How to Train a Cat to Use a Scratching Post

When you bring a kitten or cat home for the first time there is always that underlying nervous feeling that your couch will soon become the new favourite place to sharpen his claws. However, you don't have to feel this way, and you can certainly protect your beautiful couch from your cats tortuous claws. It's really quite simple as long as you have a little knowledge and patience.

The first thing you'll want to do is ensure you have a sturdy and reliable scratching post. You don't want it to fall over easily as this will defeat the purpose of being able to scratch it. If your scratching post is brand new - Great! If not, check it over to ensure there is still plenty of carpet on the post for your cat to scratch at. If it's all worn down you may want to invest in a new scratching post. Remember that it will be for your benefit as well as the cats. If your used scratching post is still in good condition clean it up as much as you can and dispose of any old cat fur on it. You will want to make it as appealing to your cat as possible.

Location, Location! Place the scratching post in a central location, so your cat will see it regularly and will not need to go searching for it. Once your cat becomes accustomed to the scratching post you can move it to a less prominent area, but you will want to wait for at least a few weeks of regular use before moving it. Also helpful is if you scatter a few cat toys nearby, this way they will associate the scratching post with playtime!

Bring your cat over to the scratching post and show it to him. Do NOT force him to scratch it, but rather demonstrate yourself what to do with it. That's right, bend down and scratch at the post so your cat will see its intended use. Don't be alarmed if your cats doesn't do anything but wander away at first. Wait for at least 15 minutes and bring him over again and demonstrate the scratching motion once again. Your cat may not pick up on this immediately, and in fact it may take a couple days or a week, but cats are generally smart creatures and they will usually pick up on the use of the scratching post relatively quickly.

However, if you have a stubborn cat well, that just means you have a bit of a challenge. If you take some catnip and sprinkle it on the base of the Scratching Post as well as some up and down the actual walls of the post itself this will attract your cat to the scratching post. Keep in mind not to sprinkle too much, just a little should do the trick. Once your cat begins coming to the Scratching Post on his own you'll have a much easier time demonstrating the process.

For those lucky enough to have two cats the process is even simpler. Once one cat picks up on the process you won't have any problem with the second. Once your other cat sees the first scratching the post they will naturally follow suit. Cats tend to learn from each other and thus are able to repeat the others motions. If you bring a kitten into a house with an older cat the kitten will see your older cat using the scratching post and will naturally follow suit. Of course, this doesn't always happen, but generally.

Remember, that each Cat is different. This means different cats will learn at different speeds. Don't give-up if your cat doesn't catch on immediately. He will, just have a little perseverance, and your cat will be using his Scratching Post like a pro.