I have some creative clients who come up with amazing solutions to address behaviors they don’t like their cats doing. One of my favorite solutions I’ve heard from clients to stop a cat from scratching their furniture also happens to be an incredibly effective one.
No, it’s not declawing your cat because that creates all sorts of problems that are worse than scratching.
I present to you the sacrificial chair.
What… The Heck Is A Sacrificial Chair?
Let’s start with the most basic question: what is a sacrificial chair? No, it isn’t an altar that your cat uses to offer human sacrifices to Bastet. Actually, it’s you that’s making the sacrifice. Once again, no, you aren’t going to use it to a small animal sacrifice to the cat behavior gods in exchange for a well behaved cat. You may sacrifice some catnip to your cat on the chair, but there’s no blood involved here. Phew!
A sacrificial chair is a chair that you not only let your cat scratch but you encourage your cat to scratch it. The chair basically becomes an alternative scratching post that keeps your cat away from your other furniture.
Won’t It Encourage My Cat To Scratch The Furniture?
Let’s get this question out of the way because I’m asked it in similar situations all the time: No. No it will not. If you set up in the right location, your cat will use the chair to scratch instead of the other furniture.
Your cat is scratching your couch because it’s sturdy, a material they like to scratch, and is in a location they want to scratch. If you tried to skimp on the cat furniture and don’t have a high quality scratching post in your living room, you’re basically asking your cat to scratch your furniture. Your cat already has a natural need to scratch so you’re not going to create a new behavior that wouldn’t happen anyway.
You can set up a sacrificial chair without worrying about making things worse.
How Do I Pick Out A Sacrificial Chair?
If you have a chair that your cat is already scratching, you can just use that chair. No need to purchase anything new. However, if you really like that chair or your cat is targeting a different piece of furniture, you may want to save it by getting a new chair to let your cat shred. Try covering the chair with a protective carpet layer or a stretchy cover to keep the fabric intact while the new chair arrives.
The sacrificial chair should be made of a similar material to the furniture your cat is already scratching. If your couch has fabric upholstery, get a fabric upholstered chair. If it’s made of leather, go with leather or faux leather. You’ll want to minimize the amount of wood, metal, or other materials on the chair that would interrupt a nice satisfying scratch for your cat. Make it more appealing to scratch than any other large piece of furniture.
Make It Comfy
There’s no reason the chair can’t be used as an actual chair so try to find something that’s comfortable to sit in. If nothing else, your cat may enjoy lounging in it too. I have a few cats that like sitting in my chairs.
The Chair Will Be Destroyed
Remember that the chair is going to be sacrificed to your cat so appearance? Put less emphasis on that than something your cat wants to scratch. Don’t spend the same amount you would on a nice piece of furniture. Something from the thrift store can work just as well as something brand new.
What Do I Do With This Chair?
Cats like scratching things placed in prominent locations so you want to put the chair in a really attractive, easy to find location. If your cat is scratching a chair you already have, put the sacrificial chair in the that location and move the other chair to a less appealing spot. Think near a wall or in a distant corner. You know, that place where you put your litter box that your cat doesn’t use or the cat tree the cat is ignoring.
Maybe move those items somewhere else while you’re rearranging furniture.
If you want to seed the idea of scratching the chair, you can use chemicals to help. Catnip or silver vine sprinkled on the chair is a great way to draw your cat in to scratch that location.
Will This Actually Work?
My clients with sacrificial chairs report that their cats almost exclusively scratch them or a scratching post. Their couches are intact. The chair… not so much, but that’s the entire point.
I know it may not be that appealing to have a chair that is fraying, but it will be one eyesore in a sea of intact furniture. At the end of the day, your cat needs cat furniture and to be able to do natural cat behaviors like scratching. This is an easy way of accomplishing that isn’t unkind to your cat. You can always cover it if you have guests. They’ll be too busy enjoying your other furniture to care.
