Scratching is a natural instinct - even declawed cats try to scratch. You cannot teach a cat not to scratch, but you can provide an appropriate place for it to scratch. Like most learning processes this requires a littletimeon the part of the teacher and some necesary supplies.
1. Posts come covered with carpet, sisal rope, and wood. There are also flat scratching surfaces covered with corrugated cardboard that some cats like. Offer your cat small samples and see which he/she likes scratching on the most. Then,get a nice, stable scratching post. If the post falls over or moves when the cat tries to scratch, the cat is not going to enjoy scratching on it and will probably prefer your couch. If you are creative, you can even make your own scratching post from wood and carpet remnants. They also se;; sisal rope in hardware stores.
Scratching postswith sisal rope,whether bought or handmade, usually cost a little more than strictly carpeted posts, but they last longer than carpet and provide a substance different than the carpet on your floor for your cat to learn to scratch on.
2. Position the scratchingpostina prominent position in a well-used roomso that the cat is going to like being there. Sprinkling catnip on the scratchingpost can help start the cat playing and scratching on the post. Playing with toys on ornear the postmay also help.
3. During the first few weeks,when you see your cat start to scratchin on somethingother than the scratching post, say "no" firmly and carry your cat to the post. Putting his paws on the scratchable surface sometimeswill start himscratching - don't fight him though. Whenver he does scratch in the right place, praise him lavishly.
4. After a few weeks, when your cat has scratched on the scratching post enough so that you think he realizes that this is a good behavior, start punishing him whenever he scratches something unacceptable. Saying "no" works with a few cats. Most cats, however, respond a lot better to a squirt bottle. Fill the squirt bottle with water, adjust the beam to "stream" and when the cat scratches on the couch, squirt him or her. It will not hurt the cat, but it gets the message accross. Most cats, after being squirted a few times, will learn to respond to "no" when accompanied by merely picking up the the squirt bottle and showing it to the cat.
5. If you are persistent, patience, and offer attractive options, most cats will learn good scratching manners.
Scratching postswith sisal rope,whether bought or handmade, usually cost a little more than strictly carpeted posts, but they last longer than carpet and provide a substance different than the carpet on your floor for your cat to learn to scratch on.
2. Position the scratchingpostina prominent position in a well-used roomso that the cat is going to like being there. Sprinkling catnip on the scratchingpost can help start the cat playing and scratching on the post. Playing with toys on ornear the postmay also help.
3. During the first few weeks,when you see your cat start to scratchin on somethingother than the scratching post, say "no" firmly and carry your cat to the post. Putting his paws on the scratchable surface sometimeswill start himscratching - don't fight him though. Whenver he does scratch in the right place, praise him lavishly.
4. After a few weeks, when your cat has scratched on the scratching post enough so that you think he realizes that this is a good behavior, start punishing him whenever he scratches something unacceptable. Saying "no" works with a few cats. Most cats, however, respond a lot better to a squirt bottle. Fill the squirt bottle with water, adjust the beam to "stream" and when the cat scratches on the couch, squirt him or her. It will not hurt the cat, but it gets the message accross. Most cats, after being squirted a few times, will learn to respond to "no" when accompanied by merely picking up the the squirt bottle and showing it to the cat.
5. If you are persistent, patience, and offer attractive options, most cats will learn good scratching manners.
If you are still having problems:
Try offering the cat a different substance on which to scratch. Maybe he or she doesn't like the carpet, wood,etc.
Make sure that the post is stable and not inclined to fall down and scare the cat or move when the cat tries scratching on it
Reposition the post. Cats usually like to be in the middle of things; a post in a corner may look nic eto you, but the cat may be inclined to overlook it.
If hyou car uses the scratching post when he or she is in the same room, but is too lazy to go to that room when he is in the other half of the house, get another scratching post.
If your scratching lessons are failing because your cat can scratch away at the couch when you are not home and is only punished when you are home watching it, take steps to make the furniture less desireable to your cat. Cats will seldon scratch on a couch covered with a simple cotton sheet - so covering the corners of your couch with sheets (tuching in the coerners well so that the cat does not climb under the sheet) will often work well to proect your furnituyre while lessons ar ein progres.s Alternavtively, contact paper (stick side up) or aluminum foil ofter work as deterrents to a certain area. These measures often only need to be adopted temporarily for the timeit takes to break your cat of its bad habits and learn to use its scrat
Make sure that the post is stable and not inclined to fall down and scare the cat or move when the cat tries scratching on it
Reposition the post. Cats usually like to be in the middle of things; a post in a corner may look nic eto you, but the cat may be inclined to overlook it.
If hyou car uses the scratching post when he or she is in the same room, but is too lazy to go to that room when he is in the other half of the house, get another scratching post.
If your scratching lessons are failing because your cat can scratch away at the couch when you are not home and is only punished when you are home watching it, take steps to make the furniture less desireable to your cat. Cats will seldon scratch on a couch covered with a simple cotton sheet - so covering the corners of your couch with sheets (tuching in the coerners well so that the cat does not climb under the sheet) will often work well to proect your furnituyre while lessons ar ein progres.s Alternavtively, contact paper (stick side up) or aluminum foil ofter work as deterrents to a certain area. These measures often only need to be adopted temporarily for the timeit takes to break your cat of its bad habits and learn to use its scrat
Try to minimize damages from kitty claws:
Trim your cat's nails. YOu can buy a pair of cat nail trimmers in almsot any pet store and learn to trim your cat's nails so that they are blunt and less capable of doing damage. You can take off the thin, clear tip, but avoiid the thicker, opaque base as that holds the blood and nervce supply to the nail. Trimming too far is relatively easy to avoid on cats, but be careful anyway - cutting the "quick" hurts and bleeds.
Many cats don't like thier feet being handled and restrained, so if you cat is really fighting you over the nail trims, try doing them while your cat is asleap - you can usually get through a few nails before the cat wakes up enough to object
You will need to trim nails every few weeks to a month, dependong on how fast your cat's nails grow.
Many cats don't like thier feet being handled and restrained, so if you cat is really fighting you over the nail trims, try doing them while your cat is asleap - you can usually get through a few nails before the cat wakes up enough to object
You will need to trim nails every few weeks to a month, dependong on how fast your cat's nails grow.
There is also a product called "soft paws" that provide blunt caps that you can apply to your cat's nails. You trim the nails before applying them and they will fall off as the nails grow back out, but they provide excellent furniture protection while they are on.
