How do I get my cat to use his scratching post?
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at
11:04 pm
21 Comments
Cheap Cat Furniture
Cat furniture, cat trees and cat condos are great additions to a cat lover's home, as they provide hours of good fun for the feline companions and keep your own furniture intact.
Cat scratching is a perfectly normal behavior for a cat, and if your cat is scratching a chair or your favorite couch, then you just need to somehow re-direct his or her scratching to other, more appropriate objects.
The consensus from the various Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is that de-clawing is cruel and unnecessary. I can only agree with this conclusion. However, if you feel that you must either declaw your cat or give her up, we would rather see your cat stay in her home and be your lifelong companion. I only ask that you do not make this decision lightly and just be absolutely sure that you will not change your mind later about keeping your indoor cat once you have it declawed.
You can use nail caps for the cat's front paws as an alternative to getting the cat de-clawed. This is a much more humane choice and it does work to protect the furniture. Just make sure you do not use nail caps on a cat that goes outside, as it will have no defense.
Most pet shops offer different selections of cat scratch posts from which to choose. Some have carpet or rug material on wooden posts and bases. Others are made of rope which is wrapped around the post or pole.
Then there are cat towers and cat trees which are great for the cat to climb and play besides being there for scratching purposes.
Other people like to design their own and make them themselves. This is another option for you as well. Besides going to your local pet store, you can look online for these different cat trees, towers and scratch posts.
One thing that can work well if your cat is still scratching the furniture is to spray some citrus oil on the chair or the couch that they are attacking. This is a good deterrent that usually works quite effectively.
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Try catnip. If it doesn’t work try teaching the cat to scratch the post. I know it sounds weird. My cat would just roll around or rub against the post with catnip. One day I took both of her paws and put them against the post. I moved her paws for her to teach her how to do it. When she did do it on her own, I would treat her with either a back rub or a treat. Now 6 years later, she still does it herself with or without the treats.
Sprinkle catnip on it. Mimic scratching on it yourself, so he/she knows what to do with it. Maybe dangle toys or yarn over it. And if you see Puss sharpening their claws on anything else, kindly and gently remove them and place them on the scratching post base and pet them, so they know this is an "okay" spot.
cat nip . .
put cat nip on it
I have no idea. My cats think the whole world is their scratching post!
Ooh I know. Every time they go over to it yell "No!" then they will just HAVE to scratch it!
i would take the cat over there and show him/her
but also maybe a lil cat nip..that works great to
or get treats and everytime they use it reward them..
take his nails out and then there won’t be any problems
u act like a cat and start scratching at it.
Rub catnip all over it. It works everytime at our house. If he/she is scratching other places they are not supposed to, you can spray it with orange, and some places you can put on clear packaging tape. We tape the corners of our couch and you can’t really see it and the cats leave it alone. I hope this helps. Kitties can be so naughty sometimes, but it’s one of the reasons we love them so much
put the cat by it and you scratch the post to show the cat—-that’s how the cat will learn—-or by one of those posts that go to the ceiling. have fun!
First off, you don’t just force your cat to scratch the post. (I’m not sure what reason YOU have for them to…) Second, try cat nip or buying different ones to see your cat’s reaction. Third, maybe your cat doesn’t like scratching posts.
Catnip works yes, but then they will only do when there is catnip there, Get your cat playing with a string or something and dangle it over the post when the cat hits the post say good kitty and scrathch the post with your nails. Might sound dumb but it work for me!
Sometimes rubbing catnip on the scratching post works
If you catch it scratching furniture, firmly say"No" then take it over to the scratching post. They usually get the hang of it right away.
get some sprayable catnip from the pet store and spray it on there. I am lucky because my dad made my cat a scratching post and the cat loves it!!
I agree with Chank — make the scratching post a fun thing for them and don’t stint on the praise, "You are such a WONDERFUL cat", you are the darling of my heart, aren’t you the world’s best kitty, etc"
Lay it on with a trowel. It will really get their attention, they react to praise just as people do.
Rub some cat nip into the scratching post.
catnip!!!!!!!!
Spray cat nip spray on it. It’ll attract kitty to it. Also, if s/he is scratching somewhere else, try moving the scratching post close to his/her favorite scratching spot. Tell kitty NO (very firmly) when s/he scratches where s/he is not supposed to and then put him/her on the scratching post. Eventually s/he should get the hint.
wal-mart sells this really cheap scratching post. It’s basically just strips of cardboard boxes. My cats love it. It comes with cat nip on it, but needs refreshed from time to time. It’s only about $5, and they really like it. It’s not the most attractive thing I’ve ever seen, but then again, neither is a couch with the stuffing hanging out.
I really don’t think you can. But after a couple of weeks when we got my kitten a scratching post he loved to rub his paws against it. Even though he’s de-clawed.