CAT SCRATCHING Part 2 Solutions to avoid destructive cat scratching.

As it is part of a cat's natural instinct to scratch, it is unlikely that this will ever change. However, you do have control of what your cat does scratch and the impact that the scratching will have on you and your property, including your favorite leather recliner or your new curtains that your feline friend has been eying.

The key to avoiding destructive scratching is to provide your cat with an alternate object to focus their scratching on. Scratching posts and cat towers are popular objects to use www.catsplay.com/scratch_poles.php3 . It is recommend that the new object be placed in close proximity to the old object that you are trying to stop your kitty from scratching. It is important that the old object be made as unappealing for your cat to scratch as possible. You may consider placing double sided tape, aluminum foil or sand paper in the are where your cat likes to scratch. When you see your cat getting ready to scratch the old object, move him next to the new object, such as the scratch post and direct your cat to scratch it. In order to extinguish the old behavior, the intervention must be done on a consistent basis. In the initial stages of teaching the new behavior, you can give your cat a treat after each time he successfully scratches the new object. This is a guaranteed way to accelerate the learning curve. Do not remove the double sided tape from the old object until your cat has mastered scratching the new object on a consistent basis.

Trimming your cat's claws is helpful for curbing scratching in unwanted places. When a cat's claws are short and trim all the time, it minimizes the amount of damage that your cat could cause to you or your furniture. Also, it is just not as pleasurable for the cat. Finally, your cat's claws are less likely to get snagged on the carpet, on your wool sweater or in your skin if they are short.

An innovative product available today is Soft Paws www.softpaws.com/about.html. It is a set of vinyl nail clips that are glued on your cat's existing nails. It does not in any way hamper your cat from scratching. However, it does avoid any damage from the scratching as the nails are protected and covered by Soft Paws.

If this is a problem that your cat has, please try the above interventions. We would be interested in how this works for you, and invite you to email us at californiapaws@yahoo.com. Should you require cat sitting or in-home boarding in San Francisco please visit www.californiapaws.biz for more information.