Scratching is a natural instinct of Abyssinian cats and cannot be changed. However, Abyssinian cats mainly prefer to scratch the sofa and rarely other spots. Newly bought sofas get scratched up in a short time, which is very distressing. As an Abyssinian cat owner, you first need to respect the cat’s nature. Secondly, to help your Abyssinian cat live more harmoniously at home, some measures can be taken to correct the bad habit of scratching the sofa.

　　Abyssinian cats scratch to sharpen their claws, so regular trimming can reduce the damage to furniture and also prevent scratching people.

　　This is the most important principle: since the Abyssinian cat’s nature cannot be changed, while forbidding the cat from scratching some places, you must provide another place for the cat to scratch. This is very important.

　　You can specially prepare a scratching board (preferably made of natural materials like sisal rope, wood, etc.) and fix it vertically, then train the Abyssinian cat to scratch there. If necessary, you can use some catnip to attract the cat to scratch. There are also scratching boards sprayed with catnip available on the market, which most Abyssinian cats like to use. In addition, some natural material grass mats are also loved by some Abyssinians—for example, craft grass-woven floor mats available at IKEA, on which some Abyssinian cats will consciously scratch.

　　Abyssinian cats are very afraid of sudden “attacks.” When the cat is about to scratch the sofa, a quick spritz from a water spray will scare the cat away. Using this method several times will create a conditioned reflex for the Abyssinian cat: scratching the sofa = suddenly being attacked by an unknown thing, so naturally the cat will give up the sofa.

　　The water spray has no harm to the Abyssinian cat, it only serves as a warning. However, be careful not to spray water into the cat’s ears.

　　Abyssinian cats dislike the smell of lemon water and also hate water with orange peels. Other smells disliked by Abyssinians include floral water and medicated oils. When an Abyssinian smells these scents while trying to scratch, they will definitely avoid the area.