Furniture scratching is one of the most common complaints cat guardians bring to behaviour consults, and one of the most misunderstood. The good news is that scratching isn't a behaviour problem to eliminate. In fact, it is a normal, necessary feline behaviour that just needs the right outlet. 

• Claw maintenance: Scratching removes the worn outer sheath of the claw, keeping it healthy and sharp, like filing your nails.
• A full body stretch: The pulling motion stretches the muscles and tendons of the shoulders, back, and front legs after resting.
• Scent and visual marking: Cats have scent glands in their paw pads. Scratching deposits pheromones onto the surface while also leaving a visible mark, which communicates social information to other cats. This is mine, thanks!
• Emotional expression: Cats may scratch when excited, greeting you at the door, or after waking up

Cats enjoy their furniture scratching spot for a few reasons:

1. Location: Cats often prefer to scratch near their sleeping areas, entryways, or high-traffic zones where you hang out. So, the couch is a pretty good option.
2. Texture and structure: Many sofas offer a similar sensation to good scratching material: a woven and tight texture cats can sink their claws into, with enough height, resistance and stability to get a good big stretch.
3. Lack of a suitable alternative: You may not have a scratching post or suitable object to scratch on, or your scratching post isn’t up to stuff. If the household scratching post is wobbly, too short, tucked in a corner, or the wrong texture, your furniture is probably the best post around.
4. Stress and environment: Scratching can increase after routine changes or increased stress in their environment such as a new pet, change of furniture, changes in routine or health, as part of a broader stress response.

Offer more than one post or pad, in more than one location. Look for:

• Height: tall enough or a full body stretch. If on the floor make sure it’s long enough.
• Stable: Make sure it’s stable and not wobbly or fragile. Ensure the floor below it is stable and not slippery.
• Texture: sisal rope or fabric and corrugated cardboard are often favourites, but your cat might like a different surface. Try to mimic what they’ve already been scratching that you want to change.
• Placement: near the furniture they're already scratching, near their sleeping spots, and near entry points to the home so they can share their artwork.
• Repair and replace: You might need to update and replace your scratching posts if your cat is no longer interested in them.

Now you’ve given your cat many new options to scratch and stretch, you can make the current unwanted scratching place less desirable by covering it in a different texture such as putting a blanket on it, placing a plastic protector on the area that has been scratched, or gently redirecting your cat when they go towards that corner. 

You need to ensure that they have other suitable options before this step. This step can be temporary while your cat learns about all their new great scratching options.

Regular nail trims reduce the damage from scratching if scratching does occur and can decrease the need for your cat to scratch to keep their claws healthy.

Reinforce your cat when you see them using the appropriate scratching post! Give them some cat treats, or praise them for their good stretch. You can also entice them to their new post by placing treats or catnip on their new posts.  

Yelling, spraying with water, or other punishment, doesn't teach a cat what to do. Instead, it teaches your cat to be fearful of you, or scratch when you’re not watching. Suppressing normal behaviours is ineffective, and can increase your cat’s stress and anxiety, which can lead to other behavioural problems like toileting issues.