Ask Amy: How Do I Teach Cat Claw Etiquette?
Seren “owns” this old chair. Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
Will you welcome a new purr-fect cuddly kitten into your life this holiday season? One of the most common questions I get as a cat behavior consultant is, “How can I stop my cat from clawing the furniture?”
Well…you won’t stop the clawing, but you can redirect to a “legal” target. Today’s Ask Amy has some tips. What other techniques have worked for your fur-kids? Please share!
And for all the must-knows on kitten care, check out my Complete Kitten Care book (or “gift” it to someone who needs help with their new kitten!).
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I had literally 20 some different places for the cats to scratch. I don't think one has to redecorate in cat scratching posts, but it sure does make the cats happy. Other tactics I used was to cover furniture, which helped stop them from scratching my Grandmother's beautiful chair and the back of the couch. I placed scratching posts at the "meeting places" which are places where cats tend to encounter each other. I also would sometimes remove cats from places they were scratching to the scratching posts and rub their paws on those places & made a point of praising them when they were scratching appropriately. All of those seem to help reinforce the idea that there were scratching places that made me happy and places that didn't. It is also interesting to me that cats almost always scratch vigorously when the owner arrives home.
Yes, exactly! Scratching can be a cat greeting behavior. And they do like to mark "important" territory like pathways or lookouts. Great tips. Some of my cat's favorite scratch objects were free--a couple of cut logs from a fallen down cedar tree on the property, and a homemade scratch object of wrapped fabric around an old board. Cats don't look for price tags. :)
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