Yes, but since they have already begun on the furniture, you will need to train them out of it.
Find your best cat treat, (for our cat it is dried strips of beef) We began by placing the treat on the scratching post - or hiding them if possible. When the cat uses the scratching post (we have three different ones in the house, and they all see use). When cat uses the scratching post - praise and a treat. Uses furniture? Water gun NEAR the cat. (intentional miss)
The goal is a positive connection to the desired behaviour, and a neutral to negative for undesired. We had to go neutral because our cat is a rescue and pretty anxious. We didn’t want to add to it. Now she doesn’t use the couches at all, and runs to the scratching post when we enter the room and shows us she is using the post so she’ll get a treat.
Yes, but since they have already begun on the furniture, you will need to train them out of it.
Find your best cat treat, (for our cat it is dried strips of beef) We began by placing the treat on the scratching post - or hiding them if possible. When the cat uses the scratching post (we have three different ones in the house, and they all see use). When cat uses the scratching post - praise and a treat. Uses furniture? Water gun NEAR the cat. (intentional miss)
The goal is a positive connection to the desired behaviour, and a neutral to negative for undesired. We had to go neutral because our cat is a rescue and pretty anxious. We didn’t want to add to it. Now she doesn’t use the couches at all, and runs to the scratching post when we enter the room and shows us she is using the post so she’ll get a treat.