Claws and Effect
Some Suggestions For Saving Your Couch From Your Cats

Declaw only as a last resort! Declawing is a painful operation. Declawed cats, unable to defend themselves with their front claws, may become biters. And they may develop an aversion to their litter boxes. Instead of declawing, ask your vet about Soft Paws, plastic caps that cover the cats' nails.

Why Do Cats Scratch?
- To groom their claws.
- To mark their territory visually and with the scent in their paw pads.
- To stretch.
- Scratching is natural for a cat. To protect the furniture, just offer an alternative.

Scratching Post Basics
- Provide a variety of surfaces - sisal, burlap or carpeting, corrugated cardboard, carpet remnants, wood or logs, and door mats.
- Make sure scratching posts are stable and are tall enough for the cat to have a good stretch. The cat should be able to stretch up to full length and arch her back.
- Entice the cat to the post by sprinkling catnip on the base and hanging a toy at the top.
- Demonstrate by "scratching" the post yourself.
- Provide large, stable cat furniture. It provides opportunities for scratching, climbing and napping all in one place!
- Some cats are vertical scratchers. They like the corrugated cardboard pads, a log or a doormat.
- Observe what and how the cat scratches and provide similar but acceptable surfaces.
- Keep the cat's nails trimmed. Ask your vet to show you how.

Behavior Modification
- Put a scratching post against the furniture the cat is scratching. Lure her to the post by sprinkling cat nip on the base and by playing with her near the post. As she gets into the habit of using the post, you can gradually move it to another location.
- Cover the furniture she's scratching with vinyl carpet runner, shelf paper (put the sticky side against the furniture), double-stick tape or aluminum foil.
- Rub the furniture with a scent cats dislike, like citrus.

Squirt guns and plant sprayers are great for teaching the cat to be afraid of you and to not scratch while you're watching. Positive reinforcement works better with cats than punishment.

Scratching For Health - And Fun
Scratching is natural for cats. It grooms their claws, let's them mark their territory both visually and with their scent, and helps them get a good stretch and exercise the muscles in their backs.
Keep in mind that some cats are horizontal scratchers, and some like to scratch vertically. So provide a variety of surfaces and configurations to satisfy your cat's every mood and need.
Here are some of our favorite scratchers, guaranteed (almost) to keep your cats from clawing your couch.
- Large, stable scratching posts. The posts should be tall enough to give your cats a good stretch and stable enough to not tip over when the cats are using them.
- The Alpine Scratcher. Available at PetCo, the Alpine Scratcher has a wide cardboard scratching surface and a gentle incline to give cats a good stretch.
- TurboScratcher, available at pet supply stores or at www.turboscratcher.com. Your cats will love chasing the ball around the "turbo track." While they're at it, they'll scratch the cardboard surface in the middle.
- A pile of logs.
- Doormats.
- Cardboard scratching pads. Make sure the pad's wide enough for a large cat.
- Cat furniture, including floor-to-ceiling cat trees with perches large enough for an adult cat. For the best ones, shop online by following the links from www.petsitters.com/pamperedpets/Links.htm

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This was written with love for cats by Missy Zane of the Howard County Cat Club, and reprinted & edited with permission. This may not be duplicated with out written permission.