scratching post...plz use it...

catcrazyperson

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ok Peanuts scratches on our furnature all the time. we tryed using those organic sprays, and they kinda work. well i had been thinking about getting her a scratching post but didnt want to spend the money b/c i thought she might not use it.at chritmas time i found a cheap ($15) one and said "what the heck" and got it. well i was right. she doesn't use it. and she still scratches on the furnature. i have heard that you can "show" cats how to use them, if you know what i mean, but this didn't work. she just looks at me like "your a loser" and walks away. i tryed putting catnip on it but she really doesn't like it. so any suggestions on how to get her to use it? or is this just not possible?
and while i'm at it, what is your take on those "organic sprays"? do you think they work?
sorry for the long post, just wanted your opinion!
 

lme1616

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you've got me! we got ours to use them with catnip. But Billy is obsessed with using the netted laundry bag....
 
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catcrazyperson

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Originally Posted by lme1616

you've got me! we got ours to use them with catnip. But Billy is obsessed with using the netted laundry bag....
woah really? glad she hasnt tryed that yet...

yeah i wasnt sure if this thread would actually get a lot of replies. you can lead a horse to water...well you know the rest.
 

martinigirl

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I've almost managed to curb the shredding of furniture but it took ALOT of persistance!

Everytime they were scratching the furniture I go over, pick them up, put them in front of the cat post and get on my hands and knees and show them by example. LOL - quite a sight it was ...

Also covered it in cap nip and heavily praised them when I saw them use it on their own. One of my boys now does it whenever I walk in the room, just for the praise. He stops immediately if he notices I'm not looking. LOL

I say keep at it, with cats I find it just takes alot of repetition.
 
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catcrazyperson

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Originally Posted by martinigirl

I've almost managed to curb the shredding of furniture but it took ALOT of persistance!

Everytime they were scratching the furniture I go over, pick them up, put them in front of the cat post and get on my hands and knees and show them by example. LOL - quite a sight it was ...

Also covered it in cap nip and heavily praised them when I saw them use it on their own. One of my boys now does it whenever I walk in the room, just for the praise. He stops immediately if he notices I'm not looking. LOL

I say keep at it, with cats I find it just takes alot of repetition.
yeah like i said iv tryed the cat nip thing...cat nip just doesnt seem to affect her much...
but i definately will try moving them to it and giving them LOTS of praise. anything to get them to stop using the furnature!
and yes cats like repetition. lots and lots of repetition...

thanks for the advice!
 

jen

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My cats love the cardboard scratchers that lay on the ground. You can usually get a pack of two for about $9 or so. They sell them anywhere from Walmart to PetSmart. I have even known declawed cats to "scratch" on it to leave their scent. They aren't just scratching things to sharpen their claws, they do it to stretch and to deposit their scent on things.

Anyways, my cats never scratched on small scratching posts or cat trees. But I was able to aquire a HUGE tree for free and my cats will scratch the rope parts mostly but they scratch the rest as they climb up onto it. Since they are on it they are more likely to scratch. It is THEIR furnature to climb on and scratch.

But seriously, pick up some cardboard ones. they are GREAT!
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by martinigirl

I've almost managed to curb the shredding of furniture but it took ALOT of persistance!

Everytime they were scratching the furniture I go over, pick them up, put them in front of the cat post and get on my hands and knees and show them by example. LOL - quite a sight it was ...

Also covered it in cap nip and heavily praised them when I saw them use it on their own. One of my boys now does it whenever I walk in the room, just for the praise. He stops immediately if he notices I'm not looking. LOL

I say keep at it, with cats I find it just takes alot of repetition.
I've got 10 indoor cats fully clawed and I don't clip their nails. My furniture is intact because this is exactly what we do.

But there are a couple of tricks:

You have to get a post that is tall enough for them to be able to stretch out their entire body. Cats absolutely LOVE to stretch out their bodies as they sharpen their claws. I don't know why they sell short scratch posts - most cats won't be bothered with them.

