I have one of those large cat condos for my cats, and since I got it they have left my furniture alone.

Really? She's got one of those (and so do I and mine still attack the couch...but that's partly my own fault cuz I never really stopped him. And now I need a new couch. LOL I think I did it on purpose).

Thanks for the idea!

We basically trained ours to stop clawing the furniture with a spray bottle filled with water and a couple of teaspoons of vinegar. Totally harmless but they don't like (a) getting sprayed, and (b) the scent of the vinegar.

I have 3 cats and have used a variety of methods (urgh--and different things work for each cat, of course!). Three things I have tried that work are 1) adhesive sticky strips that you buy at the pet store and put on the couch where they might scratch (the stuff is like big 2 sided tape); and 2) pheromone liquid that you put around the area--you can find it at pet stores and it is supposed to calm cats and keep them from these behaviors. I tried some in a little warmer (it looks like one of those plug-in air freshener things) and it really worked. It's a little spendy, but it might do the trick. My favorite is 3) which is to use compressed air in a can like you use to clean dust off computers -- the cats hate the sound of hissing and the little puffs of air in their face, and it doesn't hurt them at all. All I have to do now is show them the can and they think of somewhere else to be.

I have also heard that citrus scents work for some cats to keep them away, and my mom bought me a little plug-in thingy once that gave the cats a small shock when they jumped on the couch (didn't work for me though).

Good luck! You might want to put sticky strips + water/air for when you are and aren't there.

revlisacat on LJ

First, DO NOT HURT THE CATS! Don't squirt them, throw things at them, yell at them, nothing aversive.

Second, make it impossible for them to scratch the couch, temporarily. The sticky panels someone mentioned work great for that. You can also buy contact paper and affix it, sticky side out, to your sofa with double-sided tape.

Leave your cat condos where they are, but get sisal (not carpet) covered scratching posts or panels. (Posts are easier for what you'll be doing, but more expensive.)

Put the sisal panels or posts next to or leaning on the sofa areas where the cats are scratching. If your cat likes catnip, sprinkle some on the floor next to or in front of the sisal panels/posts. Catnip inspires many kitties to scratch things, and the idea here is to REWARD THEM FOR SCRATCHING WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO SCRATCH, while making it impossible for them to scratch what you do NOT want them to scratch. You have to do both things at once. This doesn't work otherwise.

Every day or two, move the sisal posts or panels a few inches -- VERY few, cats hate change, and if you go to fast, you'll have to start over -- towards where you want the cats to scratch. If it's a cat condo, start moving the posts/panels in that direction. (This is why the panels are tricky -- plus they tip over easily which can startle the cat and mess things up. If there's ANY way to afford it, get sisal posts.)

For people who don't already have a really good scratching surface for cats, such as a condo, you have to get one. Cats need to scratch, and this method only works if they cats are being encouraged to scratch somewhere you want them to, and rewarded when they do. It doesn't teach cats not to scratch, which is impossible and harmful, as that's how cats "trim" their nails and stretch their muscles.

Eventually, the sisal posts will be at the condo. If your condo is just carpet, buy a smaller secondary sisal scratching post to keep permanently there -- you can use the one you used for training if you don't want to put it somewhere else.

Once you've trained the cats to use the sisal, you should be able to remove the sticky stuff from the new sofa. How long this takes depends on how far the condo/acceptable scratching place is from the sofa. If it's just a few feet, you should be done in a week.

Skip a step or rush things and you will have to start over. So be patient.

If this doesn't work, you can also get soft paws on your cats' nails.

http://www.softpaws.com/

I suck, I can't even give you a cat advice!! Mine just don't do that, but I guess having a backyard helps, all they do inside is eat and sleep. :-)