Keith And Amanda For Healthy Cats

How To Save Your Furniture With the Purrfect Cat Post

Many cat owners despair at their new carpet or best piece of furniture being torn to shreds by their pet cat. Some cats target a specific piece of furniture and repeatedly scratch it to pieces. They are not deliberately doing this to annoy you, but cats are born to scratch.

Cats scratch to mark their territory. It tells other cats that this is their property. The scratching leaves territorial marks and scents from your cats paws. For them to mark their territory properly, it must be done in the open and visible.

Scratching also provides a means of sharpening their claws. This is really the process of removing the grown-out sheath that covers them. It also offers a kind of stretching exercise, that helps build strong muscles, tendons and joints. A cat who scratches furniture therefore, needs a scratching post.

As scratching is natural behaviour for all cats both wild and domestic, providing your cat with a cat scratching post, will help to distract them away from the furniture. Scratching posts made from materials such as sisal rope or a carpeted cat post will satisfy a cat’s natural instinct, while keeping them away from your expensive three piece suite.

Because of this natural behaviour, punishing your cat for inappropriate scratching is not advised, nor is declawing them. A cat scratching post will provide your cat with a happy and healthy environment. Not only will a scratching post direct your cats attention away from the furniture, but it will give your cat something to play with and depending on the design, possibly sleep on too.

Tall Cat Scratching Posts

Cats like to scratch items that are tall, where they can extend their bodies, legs and paws. They also like something stable. So when choosing your cat scratching post, make sure it is big enough and durable enough to withstand your cats size and attentions. Remember cats like to shred, so sisal and carpeted posts work well.

Place your cat scratching post where the cat most wants to use it. You may find you need more than one scratching post if your cat has several favorite spots. Be patient with your cat, your cat will decide when it wants to scratch. If you want to entice your cat to use it’s post, spraying the post with catnip will usually attract your cat.

It is always best to start your cat off with a cat scratching post when it is young. Scratching begins about the same time your cat is weaned. Older cats may take longer to be trained.

There are many different sizes, designs and prices of cat scratching posts. So try to find the one that suits both you and your cat the best. There are now some very sophisticated posts that include toys and accessories, soft, plush bedding and elevated sitting platforms. They range from tall vertical towers to horizontal cat scratching posts for cats who prefer to scratch carpets. On the other hand you could make your own out of a pole and left over carpet, a very cheap alternative.

Whichever type of cat scratching post you choose, both you and your cat not to mention your furniture, will benefit from this addition to your home.