My cat doesn’t want to use the scratching post…?
My cat scratches on everything, except for the posts that she’s suppose to use. Well, sometimes she uses them, but not often. I have tried to show her, by taking her paws and scratching at the posts, and I say NO and stop her, when I catch her scratching at the rugs or furniture. Does anyone know how to urge her to only use the scratching areas that are designated for her ?.
You can try one of these two method to teach your cat to use the scratching post.
Method One
Hold treats near the post to get your cat to come near the post. Slowly, make your cat come closer and closer to the post to get the treat. Then increase the height at which you are holding the treat so your cat must put his paws up the post to reach the treat. Gradually increase the height at which you hold the treat so that your cat eventually has to climb to the top in order to get the treat. This training session is a slow process to be worked on each day, making small progress each time you work on it.
Method Two
Using the kind of cat toys that are at the end of a string, dangle, drag, and swing one of your cat’s toys. Do this on and around the post. Use the scratching post as the play area. Your cat will climb up and down and around his post to try to reach his toy. By doing this, his post will be a place of fun and good memories.
August 11th, 2010 at 6:43 am
try rubbing some catnip on it. it worked for me.
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August 11th, 2010 at 6:57 am
my kittens do that to everything accept the post too
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August 11th, 2010 at 7:25 am
DOnt worry my cat does the same thing, But I give him a little smack when he scratches on furniture then he goes to the post
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August 11th, 2010 at 7:38 am
I just bought one too that my cat also wont use….it was only $20 but i still dont want it to be a waste. Im gonna wait for your responses too!
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btw- my vet said catnip is like cat crack. She said it just hypnotises the cat and makes it addicted to it quickly. Dont use that!
August 11th, 2010 at 8:15 am
My cat does the same thing what you should do is put cat nip on the scratching post then the cat will go near is and use it and at Petco or Petsmart you can buy stuff that goes on your furniture but wont ruin it!! Good Luck!!
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August 11th, 2010 at 8:24 am
My family bought a neat thing for my cat. It’s made out of cardboard and have grooves so it’s nice to scratch, but it also has cat nip in it. It teaches the cat to use it if they want to get to the cat nip. Works like a charm.
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August 11th, 2010 at 9:12 am
Try rubbing catnip on it. If that doesn’t work, some cats just dont like scratching posts, like mine. I have the same problem with my kitten Hunter.
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August 11th, 2010 at 9:51 am
You could try spraying her with water when she scratches in the wrong place. I have 2 scratching posts and they rarely use the ‘expensive’ one, it must be to do with the texture. I got Zoom catnip from the US and it is very popular with my cats.
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August 11th, 2010 at 10:16 am
You can try one of these two method to teach your cat to use the scratching post.
Method One
Hold treats near the post to get your cat to come near the post. Slowly, make your cat come closer and closer to the post to get the treat. Then increase the height at which you are holding the treat so your cat must put his paws up the post to reach the treat. Gradually increase the height at which you hold the treat so that your cat eventually has to climb to the top in order to get the treat. This training session is a slow process to be worked on each day, making small progress each time you work on it.
Method Two
Using the kind of cat toys that are at the end of a string, dangle, drag, and swing one of your cat’s toys. Do this on and around the post. Use the scratching post as the play area. Your cat will climb up and down and around his post to try to reach his toy. By doing this, his post will be a place of fun and good memories.
References :