CAT 1, SOFA 0

A Scratching Post Will Save Your Furniture As Well Your Sanity – But Only If You Can Get The Cat to Use It.

By David Litwak

Is there anything more maddening then finding the arm of your favorite chair or new drapes torn to shreds? Nothing can put an abrupt halt to the love affair between cat and owner faster than a playful little scratch on the home furnishings. Whether done for exercise, fun or spite scratching can be an annoying and destructive hobby for a house cat.

When it scratches the cat is not showing its displeasure for the furniture or for you, it is just doing what comes naturally. The two or three thousand years of domestication can’t squelch a million years of instinctual scratching behavior. Scratching is just in them and sooner or later it has to come out. The question is where will those claws be when that scratching instinct comes out? If the cat owner is lucky and clever enough those claws will be on a nice, sturdy scratching post and not on the juicy arm of a new leather sofa.

Choosing a Post

Cat’s Considerations:

Texture: Since cats scratch for a number of reasons including for exercise and to sharpen their claws and because it feels good, the texture of the scratching post has to lend itself to these functions. Cats prefer rough surfaces to scratch on despite using soft upholstered furniture much of the time. Soft surfaces are not satisfying in terms of offering resistance to the claws and muscles and do not help sharpen claws. Cats likely pick the upholstery not for its texture but because it is a central place for the family to gather, so the cat scratches on it to help mark territory where the family hangs out.

So, look for a post with a rough texture, something the cats can get its claws into. Many commercial posts are made from sisal textiles, these seem to attract cats and give them all the properties they need for a good scratch.

Dimensions: Scratching posts come in all different shapes and sizes but generally a cat will prefer to scratch with a vertical motion. This means that a post that the cat can stretch up against will be preferred to one that is lying on the floor and he has to climb on top of. In order for the cat to get the best scratch in terms of claw sharpening and muscle stretching exercise, the cat must be able to extend its whole body, including both its front and rear legs against the post. Therefore, the post needs to be tall enough to accommodate this elongation of the cat’s body. Generally, a post between 24- to 30-inches should do the trick. If your cat is very long you may need a taller post. You can always measure the cat before going to the store.

Sturdiness: No matter what the post looks like or how tall it is a cat will not use it if he doesn’t feel secure on it. If the cat stretches up against the post and sinks its claws in and leans its weight against the post and that post starts to shake or topples, the cat will probably never go near it again. Think of it this way: the cat is ideally looking for a tree trunk to scratch on, so he is looking for something that is solid and will support him. Make sure that the post you are buying is solid and sturdy and will not sway when he leans on it. In the stores there are too many scratching posts that are tall and thin with a small square base, these won’t hold a cat unless it is tiny. Go for something with a wider base and is more solid.

Owner’s Considerations:

Now that we’ve talked about what your cat is looking for let’s just mention what is important from your point of view.

Function: You want to buy a post that will provide your cat with a good scratch and one that he will use. That’s the primary consideration. A fairly simple scratching post will do a good job. Many owners gravitate to fancy, expensive cat condos with tunnels and perches. These are fine for scratching if they have all the properties mentioned above and also provide a place for the cat to play and sleep. So, they go beyond the scratching function. They are great but more than what is needed from a strictly scratching post point of view.

Aesthetics: Whether you are getting a simple scratching post o a fancy cat condo remember that you also have to live with it. It will become a part of your décor.

Please use it

Since you can’t stop a cat from scratching you have to persuade them to scratch on something that is more acceptable than the furniture. I use the word persuade because it is next to impossible to get most cats to do anything that they don’t want to do. The good news is if they think that something is fun and their idea they’ll literally train themselves. For example, it takes most cats almost no coaxing to learn to use a litter box, just show them where it is and they know what to do. The same theory goes for scratching posts – although it is a little more complicated than litter box “training”.

The easy part was picking out the post, the harder part is getting the cat to use it. It is important to remember that you are not punishing the cat for scratching on the furniture but now encouraging it to use the scratching post instead. Before engaging in this potential battle of wills there are some points to remember that can make the task much easier on both of you.

Placement: The first consideration is where to place the scratching post. Many cat owners' response is to place the post in a corner or in a remote location of the house where it won’t be seen. Unfortunately, in most cases if it won’t be seen it also won’t be used. This is not like the litter box, which even the cat wants to keep hidden away. A cat wants to scratch in a convenient location, it also wants to mark territory through scratching near where the family gathers. So, the post needs to be near where the cat is used to scratching. It may be a good idea to use more than one scratching posts in different rooms that the cat frequents, or to keep one near where it likes to sleep, since cats do enjoy a good scratch first thing in the morning.

Introduction: Just don’t put the post down and walk away expecting it to be love a first sight between the post and your cat. Many cats have to be introduced to the post gradually and get used to it. You can place the post in front of the sofa arm tabby used to scratch or near its favorite hangout.

In order to get the cat over to the post you can rub some catnip on it, or try hanging a rope or toys from the top of it so that the cat interacts with the post and considers it a fun object. Some behaviorists suggest rewarding the cat with its favorite treat when he initially approaches the post.

A word of caution: resist the urge to grab the cat’s front legs and place its paws on the post in order to “show him how to use it.” No lesson in scratching is necessary, your cat can figure out how to scratch all on his own – if he can’t than you have bigger problems. This method of teaching the cat how to use the post almost always results in the cat rejecting the post. Remember its best to have the cat believe that the whole thing was his idea in the first place.

If you insist on providing the cat with a demonstration on the use of the post, I’ve known some owners who have had success in modeling the desired behavior themselves. They actually crawl up to the post while the cat is watching, play with the toys hanging there and pretend to scratch. You can give it a try, at the very least your cat will have a good laugh.

Make sure that everything associated with the post, its use and the area immediately adjacent to the post are pleasant for your cat, so that it will want to keep coming back to the post. It may take a little time but if the cat has pleasurable experiences around the post he will soon be scratching away on it.

Here’s one more thing to remember. After the cat has been using the post for a while and it is torn and looking a little ragged, don’t throw it away. The cat has just gotten it broken in. This is the time that the cat likes its scratching post best, unfortunately for you it is also the time where the equation between function versus aesthetics becomes harder to balance.

If you are thinking about adopting a cat have the post set up before the cat or kitten comes home. It will be easier to introduce the post while everything is new. The cat will think it’s an essential part of its new environment and begin to use it. It is also easier if you can start the cat off on using a post while it is still young. So, if you have a young kitten introduce the scratching post even if begins to exhibit scratching behavior. Nipping unwanted behavior in the bud is a lot easier than trying to correct it later.

Save or Print this article PDF or MS Word

Home Page