Do you use a squirty water bottle for anything else? We have a spray bottle (just the cheap ones you buy from Coles etc) that we use to keep ours off the bench etc, she knows now that even waving the bottle at her means she is not to do whatever she is about to do.
I guess the first time the cat goes near the new couch, give it a spray with the bottle and say "No!". That would work for me.
Hollye - our cat was exactly the same - we tried the squirt bottle with water and that didn't work either - he would just do it when we weren't home! u can buy a spray at the vet that dosent smell good to them and its suppose to keep them away but once again that didnt work on our cat either!
Goodluck tho! sorry i was no help - but definatly give the water a go!
I first introduced the water pistol when we got our new couch a few years ago. It worked a treat! My cat tried to scratch it a couple of times, got squirted and hasn't done it since (it was nearly 5 years ago that we got the couch)
Then we tried to use the water pistol for others things and it gradually lost its effect. He knew what was going to happen when we picked it up, so took off. Of course we would give chase and squirt him when we caught up. But after awhile it became a bit of a game (my cat is very playful). He would do something naughty and sit there and look at us, clearly wanting to play chasey!!!
I did find though that if you add a few drops of vinegar to the water (not too much, but enough to be able to smell it) it works much better. They can't stand the smell and spend hours trying to get rid of it.
There is a product you can buy that I believe is called "sticky paws" that is designed to help with situations like this. They are basically strips (I think you can buy different shapes...) that are like double sided tape. You stick them where your cat scratches (in your case, the couch) and the cats don't like the feel of the sticky side that is facing outwards and therefore stop scratching. Most of the time you just need to get the cat out of the habit of scratching a particular area and then you can stop using them.
I know you mentioned that the cat won't use scratching poles etc... But just make sure that you have some around so that if the couch is no longer available for the cat to scratch, then maybe it'll start using the pole as the alternative. Also, make sure that the pole is large enough for your cat, and very secure. Many cats don't use their scratching poles because they are too short, or because they move and the cat feels insecure using them. The pole should be long/high enough that your cat can stretch to it's fullest body length while scratching.
I wish you and your new couch the best of luck!!!
Oh, and I know that we've ordered the sticky-paws through my clinic before, so any vet clinic in your area should be able to order them in as well
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How do i stop my cat clawing the lounge suite?
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