Getting Your Cat To Use Their Cat Scratching Post

Cats instinctively tend to scratch on things and many owners find this out the hard way when they come home to furniture that has been torn to shreds. Of course simply going out and buying a cat scratching post will safe your furniture from the claws of your cat if you cannot get them to use it.

Cats scratch with their front claws for several reasons and this is not necessarily the behavior of a bad cat. Of course the most obvious reason why a cat scratches is to sharpen their claws but science is finding out that this is not the primary reason. Cats also scratch to leave messages to other cats as well as to leave scent behind which explains why cats that have been de-clawed will scratch despite no longer having claws.

Cats generally do not scratch everything in site up but only one or two places. This makes getting them to use a scratching post a much easier task. When most cat owners buy a scratching tree or post they tend to place it where it will fit into their home. This may not necessarily be the best place to put it if you actually want the cat to scratch the post instead of furniture. The scratching post should be placed where the cat spends the majority of their time. Next to food dishes is one likely spot or wherever their cat toys tend to end up is another. These are areas that your cat has found to their liking and wants to be.

By placing the scratching post where your cat spends their time you can encourage them to scratch this instead of furniture that you preferred stayed in one piece. Scratching posts that incorporate toys, caves, and perches also encourage use simply because they encourage the cat to spend their time at the post.