Prevent Your Antique Furniture Being Scratched to Death!

By: Andy Murkins

Has your cat decided that your couch is her personal scratching post? Does she love to see your face whilst shredding the upholstery to ribbons?

Believe it or not, she's not trying to drive you crazy: She's just doing what all cats naturally do. The solution? Get her to scratch on a more appropriate alternative!

Read on to learn how to train your cat to use a scratching post.

Why Do Cats Scratch?

Cats like to scratch for many reasons. One reason is that cats like to keep their claws sharp. Scratching also helps cats remove the old worn-out sheaths growing over their claws.

When cats scratch, it helps tone their muscles. Scratching gives them a bit of exercise.

Cats also feel a need to mark their territories, and scratching is a great way to do that.

As you can see, no matter how much you try to train her out of scratching, it's simply not going to work, it goes against her nature.

The solution? Train her to scratch on an acceptable alternative.

Choosing a Cat Scratching Post

A cat scratching post should stand sturdy. Don't go for the cheap option, you want something strong enough to take your cats assault, you also need to bare in mind that if the post constantly falls over, she's unlikely to keep using it.

It also needs to be tall, something that lets your cat stretch to her full length. Ideally, it should be a large tree that your cat can climb all over.

Make sure the cat post is covered in the right materials, there are a lot of posts currently on the market covered in extra soft fur fabrics. These tear easily and are not ideal, a post covered in sisal rope and tough carpet is a good option.

Sounds an awful lot like a tree, doesn't it? It should, because outdoor cats love scratching on trees. Trees are tall, rock-solid, and fun to shred.

Getting Your Cat to Use the Scratching Post

It's not always enough to simply buy a cat scratching post and hope she starts using it. You need to make it as attractive as possible.

Location matters! Place it close to your couch or wherever your cat loves to scratch. Don't work against your cat's routine. If the scratching post is tucked away in some corner of your house your cat never uses, why would she bother with this thing?

Sprinkling good catnip on your cat scratching post is a great way to attract her to it. Playing with her around the post will also help. When she digs her claws into it, praise her and give her a treat. You want her to associate scratching the post with good experiences.

What to Avoid When Your Cat Scratches Your Furniture

Even after getting a scratching post, your cat may continue to scratch furniture.

Here's what NOT to do when your cat starts scratching your furniture.

Don't hit or yell at your cat, unlike dogs, cats aren't as susceptible to this kind of training. They won't connect their behavior with scratching the furniture. Cats are more likely to get confused and frightened. If you do it too much she will come to think of you as someone to avoid.

Don't pull your cat away from your furniture, if she holds onto the furniture it could damage her claws, even pulling her away gently and putting her near the post (as some owners advise) may not be the best strategy. It's better if the cat thinks scratching the post was her idea.

Instead, try to divert your cat's attention. Call her name, distract her with a toy. Casually draw her attention to the scratching post by playing with her.

Make Your Furniture Undesirable

There's something about your couch that your cat just loves. It probably all started because the material is perfect for scratching -- it practically begs to be scratched. The couch is sturdy, like a tree. And best of all, it smells like her now.

There are lots of things you can do to discourage your cat from scratching your furniture:

Use a double sided tape. Cat's don't like to scratch on sticky things, covering her favorite scratch spots is usually more than enough to prevent her.

Clean your couch. Sounds simple, but it will remove her scent, it's no longer her territory. She may move on and find that scratching post. Make sure to test the cleanser on a small part of your couch first as to make sure it doesn't damage your upholstery.

Move the couch. This may be as simple as repositioning the couch so that your cat's favorite scratching spot is inaccessible. If that's not possible, you might want to temporarily move it to a place where she can't reach it.

Spray the couch with a scent. Cats particularly hate citrus smells. However, be careful that the scent doesn't waft over to the scratching post!

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

This article was written by the owner of KitForCats, an expert UK business that builds hand made quality cat scracthers

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