Teach the Scratching Post video

Announcing a new Way of Cats video!

Teaching the Scratching Post explains why cats scratch things, how to choose a scratching post they want to use, and how to handle training in a way that meshes with their instincts.

Enjoy!

 

There's more ways to understand our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on WHY CATS DO THAT.

Don't declaw! Train, instead

Some people think it's okay to declaw a cat. They think the cat won't need to "sharpen claws" they no longer have, and then they don't have to have scratching posts, or train the cat.

But they are completely wrong. Here's some of the things cats need from scratching:

Claw sharpening. Cats don't sharpen their claws! Cats pull off the old, dull, claw covering to reveal the sharper claw growing beneath it.

Some scratching posts fail because the surface won't let the cat dig in enough to "grab" the old claw sheath, and peel it off. This isn't going to tell the cat's instincts that they are scratching "the right thing." So, they won't scratch it.

In the wild, cats use dead trees. Soft bark is the right kind of texture, and this is what they will seek out.

Exercise. Cats in nature climb trees. This means their limbs need to support their whole weight. This means their limbs need to practice these moves. This means the little scratching post that flops around when the cat touches it will be ignored, and the couch chosen instead. Because the couch doesn't move.

Any scratching post that is fastened down in some way will become a million times more attractive to our cat. Would we like to work out on an exercise machine made of rubber bands and paper clips? Neither does our cat.

Stress relief. Cats have strong instincts to keep their muscles toned. Completing the proper actions, such as using a sturdy scratching post with the right kind of surface, relieves both mental and physical tension.

If they can't do this, they can't exercise all their muscles properly! This leads to a stressed out cat who bites.

Territory signaling. Cats need their scratching post to signal that they live here. If we try to put their scratching post in some out-of-the-way place, our cat won't want to use it.

Cats need posts in rooms we both spend time in.

Energy expenditure. When I had two laidback cats, I had a Cosmic Alpine Scratcher and they each got a rag rug. When Tristan got into adolescence, we invested in six feet of cat tree and Mr WayofCats admitted we should have done it sooner.

If our cat needs the sturdy scratching, and exercise potential, of some kind of cat furniture, getting them one is much cheaper, and less exasperating, than trying to keep them away from things they aren't supposed to scratch on. If we aren't giving them the right things to scratch on, it's like us having a living room with things we aren't supposed to sit on.

Kill! Kill! My toilet paper and paper towels are safe; because I give my cats their own stuffed animals. It doesn't always work, but it's certainly worth trying. Many cats know they aren't supposed to indulge; but when the energy overflows or stress sends them over the edge, there's nothing more satisfying than tearing into some yielding substance.

Some cats need that wrestling, clawing, intense play. I got our Maine Coon kitten, RJ, a Long Body Dog Toy and it's made three kittens happy so far.

We may have taken our cat from their hunting environment, but we haven't taken the hunting instincts out of our cats.

We got our cat tree from
Kitty Store Online.

They have an extraordinary selection,
personal service, and they donate to cat causes!

Read this post for a training routine to get our cat to scratch in the right places!

Why cats need trees

Can we give our cats the outdoors... inside?

Yes! We can do it with a cat tree.

Dogs get their exercise by running around. Cats get their exercise by ambushing their prey and climbing trees.

We can get some play from our cats with prey substitutes, like wand toys and bouncing balls. But there's no substitute for trees. We need to give them a tree. Or, at least, a cat tree!

There are so many ways cat furniture works for us:

It saves our furniture.

The reason cats scratch our couches and chairs is because couches and chairs don't move. In nature, cats use trees. And guess what? Trees don't move.

Cats don't just sharpen their claws when they scratch things. They also, and equally importantly, exercise by scratching things. So they need something strong and sturdy that will let them get a stress-relieving workout.

It saves our sleep.

A tired cat is a happy cat. If we have kittens or cats who are bugging us too early in the morning, they might not be getting enough exercise.

Cats climb cat trees; and by so doing, they work out all their muscles. Like lifting weights!

This wears them out in a way they need. Just running around doesn't wear out all their muscles the way climbing does.

It saves our sanity.

When we have a cat tree, we can give our cat what they miss about the outdoors. Only it's inside, where it's safe.

Then we don't have to worry about them getting run over or attacked by a dog.

With a cat tree as an exercise, playing, and scratching focus, we have a happy, contented cat who has no reason to misbehave. Then everyone is happy.

Find out more about what cat furniture can do for both us, and our cats.

The Truth About Declawing

-Image from The Paw Project, which has a wealth of information about the issue.


Declawing is not a difference of opinion. It's simply wrong.

This is the usual way it goes. The vet suggests declawing during the spaying or neutering, claiming the cat doesn't mind. Or the cat claws furniture and the person doesn't know how, or can't be bothered, to train the cat. The claws are a potential problem, so we eliminate the claws.

The problems are just beginning.

This isn't just removing the claws. This is removing the first joint of the toes. Which happens to be what the cat walks on.

This is how cats can move so quickly and silently. Their mode of walking is known as digitigrade; walking on their digits. Walking on what is partially removed from the operation. It's difficult enough if all goes well. Nature has of way of trying to repair what has been damaged, since it is so important to the cat's survival. There's a one in three chance the cat will require further operations because of complications and poor healing.

Now the cat cannot walk normally. This throws off their exquisite balance and creates stresses throughout their whole body. This stress gets multiplied by mental stresses. Even if the cat never used their claws defensively, they knew they could. Now they know they cannot. There is a usual reaction to this.

The cat becomes a biter.

Now the person, who was either unprepared or unwilling to simply train the cat in proper scratching behavior, has a cat who doesn't scratch. Instead, they have a cat who bites and is defensive and will show more bad behavior because that is a cat's usual response to stress. People have told me, unaware of the irony of their words, that the cat was fine afterwards... except they needed to get a different litter, because the cat's paws were so sensitive to normal litter they wouldn't use the litter box anymore. That the cat acts the same... except they are more withdrawn, and don't play as much, and don't seem to come around for affection as much. But they tell me the cat didn't mind it.

Until I don't hear much about the cat at all anymore. This is the best case scenario; one in which the cat fades from their notice, a pained little shadow that lurks around the house. The rest of the time, the cat becomes more and more of a problem. If it's lucky, it winds up in the shelter. Often, they are simply dumped, with even less chance than a functioning cat of surviving out there.

Declawed cats are abandoned out of all proportion to their numbers in the population. Their new behavior problems are how they wind up in the shelter or on the street. Have you ever considered how that happens? How a cat, who has been crippled to prevent problems, winds up being such a problem their people don't want them anymore?

Wasn't the declawing operation supposed to prevent that?

Go ahead, check out Petfinder. See the symbol that shows the cat which now needs a home has been declawed? It's a purplish paw. See how often the symbols for No Other Cats, No Children, No Dogs, and other warnings show up with that damning paw symbol? I have.

This is a neurotic, crippled, damaged cat. Which nobody wants.

And somebody paid money to do that on purpose.

It's far better to find alternatives to declawing.

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