Scratching is a common behaviour among cats which is why it is really impossible to make them stop doing it. Cats scratch when they want to fight off stress and boredom, when they want to make and mark a territory, and when they want to remove something from their claws like dead nail. So before you consider putting your cat under a declaw surgery to save your furniture, you have a responsibility of training him not to scratch on your precious furniture. It’s really not difficult to do, although it would take some time and patience.
The first thing to do when training a cat is to not punish him for any incorrect behaviour. For example, yelling, hitting him with a stick or other types of punishment will only scare your cat. And worse, your cat will not associate his instinctive scratching on your sofa with the punishment. Keep in mind that scratching is a normal behaviour for any cat so shouting at him will not make him stop doing it. The best thing that you can do is to direct this instinct to a scratching post with a little bit of observation and patience. Here are a few ways on how to train your cat use a cat scratch post:
1. Observe your cat. If he’s scratching your furniture, this will give you an idea of what kind of material he prefers to scratch. Scratching posts are made with many different kinds of material and you will need to experiment to see which kind he will most likely use. For a kitten, buy at least a couple of different kinds to start. Ideally, four or five cat scratch posts in different textures will be best for training. An important reminder in buying a cat scratch post is to ensure that your adult cat will get a good stretch when using it.
2. Observe your cat’s position when he scratches. Does he prefer to scratch the carpet or a vertical surface like furniture or sofa? Choose either a flat or upright/hanging cat scratch post based on your cat’s preference.
3. Place the cat scratch post in areas where your cat likes to scratch the most. You can put it near the arm of the sofa, a certain spot on the floor, the leg of the piano or near the stereo speakers. Whenever the cat scratches on one of those posts, praise and pet him. Give him a treat because he will associate the good stuff with the cat scratch post. Once you’ve got the cat using the cat scratching post, you can gradually move it to a more convenient location.
4. In instances where your cat may not scratch on the post, what you can do is to rub the scratch posts with catnip to get your cat’s attention.
5. Play with your cat at the cat scratch post. Make it a happy place. Run a toy up and down the post so the cat gets the feel of its claws on it. Encourage your cat to climb up the post by putting a favourite toy at the top. Reinforcement is very important.
Change will not happen overnight, especially if your cat is used to scratching on your furniture. You will need to be patient and most of all, consistent. Always praise your cat when he uses the cat scratch post. After a few weeks, you will probably have a cat that doesn’t think of the furniture as a good place to scratch. Then, all you have to do is keep his claws clipped regularly.
