How to Get Your Cat to Use a Scratching Post

Choosing The Best Cat Scratching Post

You should provide your cat with several different scratching options to see which he likes best. Good surfaces to start with include cardboard, sisal rope, wood, and upholstery or carpet, and you should present them in a variety of formats. As mentioned earlier, most cats prefer vertical posts but others prefer horizontal posts and still, others favor slanted posts.

Provide as many scratching posts around your home as you can. If you can only have one or two, the best places to strategically locate these would be in areas where your cat spends most of his time and wherever he is currently scratching inappropriately (if that’s the case). Once you have determined what your cat’s favorite scratching post is, provide more of these posts in various locations.

 How to Get Your Cat to Use a Scratching Post

You don’t need to show a cat how to use a scratching post — they already know! Furthermore, holding your cat up to the scratching post and forcing her to drag her claws on it may actually frighten your kitty and teach her to avoid the scratching post completely.

You should, however, reward your cat for proper scratching etiquette with praise and a yummy treat to reinforce the good behavior. You can also encourage your cat scratcher to investigate the posts by scenting them with catnip or hanging toys at the tops of the posts. Take care to place posts in areas where the cat will be inclined to climb on them.

Finally, don’t throw away your cat’s favorite scratching post when it becomes unsightly. That’s when they’ve broken it in! Many cats prefer shredded and torn objects because they can really sink their claws into them and they’ve marked it as their own with the scent glands in their paws.