Place the post near the furniture they are clawing. A cat isn't going to walk across the house into a back bedroom when they want to sharpen their claws. I have mine strategically placed next to the sofa's.

While you are transitioning them from your furniture to the post, you may need to spend 100% of your waking time for a few days watching them and redirecting them to the scratch post. If you ever had to house-break a puppy, you know that you must watch them for every waking minute or they don't learn.

The longest time that it's taken me to retrain a cat was 3 days.
 

katachtig

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It actually is worth the investment in a good scratching post that is tall enough (like Momofmany states ) and is really sturdy. The cat shouldn't be able to topple over. A trick I found that helps is to play with a feather toy. Dangle the toy around the top of the scratching post so that the cat is making contact with the post. Reward the cat with praises as you are doing this.
 

lookingglass

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Originally Posted by Jen

My cats love the cardboard scratchers that lay on the ground. You can usually get a pack of two for about $9 or so. They sell them anywhere from Walmart to PetSmart. I have even known declawed cats to "scratch" on it to leave their scent. They aren't just scratching things to sharpen their claws, they do it to stretch and to deposit their scent on things.

Anyways, my cats never scratched on small scratching posts or cat trees. But I was able to aquire a HUGE tree for free and my cats will scratch the rope parts mostly but they scratch the rest as they climb up onto it. Since they are on it they are more likely to scratch. It is THEIR furnature to climb on and scratch.

But seriously, pick up some cardboard ones. they are GREAT!
8-Bit was going after my couch for a while, so I decided to pick one up. It was the best $10.00 I've ever spent. Also sprinkel some cat nip on it to get intrest, and your baby should take to it.
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by catcrazyperson

ok Peanuts scratches on our furnature all the time. we tryed using those organic sprays, and they kinda work. well i had been thinking about getting her a scratching post but didnt want to spend the money b/c i thought she might not use it.at chritmas time i found a cheap ($15) one and said "what the heck" and got it. well i was right. she doesn't use it. and she still scratches on the furnature.
i have heard that you can "show" cats how to use them,
if you know what i mean, but this didn't work. she just looks at me like "your a loser" and walks away. i tryed putting catnip on it but she really doesn't like it. so any suggestions on how to get her to use it? or is this just not possible?
and while i'm at it, what is your take on those "organic sprays"? do you think they work?
sorry for the long post, just wanted your opinion!
It does take time, but I was successfull at showing Persi how to use his scratching post. I got this idea from "Kittens for Dummies" so I can only assume a lot of other people have had success with this. When I say showing, I mean actually taking his little paws and going through all the motions on the post that I want him to perform and when he finally does it (even if just a bit), reward him immediately. Another thing you might want to try are those cardboard shoe box looking, corrugated cardboard scratchers that you can stick into any corner in the house. Persi actually prefers these. These were the first things that I "showed" him how to use. Don't give up, it does take time and I did start the very day I brought him home.
 
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catcrazyperson

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Originally Posted by Jen

My cats love the cardboard scratchers that lay on the ground. You can usually get a pack of two for about $9 or so. They sell them anywhere from Walmart to PetSmart. I have even known declawed cats to "scratch" on it to leave their scent. They aren't just scratching things to sharpen their claws, they do it to stretch and to deposit their scent on things.

Anyways, my cats never scratched on small scratching posts or cat trees. But I was able to aquire a HUGE tree for free and my cats will scratch the rope parts mostly but they scratch the rest as they climb up onto it. Since they are on it they are more likely to scratch. It is THEIR furnature to climb on and scratch.

But seriously, pick up some cardboard ones. they are GREAT!
hmm, i've never heard of these, but will look for some. thanks!


Originally Posted by Momofmany

I've got 10 indoor cats fully clawed and I don't clip their nails. My furniture is intact because this is exactly what we do.

But there are a couple of tricks:

You have to get a post that is tall enough for them to be able to stretch out their entire body. Cats absolutely LOVE to stretch out their bodies as they sharpen their claws. I don't know why they sell short scratch posts - most cats won't be bothered with them.

