Cat scratching is normal behavior for a cat, and you need to re-direct his scratching to appropriate objects. The consensus from the various Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is that de-clawing is cruel and unnecessary. However, if you feel that you must either declaw your cat or give her up, we would rather see your cat stay in her home and be your lifelong companion. Scratching is an instinctive behavior for cats. It helps cats shed small sheaths on their claws, and also is a way of scent marking objects in the house or outside Scratching is also an instinctive method of marking territory. Each scratch leaves secretions from glands in a cat’s feet, a scent the gets other cat’s attention.
Scratching and climbing are highly enjoyable feline activities and are part of the essence of being a cat. It takes care of his claws and helps keep his muscles toned and healthy. Cat scratching is an innate behavior and because of this, you cannot get your cat to stop the scratching by chasing him away, squirting water, hitting or scolding. Regardless of what you do, they will still need to scratch. Since your cat will want and need to scratch, provide her with a variety of scratching posts and teach her to use them. Scratching is important, biologically, for your cat. So you can’t really punish her for clawing the furniture, unless you have provided her with an alternative like a scratching post.
Covering a favored scratching area with tinfoil, sand paper, double-sided sticky tape or plastic carpet runner (pointy side up) makes the surface unappealing to scratch. Once the scratching habit has been broken and the cat has learned to prefer the post, the covering can be removed. Cover that corner of the couch with double-sided sticky tape that is completely unattractive to your cat (the tape can easily be removed for entertaining company). This will repel your cat away from your couch and right there is a post that they will love. Covered with carpet or sisal our cat scratching posts are made only from solid wood, and all they have sturdy bases that ensure stability. Put some of our cat scratching posts near a sunny window or draft-free corner, and your cat will leave your furniture untouched.
You can make your own scratching post by wrap the rope to the top, and drive several nails in to secure it. You can put some carpet on top of the post to give it a finished look, or you could run the rope over the top, and coil the rope to an end there. Wrap the post with the sisal, making sure it is tight and that there are no spaces between each row. You can tap it down with your hammer to ensure that it is tight. Carpet may not be the best of surfaces, it does not stand a lot of laceration, and it may lead your cat to think it is OK to also scratch at your floor covering!
Train your cat to scratch her post on command. Stand by the post with a treat in hand. Training is more commonly associated with dogs and cats are seen to be an easier type of pet to own. However, as many cat owners have found out – owning a cat can actually be an extremely frustrating experience!
Praise them whenever you see them using the new post, and gradually bring it closer to a preferred location, away from his old favorite. You may want to set it up near his regular resting place. Praising her when she goes for the real one? And can you move what you get to a prominent place? Praise him and tell him ‘Good Kitty’ and stroke him to make it an enjoyable pleasant experience. You will have to be diligent at first and try to catch him in the act of scratching your furniture.
Punishment in both cases is counter productive. Punishment after the fact won’t change the behavior, may cause her to be afraid of you or the environment, and may elicit defensive aggression. Used by itself, punishment won’t resolve scratching problems because it doesn’t teach your cat where to scratch instead.
You can also try trimming there nails, one or two at a time, reward her with affection or food, and then let her do as she wishes. Cats are not strong on patience or restraint. Trim only the clear tip of the nail. Do not clip the area where pink tissue is visible or the slightly opaque region that outlines the pink tissue. Trim only the clear tip of the nail. Do not clip the area where pink tissue is visible or the slightly opaque region that outlines the pink tissue.
D.J.C.
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/cat-scratching-704952.html
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Scratching?
Are there any good ways to get my cat to stop scratching at my fish tank stand? She just turned a year old, we’ve had her since she was 8 weeks and we haven’t had any real troubles with her before. She’s got her own scratching post / cat tree. We’ve tried yelling, squirting her with a squirt gun, putting catnip on her tree… But for some reason she only wants to scratch up the stand to the fish tank. Any suggestions?
She doesn’t mess with the fish too much, just the stand…
Try putting double sided tape on the fish stand.
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every time you catch her scratching put her paw in ice water
warning wear gloves!!!
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Put Aluminum foil on the stand. The cats don’t like the feel of the foil on their nails. Kind of like nails on a chalk board.
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she wants the fish!
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Squirting or punishment of any sort will only, at best, teach her to do it when you are not around. You need to convince her that it is just some place that she does not want to be.
One of the best deterrents I’ve found for training a cat to not do something is masking tape. The blue or purple painters masking tape is best because it comes off very easily. The standard white masking tape tends to pull out fur that is not already shedding.
Place one inch squares of the tape, sticky side up, around fish tank. You will have to place enough so she cannot easily avoid stepping on them. You may only have to cover an area that prevents her from getting close enough to stand on her hinds to scratch.
When she steps on the tape, she will stop what she is doing. Cats cannot stand something sticking to their paws. She will either remove it herself, or she may need help. Most I’ve seen can remove the colored tape without help. Either way they don’t associate you with the incident. Fill any new gaps left from the incident.
Eventually, she will decide that it is a place she does not want to be. Through out this, it may help to show her the scratching post and even put her paws on it in a mock scratching motion. It may help refocus her interest.
Most people I’ve suggested this to have gotten results in a few days, a couple had more persistent cats. Usually it is used to teach them to stay off the counter, but it can be used for situations like this to. Its most likely, just her favorite place, that is, until you convince her otherwise.
Another suggestion on the scratching post may be to get one that has several different surface types, wood, carpet, twine, as she may prefer the type of material that the fish tank stand is made of. I assume it is wood.
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