted behaviors under control, the better the long-term outcomes.

Is Declawing Your Cat the Solution?

Many people mistakenly believe that declawing their cats is a humane and effective solution for unwanted scratching. In reality, declawing is nothing like getting a nail trim. It’s a major surgery that involves amputating the last joint of your cat’s claws, similar to removing a knuckle in a human finger. This painful procedure can lead to infection, lameness, or nerve damage and can leave your cat feeling defenseless and more prone to aggression or biting.

Declawing your furry friends can lead to lasting physical and behavioral problems. In fact, cats are often surrendered to shelters due to urinating outside the litter box, a behavior that is often linked to pain and discomfort in declawed cats.

How Can You Help Stop Cat Scratching?

If you’re looking for solutions to protect your furniture, personal belongings, and even yourself from scratching, there are humane declawing alternatives, including the following:

Provide Cat Scratchers: One of the best ways to redirect this behavior is to provide scratching posts. Place them in prominent, high-traffic areas where your cat spends time or tends to scratch. If they are scratching furniture, place a post directly in front of or next to the targeted furniture. Cats have preferences, so consider offering a variety of scratching post materials, such as sisal rope, cardboard, carpet, or wood.

You may also want to offer different orientations, such as vertical posts, horizontal scratchers, or inclined boards. Your feline friend will let you know which type of scratching post is just right. If your cat is hesitant to use a scratching post, try rubbing catnip or placing small treats nearby. Remember, cats respond to positive reinforcement, so make sure to offer praise, petting, or a small treat when you find your furry companion engaging in the desired behavior.

Other Ways to Discourage Scratching: Cats dislike sticky surfaces, so you may want to apply double-sided tape to areas your kitty insists on scratching, like furniture corners or armrests. You may also try covering furniture with textures cats shy away from, like aluminum foil or thick plastic sheets. There are also strips you can apply to furniture or sprays you can purchase at your local pet supply store that help to discourage your cat from scratching.

We recommend keeping your cat’s nails trimmed regularly to reduce unwanted scratching. If your cat continues engaging in this undesirable behavior, you may want to consider nail caps (Soft Paws) that are glued on your cat’s nails to prevent damage to yourself or your property.

Trusted Feline Care in Kirkland, WA

Contact All About Cats Veterinary Hospital to learn more about managing your cat’s scratching. Our team is happy to offer tips and guidance to help you redirect this natural behavior and protect your home and property. You can always count on our team for exceptional care for your feline friend because, after all, we are all about cats!