Place the post near the furniture they are clawing. A cat isn't going to walk across the house into a back bedroom when they want to sharpen their claws. I have mine strategically placed next to the sofa's.

While you are transitioning them from your furniture to the post, you may need to spend 100% of your waking time for a few days watching them and redirecting them to the scratch post. If you ever had to house-break a puppy, you know that you must watch them for every waking minute or they don't learn.

The longest time that it's taken me to retrain a cat was 3 days.
yeah the scratching post is almost long enough for her to stretch out, but not quite. i wll move it more to the chair she likes. thanks!

Originally Posted by katachtig

It actually is worth the investment in a good scratching post that is tall enough (like Momofmany states ) and is really sturdy. The cat shouldn't be able to topple over. A trick I found that helps is to play with a feather toy. Dangle the toy around the top of the scratching post so that the cat is making contact with the post. Reward the cat with praises as you are doing this.
yes i have tryed the feather toy thing. it sorta works, but then she loses interest in the scratching post even if i'm praising her.

Originally Posted by Persi

It does take time, but I was successfull at showing Persi how to use his scratching post. I got this idea from "Kittens for Dummies" so I can only assume a lot of other people have had success with this. When I say showing, I mean actually taking his little paws and going through all the motions on the post that I want him to perform and when he finally does it (even if just a bit), reward him immediately. Another thing you might want to try are those cardboard shoe box looking, corrugated cardboard scratchers that you can stick into any corner in the house. Persi actually prefers these. These were the first things that I "showed" him how to use. Don't give up, it does take time and I did start the very day I brought him home.
yeah i've tryed to show her how to use it but she "gives me the butt" and this look that says, "your a loser" and im like thanks peanuts...
but i will keep trying!
 

catsallover

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The only thing I can add is, we have a fabric couch, so instead of the double sided tape or aluminum foil, I put clear packing tape on the arm front she was scratching on- worked like a charm
! We also did the "put them on it when they are scratching in the wrong place" thing, and the "show them how to use it" and got the "Leggo of me! You're nuts!"
treatment, but it did eventually work
. We also did the "put it next to where they're scratching" thing, coupled with "taking away"-with the tape- her usual scratching place, and then slowly moved the post to where we wanted it -same room, but out of the way of the couch- now it's by the back door. Now they scratch going out or coming inside. My post is a little short, but Butterbean likes to lay down and hang from it while scratching!
.

Meggie is a horizontal scratcher, so she uses the cardboard box scratcher, or, we have a giant sisal mouse that is supposed to be hung from a door knob, but I put the rope (the end right up against the mouse
) under the leg of a heavy piece of furniture, and she has worn out her second one
. She also likes to attack it and wear it out that way!
 

tuxedokitties

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Originally Posted by catcrazyperson

thanks!!!!!!
You're welcome! That site really helped me when I was trying to figure out how to get my cats to use their posts instead of the furniture.
We ended up using soft paws for a while, too, until they learned.
 
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catcrazyperson

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Originally Posted by catsallover

The only thing I can add is, we have a fabric couch, so instead of the double sided tape or aluminum foil, I put clear packing tape on the arm front she was scratching on- worked like a charm
! We also did the "put them on it when they are scratching in the wrong place" thing, and the "show them how to use it" and got the "Leggo of me! You're nuts!"
treatment, but it did eventually work
. We also did the "put it next to where they're scratching" thing, coupled with "taking away"-with the tape- her usual scratching place, and then slowly moved the post to where we wanted it -same room, but out of the way of the couch- now it's by the back door. Now they scratch going out or coming inside. My post is a little short, but Butterbean likes to lay down and hang from it while scratching!
.

Meggie is a horizontal scratcher, so she uses the cardboard box scratcher, or, we have a giant sisal mouse that is supposed to be hung from a door knob, but I put the rope (the end right up against the mouse
) under the leg of a heavy piece of furniture, and she has worn out her second one
. She also likes to attack it and wear it out that way!
haha yeah maybe i should try various combinations like that and see what works!!
 

vik61

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Well, in addition to all the suggestions given you can stop all treats and only give treats when the post is used successfully.
 
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