Cats scratch things naturally to remove cuticles, clean the exterior of their nails, and sharpen their claws. But for many cat owners, this often means scratches all over the furniture and even up the walls. While there’s nothing that you can do to keep your cat from scratching, the good news is that your furniture doesn’t have to be their go-to.
There’s plenty that you can do to prevent your cat from sharpening her claws on your bed or couch and direct her to something more cat-friendly instead. Visit Best Cat Info to learn more.
Invest in Cat Furniture
Cat furniture like cat trees and scratching posts are often made from very scratch-friendly materials like sisal that cats will naturally be drawn to when they need to give themselves a kitty manicure. Having plenty of these items around your home gives you somewhere to redirect your cat to if you see him digging his claws into your expensive couch. Check out these best cat scratching post opportunities to find the right option for your home and your cat; there are plenty of fantastic cat trees that will look good with your interior design and many come with cat beds and hanging toys to give your cat somewhere to play and rest.
Scratching Pads
Scratching pads are usually made from cardboard and they tend to be quite inexpensive. Getting a few of these around the house is a good idea if your cat has taken a liking to sharpening her claws on your carpet. You can place cat scratching pads on almost any flat surface and having several of them in different rooms around the home means that your cat is catered to any time he has the urge to scratch something. Cats leave their scent on the items that they scratch so your cat will always know that the scratching pad is his territory.
Deterrents
Some cats are just stubborn and if yours has decided that she prefers your expensive bed to her cat scratching post then you might have to get creative with some deterrents to help her understand that the furniture is out of bounds when it comes to scratching. Covering your cat’s favorite scratching areas with double-sided tape will make the surface really annoying and leave your cat quickly searching for somewhere more suitable to scratch. You can also get citrus sprays, which cats really hate the smell of.
Claw Care
Declawing your cat is a dangerous procedure and is illegal in most US cities since it’s considered cruel – it’s the cat equivalent of cutting off the tips of your fingers. Thankfully, all you need to do is keep your cat’s claws in good condition. You can safely trim your cat’s claws if he does not go outside and this will help to minimize any damage to your home. You can also get claw covers for your cat to wear that are comfortable and still allow your cat to satisfy their natural urge to scratch without causing any damage.
Scratching things is just something that every cat owner needs to put up with, but the good news is that you can encourage your cat to leave your things alone and go and scratch something more suitable.