Today a client asked me about her 8 month old kitten that is scratching up her furniture, carpet, and curtains. She does not want to have her cat de-clawed and wanted to know what she could do to stop the destruction. The first thing I told her is that she is not alone. This is a very common behavior for cats and that there are quite a few things she can do.
Step 1: The first thing to remember is that scratching is a NORMAL behavior for cats. It’s how they keep their nails healthy. They also use it as a way to mark where they’ve been… kind of a ‘Fluffy was here’ tag. So, you will not be able to completely eliminate the behavior. You can, however, teach them where it is, or is not, appropriate.
Step 2: Next we need to make the places where they are currently doing their scratching undesirable. You can accomplish this by altering the texture of the location. For carpets or some furniture you can place those plastic runners with the raised plastic bumps used for office chairs. Lay them on the carpet or sofa upside down so that the raised points are facing upward making the surface no longer comfortable to walk on. If your pet scratches on the doors in your home there are actual scratching pads that you can purchase that hang off of the door handle. They give your pet a safe surface to scratch on while saving your doors and door frames. Cats are not fans of citrus scents. You can also try placing a paper towel sprayed with a citrus scent in the area your pet scratches as a scent deterrent.
Step 3: Give them a place that they are allowed to scratch to their hearts desire.
- Teaching your pet to use a scratching post starts with their preferred scratching surface. There are posts that are covered in carpeting, rope, or just plain wood.
- Some pets may have a favorite place in the house where they like to scratch. Start by placing your scratching post there. As your cat begins to use the scratching post you can slowly (over a couple weeks or months) move the scratching post to a location you are more comfortable with.
- Every time your pet approaches the post or touches the post toss them a very small treat. When it scratches the post give it a big treat. This can take a while so don’t get discouraged.
If your pet is scratching you or your loved ones there is also a product called soft paws. They are small plastic coverings that get applied directly to your cat’s toe nails. They create a softer rounded tip to the nails that does not cause any scratching or bleeding. They do, however, need to be re-applied about every 4-5 weeks.