Feed: Teaching Your Cat To Use A Scratching Post - AggScore: 14.0

Teaching Your Cat To Use A Scratching Post

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cat toys You get up in the morning and find that your kitty as scratched your favorite couch or piece of furniture, so teaching your cat to use a scratching post is just for you. Your cat by nature must scratch. She does this to stretch her back and to sharpen nails. In some cases, they scratch to shed an old nail sheath that is hanging off. In order to preserve your best furniture from be scratched, you must teach your kitten from scratching. You may be thinking that this cannot be done, but, you are wrong. Your cat can be taught not to scratch if you have the time and patience. Beginning A Cat Scratching Session Most importantly, you will need lots of time, patience and treats. One thing you should not do is to remove your pet's claws. You can have your cat declawed. If your cat should somehow get out of your yard, she will have a difficult time in defending herself in the wild if her claws are removed. So, this should not be an option. What you can to is purchase a scratching post and then teach your cat how to use it. Posts come in various shapes, sizes and forms and you have many options to select from. Some are small that can be hung on a door, to larger posts that have twists and turns for your cat to navigate through, giving them several options for their scratching needs. These posts are ideal which will provide your cat a good stretching session. Some posts come with catnip and a bell that rings when your cat is stretching. Cats like the sound of a mild ringing bell. Be sure the post is at least two feet tall as this will allow your cat to get a full body stretch for its back and shoulder muscles. Some cats prefer a natural feel when it comes to material they want to scratch on. You can buy natural wood scratching boards. Cardboard is also another option. Some cats like to get their claws into cardboard. You can purchase Alpine scratching boards which are made of cardboard and come with catnip and grooves to allow your cat to get their claws inside. What a great way to help prevent your cat from scratching the furniture. Older Cats If you should have an older cat, place catnip on the scratching post. This will help her to go to the place where the scratching post is located. You may begin to notice your cat gravitating to the post and sticking her claw into it. Another tip is to place the post near the place where kitty has scratched furniture and may encourage her to use the scratching post. Place the post in a high traffic area of your house. Sometimes cats like to mark their territory by scratching that they feel is important to them. Final Tip One final tip, be sure to use lots of treats when you are teaching your cat to use the scratching post. Positive reinforcement such as "good girl" and verbal praise will also help. So, if you should see your cat goes the post, and never use it, give her some positive reinforcement and a treat. She will repeat the same behavior. Each time she goes to the post, give her a treat and verbal praise. She will catch on quickly. You will have a happy cat and furniture that is not being clawed by your cat.  If you want to learn more about cats, visit my website at www.petsstore4u.com [1]. There you will find additional cat articles, cat gifts, cat furniture, cat supplies, cat training videos, cat toys, and organic cat food.cat toys [1] http://www.petsstore4u.com