get cat to stop scratching sofa?

[chip n dale fans]

hi everyone,we are wondering if anyone knows how to get a cat to stop sacratching a sofa.
we are considering getting a new sofa soon and we dont want her to ruin it like she has with our present one.
she does have a scratching post already but she still seems to favour the sofa and furniture for scratching.
do anyone have any tips or advice to get her to stop doing it?
thanks!

 

[Mrs Night-Train]

We got stuff called PawsOff from a local pet shop. It stinks a bit but it seems to work!

 

[carolfoy]

get plastic covers on the corners, you'll have to leave them for a while but once the cats get used to the fact they can't scratch they'll quit trying.
The only other solution is geography - move the sofa (but not very practical!)

 

[jen_uk]

Is that not what pliers are for?

 

[cheryl.UK]

If it won't ruin it, rub orange all over the sofa, Cats hate it. They buy some catnip spay and spray your scratching post with it. Worked a treat for us.

 

[Deedee]

We put throws over our sofa while we were out and at night. If they did it while we were in we used to spray them with water from a bottle not too much just a light mist it cured ours good luck

 

[Graeme]

Is that not what pliers are for?

And boxing gloves!

 

[wifey]

Scratching and scent marking are natural behaviour but you can persuade a cat to "strop" more on a larger scratching post or sticky pads near the furniture or get a Feliway plug in unit which calms cats down and makes them less territorial. Do you have any changes to your home to make a cat want to leave it's scent markers, or are there other cats coming within close proximity of your home?Allow a cat to have more levels in the home,not just floor level think vertical and horizontal eg a bunk bed or wardrobe top or somewhere they can safely hide , to rest in too and it may alleviate the problem.
Our cat gets stressed out when other cats come into our yard and we have found the best thing to do is give him free reign and he hides away somewhere and naps and forgets about it. He has a huge scratching"centre" in the dining room near the back door (which we sprinkle with catnip)it keeps his claws healthy and off the furniture. He has lots of sleeping areas on different levels and it suits him well Get a copy of Your Cat for more helpful advice or read Vicky Hall's Cat Behaviour books.