Cat Scratching
Cheryl Falkenburry
Pet Lady
Q: We just got a cat and she’s scratching on our furniture. I don’t know what to do with her. I heard that declawing a cat is cruel, but I can’t take much more of this.
A: All cats
need to scratch to help keep their nails sharp and shed the outer layer of
their claws. You can teach a cat to do
this in appropriate areas by providing cat scratches of various heights. Every time the kitten scratches undesirable
surfaces, pick her up and bring her to the appropriate area. Do not force her to scratch, but take a toy
on a string and encourage her to climb and chase after the toy all the while
scratching on the cat scratch. If the
cat still returns to your furniture, temporarily put double-sided sticky tape
on those areas to discourage her. Cats
don’t like the feel of tape on their paws.
She will soon learn that her cat scratch is much more comfortable, and
eventually you can remove the tape.
Declawing a cat can cause behavior problems. When a cat is declawed they lose the first
knuckle of each toe. Since this takes
away their first-line of defense, many cats turn to biting instead, not to
mention how weird it must feel to walk without that part of their foot. It’s much better to take a little time to
train the cat to scratch and stretch in appropriate places so everyone in the
house is happy. For more ideas on this
topic, log on to www.centerhillschool.com.
