Is your couch, carpet or draperies in shreds? Does your cat enjoy ripping off wallpaper? Does it seem like your cat prefers your most expensive chair instead of his perfectly good scratching post? Scratching is a normal behavior for cats. The key is helping your cat use an acceptable surface instead of your favorite rug or piece of furniture.


Here are some tips:

1. Observe what type of surface your cat seems to like (i.e. rough texture, smooth texture) and try to duplicate this texture on an appropriate surface.
2. Place several of these scratching surfaces around the house so he always has an appropriate scratching surface close by.
3. Some cats enjoy an audience. If that is the case, place the scratching surface in the family room and use a light beam toy on the surface. Praise and talk to your cat while he is playing on the surface and trying to catch the light beam.

 

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