Stopping Your Cat from Scratching the Furniture

By: Cristian Stan
Submitted: 2009-11-11 17:56:58
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Scratching on different objects, including the furniture, is something cats love to do. But this can be really frustrating for you and can cause you to spend a lot of money. Felines need to scratch, it is in their instinct.

They do it to sharpen their claws. When they are scratching they automatically remove the old layers of the nails. So, try not to punish the cat for doing that because this is something instinctual that the cat can not help doing. There are other ways in which you can prevent that from happening. Also, cats do not respond to punishments and you will only make the situation worst.

You may think that your cat is scratching the furniture because it can not go outside to play and scratch. But there are many cats that go outside a lot every day and they still scratch the furniture in their home. Cats love to scratch on trees and they sometimes use the legs of the chairs instead of actual trees. The best solution to save your furniture is to provide a scratching post for the cat. There are many types and models in the local pet stores. They are easy to build. Also, make sure the scratching post does not have sharp edges that may hurt the cat and that the baser is solid enough and will not fall on the cat.

In addition, use rope to cover the scratching point. Do not use a carpet because this will mean you are giving the cat permission to destroy the carpets too.

The scratching post must also be tall enough because a cat likes to stretch when it is scratching. You want your cat to love the scratching point because if it does, this means it will not destroy the furniture. You can also put some cat nip on a platform to make it more attractive. A few hanged toys will also be attractive for your cat.

The next thing you need to do, after building the scratching point, is to get the cat to see it and use it. But how do you accomplish that? You have to teach her that scratching the post is good and not bad.

So, every time you see the cat going to scratch the furniture, pick her up gently and then place her in front of the scratching point. If you see that the cat is making a move for the scratching point, you will give here praise and a lot of encouragement. You can also cover the old scratching marks on the furniture with netting stuff or some aluminum foil.

Soon the cat will learn that it is not a good idea to scratch the furniture but it should definitely use the scratching post. If you see that the cat is still not using the scratching post, you can cover the old furniture scorching with some smelly polish. People also use vinegar as cats hate the smell. But make sure the vinegar is not hurting the furniture. Also, do not remove the covered furniture or the smelly substances until a month after the cat has started to use the new scratching point.

If you are dealing with a cat that likes to scratch horizontally, and she is ruining your expensive parquet flooring, you can give her a piece of rush matting. You can tape the matting down so that it will not slip. What every method you apply, make sure not to punish the cat and have a lot of patience.

Article source: Expert Articles