There are many solutions cat owners can utilize to create a safe, happy, scratch-friendly home for their cats. A scratch-friendly home begins with the proper scratching tools. There are many wonderful scratching devices on the market today. There are scratching posts, trees, condos, and toys. Some cats prefer scratchers made out of corrugated cardboard or sisal. The corrugated cardboard scratchers look like rectangular boxes or floor mats several inches thick filled with cardboard. Fortunately, these types of scratchers are very inexpensive so you can buy several.

Teaching Kitty to Use the Scratching Tools

More important than picking the right type of scratching tool is the quantity and location of those tools. If you only provide one scratching post, it isn’t going to work. You can’t expect the cat to travel to where the scratching post is located when the urge hits it. If your favorite chair, couch, or rug is closer, that is what the cat will use. Therefore, place the scratching devices near any vertical object you think the cat will scratch. Place one near the bottom of the stairs (if carpeted), next to any vulnerable furniture item where the cat and the family spend a significant amount of time, and place one near the cat’s favorite napping place. Next, you need to show your cat what to do with the scratching devices by using it yourself. That’s right! Scratch your own nails loudly on the scratching device to attract the curiosity of the cat. When your cat investigates to see what you are doing, praise him or her with kind words and a rub in their favorite place. You can also rub catnip on each scratching post to increase the attraction, but consistent praise is the most important ingredient. Don’t grab the cat’s paws and force them on the scratching device. Most cats don’t like to have their paws grabbed, which can cause the cat to avoid the scratching device. Admonish kitty when he or she scratches on anything that is off limits (see below). All furniture should be considered off limits to eliminate confusion. Even furniture specifically designated for the cat should be a no scratching zone.

Proper Corrections

Never use hitting as a form of correction. Hitting has proven to cause more problems than it solves. The kitty will also associate the hitting correction with you, and will continue to scratch where he or she pleases when you are not around. Instead, use a firm tone in your voice, “No,” to let kitty know what is inappropriate behavior. Even better, you can use a squirt bottle to squirt the cat with water or shake a can filled with pennies to make a loud noise. This method is not only cheap, but the cat won’t know where the water or noise came from and will be fearful of the correction when you aren’t around. When your kitty scratches in the proper places, go out of your way to praise him or her. Even if you are in another room, go to your kitty to let it know it has done well. Consistency is the key. Within the first week, you will notice progress in your cat’s behavior.

Scratching Deterrents

During the learning period, it may help to utilize scratching deterrents on the areas your kitty likes to scratch. You can use double sided sticky tape, aluminum foil, or the prickly side of a plastic carpet runner. There are also sprays you can use to deter cats away from the area or place inflated balloons on the areas where you don’t want kitty to scratch. These deterrents are all temporary until the learning process is complete.

Nail Trimming

Trimming your cat’s nails is also a very important step in maintaining a scratch-friendly environment. Even if you don’t have help, there are methods to nail trimming you can learn from your vet to make it easy for both you and your cat. The first time you trim the nails, only cut the tip. There is a vein that runs through the nail and it’s important you don’t cut that, but it’s very easy to see. Two weeks later, cut the tips of the nails again. As long as the vein is easy to see, you should have no problems giving your kitty pedicures. If you repeat these pedicures every two weeks, it will minimize any scratching damage kitty may cause.

Soft Paws™

If you just don’t have the time to spend on consistent training, you can apply Soft Paws nail caps to your cat’s nails. Soft Paws are plastic nail caps that are glued to the end of your cat’s nails and they last about four to six weeks. Your veterinarian can show you how to apply the nail caps the first time, and then you can buy the do-it-yourself kit thereafter from the pet store or a pet magazine.

It may seem like a lot of work at first, but the process is an interesting and fun experiment in you ability to train your cat. You will also find that you can use some of the techniques to teach your cat other useful lessons. In the end you will have a scratch-friendly safe environment for your cat where he or she will be able to enjoy the use of its claws.