My cat loves to bite and scratch the carpet anywhere there is a seam. Doors and wallpaper are particular favourites.

It’s natural for them as it helps their claws stay sharp, and also allows them to leave their scent around their territory. However, this natural instinct can cause havoc around the house!  Read on for our tips for protecting your home from scratching cats.

How to distract your cat from scratching

Distraction is the best way to prevent a cat from scratching anything, including a carpet.

Start with something simple like a horizontal scratcher. You can get floor scratchers that are just corrugated cardboard stuck together in flatter box shapes that you set on the floor. My cat loves these because they can drag them around.

Persuading your cat not to scratch!

If distraction doesn’t work you can try dissuasion. Put pepper (cayenne or black pepper, I have used both) on your carpet and along the seams. Pepper also keeps cats out of plant pots. Another favourite of my cat.

Lemon juice and/or vinegar also work but make sure they won’t damage your carpet.

Commercial sprays are available but I can’t speak to how well they work.

Make your cat feel secure

Sometimes, scratching is a sign of insecurity.  You can help a cat feel more secure in a number of ways, for example creating a place where they can rest which is high up in a room, so they can watch what’s going on whilst relaxing.

Don’t let the cat wander around the house.  Restrict them to one or two rooms where you can make them feel super secure.

Cats like familiar smells so if you redecorate you’ll likely introduce paint, new carpets and other unusual smells.  It might help to keep your cat out of the newly decorated room for a while so that it has time to adopt your normal house smells.

Protect your home

If distraction and dissuasion don’t work you can try protection! Use a small rug and try to train the cat to only pull at that one.

If your cat loves scratching your precious textured wallpaper, swap it with a flat design.

Finally, don’t ignore the obvious… scratching could be a boredom thing, or attention seeking behaviour, in which case you will solve the problem with some extra playtime.

Whatever you decide, remember cats respond to positive reinforcement. When your cat starts scratching be ready to grab a toy and entice them to put their energy into that instead. Reinforce the positive behaviour with treats.

Good luck!

Get Set Grow​

Free news and advice for dog walkers, cat sitters and other pet business owners.
Small original articles which only take a minute to read.

Subscribe for free and start growing your business today.