

(This may be why cats seem to like drapes so much!)Įncourage your cat to investigate her posts by scenting them with catnip, hanging toys on them and placing them in areas where she’ll be inclined to climb on them.ĭiscourage inappropriate scratching by removing or covering other desirable objects. Most cats also like a post that’s tall enough that they can stretch fully. Keep in mind that all cats want a sturdy post that won’t shift or collapse when used. Once you figure out your cat’s preference for scratching, provide additional posts of that kind in various locations. Some prefer a vertical grain for raking, while others favor a horizontal grain for picking. Others might like vertical posts or slanted posts. Try giving your cat posts made of cardboard, carpeting, wood, sisal and upholstery. Provide a variety of scratching posts with different qualities and surfaces. The following steps will help you encourage your cat to scratch where you want her to: An excellent approach is to provide her with appropriate, cat-attractive surfaces and objects to scratch, such as scratching posts. The best tactic when dealing with scratching is not to try to stop your cat from scratching, but instead to teach her where and what to scratch.

What to Do About Your Cat’s Scratching Habits All this scratching can cause a lot of damage to furniture, drapes and carpeting! And because cats’ claws need regular sharpening, cats scratch on things to remove frayed, worn outer claws and expose new, sharper claws. They scratch to mark territory or as a threatening signal other cats.
