Training a kitten to use a scratching post
How to train a kitten to use a scratching post
At what age should you train a kitten to use a scratching post? How do you train a small kitten to use a scratching post? At what age do kittens start sharpening their claws? At what age should you buy a scratching post?
All cats have a well-developed instinctive urge to scratch their surroundings with their claws. And sometimes, the cat’s choice of what to scratch does not coincide with the owner’s choice. Often, these are diametrically opposed opinions. You want your pet to sharpen its claws on a special scratching post, not on the corner of your favorite soft couch.
So how do you train your kitten to use a scratching post? There is a wide variety of scratching posts available in stores. They even make houses with built-in details for claw sharpening. Here are some tips on choosing scratching posts and training your pet to use them.
Training your kitten to use a scratching post.
Offer your kitten several types of scratching posts with a variety of surface textures to determine which type it prefers. There is no need to buy many different scratching posts.
If you notice natural material posts in the store, try bringing a small log home and see if your kitten will sharpen its claws on it. Maybe it will like the material — wrap the log you brought with dense cotton fabric or rope. Don’t forget to secure the log firmly. Avoid scratching posts covered in fuzzy fabric. Your pet may find similar fabric in your home, such as carpeting.
You will also need to decide on the placement of the scratching post. Some cats prefer horizontally positioned objects or even those that lie flat on the floor. While others like to scratch something high up.
Make sure at least one scratching post offered to your kitten is above its height when standing on its hind legs, fully upright. Despite being given a choice and the house being furnished with scratching posts, your kitten may still scratch the furniture. Distract it from this action.
Don’t scold, but simply during playtime (chasing a «mouse»), lead it to the «legitimate» place for claw sharpening. You can tie one of its favorite toys to the scratching post.
DIY Scratching Post
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