How To Stop Your Cat Scratching And Ruining Your Furniture
It's natural for cats to scratch but often it destroys your good
furniture. Thankfully there are some things that you can do to
relieve the problem.
Many people watch in sadness as their cat destroys virtually
everything that he can get his claws into. You can improve this
behavior. To do so, you need to know why he is doing what he is
doing.
Why Scratching?
Cats were hunters. They needed those sharp teeth to help them to
climb trees and to leap down on their prey. Although your cat is
not likely to be pouncing on their dinner anymore, they still
instinctively need to sharpen their claws and that is exactly
what they are doing on your furniture. The scratching that they
do is a way of trimming their nails and it removes the old outer
part of the claws. Another reason they are ruining your home is
because they know it to be their territory. They release a scent
from special glands in their paws which helps them mark the area
as theirs. They also do it because they are working the kinks
out of their body as well as burning some energy.
Before you head off to have him de clawed, you may want to try
out some of the alternative methods of preventing the scratching.
Alternatives
One way is to provide them with scratching pads or posts. There
are a wide variety of them available including those that are
part of a cat condo. You can even make your own by using two
foot high section of a four by four, two foot by two foot piece
of heavy plywood and a carpet remnant. When you have one of
these, take it and put it right next to his favorite piece of
furniture to destroy.
Then, gradually move it away from the
furniture as he gets accustomed to it.
You can also use a pet repellant spray such as Bitter Apple on
the furniture that the pet is clawing at. Take the time to test
the spray on a non visible area of the furniture before using it
though. Or if you do not want to spray the furniture, then cover
the material with aluminum foil or tape that is placed sticky
side up. The cat will not like the material and will turn to the
scratching post instead.
The Last Resort
Some cats just can't seem to stop. For these, de-clawing becomes
the best option. If your cat stays indoors, you can have their
claws removed. There are some risks involved and the procedure
can be painful for him. Those who would like to avoid this like
to use nail caps instead. These are applied as false nails would
be to the cat's nail.
If your cat is a scratcher, do what you can to stop him before
you have him de-clawed. If this becomes the best option though,
it may be better than having your furniture torn up!
I hope that some of these simple tips help you save your
furniture from cat attack without stopping you cat from enjoying
life.
About the author:
Best Pet Health
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Written by: Niall Kennedy
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