elliot is a cute, but bad kitty.
elliot has no proper scratching post. he scratches with abandon on the corner of the couch, which has succumbed to his merciless abuse and started disintegrating into 40-year old foam bits and unravelling strings that get strewn all over the house. since he's one of the smartest kitties i know, he realised that it's just not working anymore and has started taking advantage of all the exposed window screens by grabbing ahold and stretching that way. i know it works better because each claw has an individual hole to latch onto, thus making the stretch more enjoyable given that there is no threat of becoming detached. therefore, there are several newish, bigger-than-normal-screen holes in one of our windows. how do you train a year-old cat to start using a scratching post?
posted by .francesca at 7:14 PM
4 Comments:
I think it involves that catnip spray stuff and nail clippers.
m.
Get the post and then pick up his front paws and drag them down the post until the "oh! I scratch here!" lightbulb goes off over his head. Show him where he's supposed to scratch, then spray him with a water gun or spray bottle when he scratches couches and curtains and stuff. When the water hits he'll be all "oh, hell to the no!" and should eventually stop the badness.
Make sure you give Elliot a scratching post that is tall and sturdy enough (with a decent base). Many people make the mistake of buying those short posts that don't allow a cat to properly and fully stretch out. Also, if it seems unsturdy, the cat will generally steer clear of it.
Rubbing catnip on the post definitely helps if your cat is into that sort of thing.
See...what I would do is just find an old window screen....
ha.
...but i guess that doesn't really make that much sense.
I just let scout scratch at the furniture that we found on the curb. you guys have a lot of room in willow street - why don't you just get him a couch or chair off the sidewalk to scratch.
Actually, my dad (who hates all cats but at Christmas I caught him snuggling with Scout) made Scout a scratching post. Maybe...I could get him to make him another one...although it's starting to fall apart....
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