Making sure that your cat's claws are trimmed regularly is essential, especially if your favourite feline is shredding your couch with her claws and damaging other household furniture. Extracting her claws is never a good idea and is also cruel, but regular kitty pedicures are essential and should not be ignored.
Did you know that your feline's claws are covered by an old outer nail layer or sheath that needs to be removed regularly? That's why your pussycat needs to scratch and if not allowed to do so regularly then she could develop cuticle problems and start gnawing her paws.
So now we know that your favourite furry pal needs to scratch to stay healthy but where is the best place for her to do what comes naturally? The logical answer is a scratching post of course! And scratching regularly provides other benefits to her health like stretching her back muscles and her leg muscles. So don't hesitate to get that scratch post as soon as possible.
Trying to train your pussycat not to damage your lounge furniture is an impossible task so here is the seven step plan that you should implement as soon as possible:
1. Cover her favourite scratching spot on your couch with a piece of paper, attaching it to the couch as you see fit. This might look messy but is just a temporary measure.
2. Position the new scratch post near the couch and entice her use it by making scratching noises on it with your fingers. Gentle persuasion is the answer, not force or aggression towards your furry friend.
3. Initiate the process of moving the new post slowly away from the couch, a little further each day, until you have it positioned in the perfect spot. This would be in a room that is practical for you but still close enough to the human contact that kitty craves.
4. It's time to remove the paper covering the scratching area on your couch because now your cat prefers her new toy which she can use to sharpen her claws all day long.
5. Give serious consideration to getting more than one scratching post in your house. It's a great idea to have numerous posts in your house of all shapes and sizes.
6. Consider making your own scratching posts to reduce costs. No need to get them perfect as long as they function well and using sisal rope to do the job is a great idea. Just wrap it around a piece of wood of any size or even just wrap it around a table leg.
7. Making a horizontal scratching surface for your cat is also an important fact to remember because many kittens like to scratch on horizontal surfaces. Using a strong underlying material for this is ideal or even a hefty piece of rug or carpet that is different to the carpeting in the rest of your house.
Lee Sharpe is a cat enthusiast and freelance author on pet matters and pet treatments like Frontline for Dogs.
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