ᐅ My pet keeps scratching the lower compartments of the KALLAX unit – any suggestions for protecting them?

Hello everyone,

I have the following problem: My pet, specifically a rather lively Maine Coon cat, constantly scratches the lower compartments of my KALLAX shelving unit from IKEA. This results in unpleasant scratches and sometimes splinter-like damage to the coating material on the lower shelves. The shelving unit is in a fixed spot, and I can’t just ignore the animal since it obviously feels comfortable there.

My question: Does anyone have experience or practical ideas on how to curb this kind of behavior or effectively prevent damage to the shelves? I do not want to punish the pet or have the furniture permanently damaged. I would appreciate any advice – whether immediate short-term measures or longer-term solutions.

Try covering the shelf with scratch-resistant film or transparent film. Cats do not like smooth, reflective surfaces under their paws.

Hello Gerolfdi,

such scratch damage is quite common, especially with larger cat breeds that like to sharpen their claws on furniture. My advice is to first analyze carefully why your tomcat is targeting the lower shelves in particular. Cats mark their territory with scratching motions, they stretch, or it could be boredom.

To protect the KALLAX shelving unit, there are several technical solutions:

1. Secure the shelves with plexiglass panels that can be cut to size and fixed with clamps or adhesive tape.
2. Treat the surface with a scratch-resistant clear coat that is easy to apply.
3. Alternatively, attach scratching mats to the lower parts of the shelving unit.

Could you describe how else your cat expresses its scratching behavior? Does he have his own scratching post or similar alternatives? This would be important for a helpful assessment.

danial60 schrieb:
Could you describe how your tomcat usually expresses his scratching behavior? Does he have his own scratching post or similar alternatives? This would be important for a helpful assessment.

Good question! He has a relatively new scratching post that gets a lot of use – but he seems to prefer scratching the lower part of the KALLAX unit. It almost seems like he wants more surface area or something sturdy, which the scratching post might not provide. However, he also scratches the post regularly; I suspect he also wants some horizontal resistance.

I find it interesting that the cat attacks the shelf despite having a scratching post. Maybe the issue isn’t the material or surface, but the location. The KALLAX shelf is low and easily accessible – it offers more allowed scratching space in an area that seems important to her.

Gerolfdi schrieb:
he also wants some horizontal resistance

Can you rule out the possibility that there are scent marks (e.g., urine or cat pheromones) on the shelf attracting your cat? Sometimes such smells increase scratching behavior on certain objects.

LuMarcel43 schrieb:
Can you rule out that there are scent markings (e.g., urine or cat pheromones) on the shelf that might be attracting your male cat?

I have cleaned the shelf regularly and did not notice any noticeable odors. However, I obviously cannot guarantee 100% that there are no markings. Is there a specific cleaning method that works better?