Ten Principles to Prepare Cat Scratchers

Cat parents know that cats like scratching things in a fixed. They scratch in a fixed place to mark their territory with sent, showing other cats, “hey, this is my domain.” Besides, cats scratch not only to sharpen its claws, but also to remove the dull, dead outer surface of their nails to make way for new, healthy nails to grow.

Although cats are domesticated and already live in human homes now, they still choose at least one place in the house to scratch as they have such a certain instinct. Once your cat starts to scratch on your furniture, he/she often scratch on the same place.

One simple way to prevent cats from scratching your furniture and house is to --

provide them with cat scratchers - scratching posts or pads.

If you want your cat to use a scratching post, you can choose the scratching posts that made of cardboard , which are getting more and more popular. It’s better to place it on the ground so that your cat can easily reach it.

For kittens, you should prepare scratching post for them from an early age. Place it in the area where the kittens sleep or rest. Or you can fix it on the wall, which is not easy to fall when your cats are scratching on it.

For places that have been scratched already, you can wrap it with heavy, thick plastic. Most cats don’t like the smell of plastic. Then put a scratching post in front of the place where you don’t want your cat to scratch on.

And to be a good parent of a fabulous feline, remember the following principles:

1. Put the post in a place where your cats frequently hang out. Keep it close to sleeping and resting areas.Putting it out of the way means they might not see it.
2. You’d better better prepare more than one scratching post for your cat, as you will need to place one beside where your cat sleeps.
3. For most cats, the size of an appropriate scratching post would be 0.5 - 1 feet at width, and 1 - 1.5 feet at length - it depends on your cat. Large cats need taller and wider posts.
4. Place the scratching posts on the ground, or fixed vertically on the wall. If a scratching post is easy to fall down, fix it on the wall will be better.
5. A vertical scratching post should be about 1 feet from the ground. And don’t forget to change the size of the scratching posts as your cat grows. This is to allow your cat to stand and scratch easily.
6. Make sure your cat likes the material of the scratching posts.
7. Based on a survey, cats seem to like rope scratching posts best. Give your cat a scratching post to use, preferably covered with carpet.
8. When your cat start to scratch on scratching posts, don’t move the scratching post to another place until your cat scratches on it frequently.
9. Cats enjoy both a simple, single post and more elaborate cat trees. For cats prefer horizontal surfaces to scratch, place a carpeted cat tree where your cat tends to hang out. This will allow her to scratch it and climb to a higher area
10. Protect your furniture by covering them with thick plastic, cats don’t like the smell. And don’t remove it from your furniture until your cat completely get used to the scratching posts you prepared.

Last but not lease, if you find your cat’s scratching post is already tattered or torn, don’t immediately throw it away. There are scent and marks on it! That’s what your cat exactly loves!