i have a new one year old cat from humane society, how to get it to use the scratching post instead of couch?
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 at
8:40 pm
7 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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First, find a suitable alternative. My cats never liked carpeted or sisal scratching posts…they prefer cardboard scratching pads (like this one – http://astore.amazon.com/chamspage/detail/B0002Y1Q9S/102-9546502-0572125 or their absolute favorite – http://astore.amazon.com/chamspage/detail/B000GLR8IU/102-9546502-0572125).
Second, teach the cat how to use it…I will usually run my fingernails along the pad for about 15-20 seconds while the kitty is watching (trust me – they will be) and they will eventually catch on.
A second option is to use a product called Soft Paws – picture Lee Press-On Nails for cats. I’ve never had success with them – my cats won’t let me mess w/their paws for that long! I have friends who have had lots of success with them though.
Third, make scratching the couch as unpleasant to the kitty as possible. You can use double sided tape (like this – http://astore.amazon.com/chamspage/detail/B00063486I/102-9546502-0572125), aluminum foil, or even buy special plastic covers. You may need to use the old water-gun trick (just don’t let kitty see you shooting them…you want them to think it’s their behavior that causes the water, not you.) A metal tin of pennies can work well too, but these two options don’t work when you’re not at home.
It’s going to take some time to break kitty of this bad habit, but with consistence and a little patience, I’m sure you’ll see success.
Good luck!
whenever he scratches furniture, physically move him over to the scratching post and show him he can scratch there…. do it consistently and he will catch on quickly
spray water at him whenever he does it. water does not hurt them but it does scare them.
also, cats HATE citrus. Orange peels and even the sprays you can buy have orange smells to them. Spray them on the objects they scratch.
moving him to where it is ok is one solution.
But the pole needs to be in a good location, it’s a instict that draws back on building up a territory, so put the pole next to the couch where he scratches it.
Finally spraying with water might work, but punishing for insticts isn;t really nice for us humans to do.
To draw him to the post, sprinkle a little catnip on it. My cats always respond to this. Use Cosmo catnip, it is the best that I have been able to find. the other people above me have made great suggestions to get him to stop scratching the couch.
I have used catnip to draw them to the post.
Flick him on the ear. This doesn’t hurt as much as it is annoying. I never use water. If that doesn’t work, flick him on the end of his nose, that hurts more. Don’t do it too hard, you just want to get their attention and annoy them into stopping. After a while all you have to do is flick your fingers in front of them and they will back away.
Owner of toooo many cats
good luck