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INTRODUCE
A SCRATCHING POST
Make sure your cat has a scratching post in the house that
he is willing to use. Cats have an aversion to citrus odors.
Try using a lemon or orange scented spray on those spots
you don't want the cat to scratch. A word about punishment:
Don't do it! Cats don't understand physical punishment.
It simply doesn't work and is likely to make the situation
worse.
Buy
or make a scratching post that's tall enough so the cat
can stretch completely when scratching, and stable enough
so it won't wobble when being used. It should be covered
with a heavy, rough fiber like the backside of carpeting.
Place the post in an accessible area. If you're trying to
discourage the cat from scratching a particular piece of
furniture, try placing the post in front of the cat, gradually
moving the post aside as the cat begins to use it regularly.
Train with a dual approach: discourage the cat from clawing
the wrong things, encourage the cat to claw the right things.
If the cat begins to scratch the furniture, call it by name,
firmly telling it "NO," and move it to the scratching post.
Put its front legs up on the post and make scratching motions
with them. Or keep a squirt gun filled with plain water
handy and squirt the cat on the back when it claws the furniture
be sure not to squirt your pet in the face. Each time you
bring it to the post or it goes on its own, praise your
cat, pet it, and spend a minute playing at the post. Try
rubbing the post with catnip; make it a fun place to be.
At the same time, the favorite furniture scratching area
can be made less attractive by attaching tape that is sticky
on both sides.
KEEP
THE CAT'S NAILS TRIMMED
Cutting the nails regularly may help keep a cat from scratching
the furniture, or at least reduce the damage done by its
scratching. Get your kitten used to having its nails clipped
while it is young. With an older cat, it may help to begin
by handling the cat's feet under pleasurable circumstances.
Then begin to introduce the clipping procedure by approaching
the cat while its relaxed or even napping and clip only
one nail per session. Praise your cat while you clip the
nail and reward it with a treat. The only equipment necessary
is a good pair of nail clippers. Never use scissors, since
they can tear the nail. Hold the clippers perpendicular
to the nail you will be trimming and slide the blade onto
the nail. Before cutting, look for the pink quick that runs
down the center of the nail. The clipper blade should be
placed about an eight of an inch forward of the quick, and
the nail clipped with one smooth squeezing action of the
clippers. Be extremely careful not to cut into the quick.
If this happens, the cat will experience pain, and bleeding
is likely. The bleeding may stop without assistance, or
you may need to hold a soft cloth on the nail or apply a
little styptic powder. If you trim a small amount of nail
on a regular basis, the quick will actually tend to recede.
There
is a great debate about declawing, to which KittyKind, Inc.
has only one view: DON'T DO IT. While it is true that both
fully clawed and declawed cats can experience behavior problems,
many otherwise healthy cats that have had their claws removed
develop problems following the procedure. Very often these
do not manifest until there is a stressor (like a move,
or a new person in the household) to trigger the reaction.
Since cats mark territory with their claws and spread scent,
the loss of claws is sometimes believed to be responsible
for the appearance of nervous biting, increased aggression,
spraying, and lapses in litter box training.
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