While we all adore our feline friends, it's never fun to watch them use our valuable furniture as their personal scratching posts. Cats scratch on trees in the wild to claim their territory and maintain their claws sharp for hunting. Even though it's not needed in most homes nowadays, a cat's natural urge to scratch is something that won't go away as they get older or change surroundings. Taking the time to figure out why cats scratch will assist you in teaching your cat to stop.
TRIMMING YOUR CAT’S NAILS
The first tip we have is trimming your cat's nails. Trimming your cat's nails on a regular basis can help prevent your cat from scratching furnishings. If you're having trouble figuring out how to get your cat's nails trimmed, check out our comprehensive tutorial on how to trim your cat's claws. from Youtube creator, AnimalWised.
SCRATCHING POSTS
Cats scratch for two reasons: to sharpen their claws and remove dead layers. Secondly, cats have scent glands on the pads of their feet. By scratching furniture or other surfaces, they can leave their scent and communicate with other felines. The best way to stop your cat from scratching furniture is to give them a designated place to scratch, like a scratching post.
Cat trees and scratching posts are available in a range of materials, so if you want to buy several posts with various surfaces, it's best to do so. If you want your cat to use the scratching posts, put them in areas where your cat likes spending its time. Every cat is different, so think about where yours goes most often. Maybe it’s that spot near a large window that gets a lot of sunlight. Maybe it’s a comfortable corner near your bed. If there is a certain piece of furniture that your cat really likes to scratch, try placing a scratching post right next to it to make redirection easier.
ENCOURAGE USE OF SCRATCHING POSTS
Even if you have scratching posts in every corner of your house, your cat might not automatically know what to do with them. You may need to train your cat on how to use them correctly. To make your cat want to use the scratching post, try playing with it near the post using feather wands and other toys. You can also sprinkle some catnip on the post.
DISCOURAGE FURNITURE SCRATCHING
While you want to encourage your cat to scratch on his or her cat tree, you don't want them to scratch on your furniture. Keep a suitable scratching post within reach near the spot where your cat is scratching. Whenever you catch your cat scratching on your furniture, redirect them to the scratching post and provide a reward such as toys or treats. You can also try making your furniture less appealing by using products like anti-scratch tape or spray which we have in our cat's supplies section at Braxton's.
KEEP YOUR CAT HEALTHY
Cats get bored, just like we do. It's critical to give your cat with regular stimulation to keep their brains active. A cats poor health can result in increased scratching. A nutritious diet helps keep household cats healthy and decrease the likelihood of them needing to scratch. There are many options for keeping your cat healthy and happy if you feed him raw, dry, or wet food. If you ever have questions on ways to improve your cat's diet, speak with one of our associates on how to make small changes to improve their digestive health.
The number one thing we don't want you to do is accept your situation. Cats are trainable like dogs. Fighting animal instincts and boredom can be incredibly difficult, but patients for your four-legged friend and proper training you can get your cat off of your new leather couch!
Do you have a cat destroying your things? What have you tried that might help other cat owners?