CLAWING AND SCRATCHING

Scratching is a normal cat behaviour, and serves the purpose of helping to shed their nails. It is therefore unreasonable to try to stop them from clawing.

Because of this, what we need to do to stop cats destroying our furniture is to provide an alternative area to scratch. A scratching post is ideal - it should be placed in an area that is commonly frequented by the cat, and should be made as attractive to the cat as possible. This can be done by adding hanging balls, bells etc to make it a "play centre".

If you catch your cat clawing, direct punishment often just leads to the cat clawing when you are not around. Use something like a water spray, where the cat doesn't link you to the punishment. Alternatively pick the cat up without word or affection and place him/her on the scratching post. Then talk to the cat and pat him/her. By doing this we are encouraging only good behaviour.

If the problem is beyond these measures, it may be necessary to "cat proof" certain areas, especially if it is certain areas or certain pieces of furniture that are being affected. Hopefully by removing these things from access, we can stop the routine of this behaviour.

There is an information sheet available from our hospital with further details to help you stop your cat clawing the furniture. This is available for free on request.

Don't let inappropriate behaviour distance your relationship with your pet. If you are unsure about your pet's behaviour, please contact us.

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