Deterring Cats from Scratching Furniture - HELP!

I'm looking for YOUR suggestions again, because my kitties are driving me bonkers! I have a new couch, chair and office chair. (Hurray especially on the office chair! My old one was so sad and rickety, you would've laughed to see it.)

The couch and chair we've had for around a year, and already we've had to drape blankets on it to prevent our two cats (especially one is guilty as charged, the little monkey) from scratching. I've tried a few natural ideas I've seen posted on the Internet - like spraying the area with lavender. But I think my cats (like me, apparently) love lavender! It didn't help a bit!

Is there any other way to prevent them from scratching up furniture? They DO have a scratching post...I've heard that orange oil might work. Has anyone tried this?

Thanks all!
Christina

Removing Cat Urine Odors from Carpets - Organic Cleaning Tips

Looky, looky! I just received this fantastic testimonial on using plain old water and vinegar to get out cat urine smells. And I own two cats, both of whom have had occasional 'oopsies'...so I know very well that particular TANG of cat urine. Ick.


Here's the original post on using water & vinegar to clean carpets: http://www.happyslob.com/carpetsolution.html
Here's the email:

Hi Christina,

I actually used the Steam Cleaning Tip of Hot Water and Vinegar and unbelievably it cleaned out a cat urine smell. (my cat was ill and had an accident).

I had tried the commercial solution and it smelled like flowery cat pee LOL. I used the vinegar and water solution in my machine for 3 days straight and even though the vinegar smelled a little ripe, the end result when it dried was no odor, and the carpet was much brighter overall.

Thanks for the tip!

Lynnette

Why You Hairy Little Beast, You! Or...Removing Pet Hair from Furniture, Floors and Yourself

Most of you know that I have two cats: one who's mild and sweet, although slightly skittish. (She's part calico, and apparently that's their nature.) The other who's neurotic and outspoken, yet with a real knack for sensing people's emotions. (She puts her paw on my chin comfortingly whenever I feel sad! It quite makes up for her less appealing qualities.)

But, personalities aside, these two share one thing in common - they shed like little beasties. If you have pets too, you'll understand all too well the dilemma of dealing with cat (or dog or rabbit) fur all around your home, your furniture, the floors and even yourself!

Here are a few handy tips to help. And as always, if you have a tried and true pet hair removal tip to share, then please send it on in to me, or just post your ideas here! And remember -- combing or brushing your pet's fur on a regular basis really WILL help with the whole shedding problem.

Getting Pet Hair off Furniture

• Lint brushes can help - try rolling one on the furniture to pick up loose pet hair.
• Grab that roll of packing tape (or duct tape also works). Roll a loop of it snugly around your fingers, and use to pick up hair wherever you see it.
• A rubber glove that's been slightly moistened will pick up extra fur -- off of the furniture and your own clothing!
• Some vaccuum cleaners (like Dyson) are particularly good at getting pet hair off of the furniture. I still haven't tried a Dyson myself, but I'd love to! If you have a Dyson - email me and let me know if it helps with pet hair.

Getting Pet Hair off the Floor

• Again, a decent vaccuum cleaner helps. Clean out your vaccuum cleaner regularly to keep it working to its maximum potential.
• A trick to freshen up the carpet AND grab a bit more of the pet hair off the floor while you vacuum - sprinkle some plain baking soda around the floors and let it sit for about twenty minutes or so. Then get to work vacuuming - you'll pick up more hair AND the baking soda will neutralize any pet odors left lingering in the floor.
• Try attaching double-sided tape to a sponge-type floor mop, and use this to 'mop' the carpets clean of pet hair!
• Get rid of the regular old-fashioned broom on even hard floors - a vacuum with a hard floor attachment is WAY more effective at cleaning than any broom I've found.

Getting Pet Hair off of Your Clothes

• Lint brushes can help - try a few types to find the one that works best for you.
• Again - rolls of packing tape make useful de-furrers on your clothes!
• The same moistened rubber glove (just the yellow types that you use to do the dishes) that helped you get the pet fur off the sofa will also remove fur from your favorite jacket. The water helps to ball the fur up, so it's easy to just pluck off and remove.

Hope these tips help, pet lovers!