3 Ways To Stop Your Cat From Scratching Up Your Home

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Scratching is a natural instinct for a cat. Cats start scratching when they are only a few months old. Cat scratching, although a natural instinct for cats, can be damaging to your home. Luckily, there are steps you can take to stop and control how and where your cat scratches.

#1 Keep Your Cat's Claws Trimmed

The first thing you need to do to limit the damage from your cat's scratching is to keep their claws trimmed. You are going to want to trim your cat's claws every few weeks in order to keep them nice and short.

It is best to take your cat to a professional groomer to trim your cat's claws so you can learn how to properly trim your cat's claws. When you trim your cat's claws, you have to carefully hold their paw in order to access your cat's claws. You also need to make sure that you don't cut too close to the quick, where their blood vessels and nerve endings are located.

Make sure that you trim both your cat's front and rear claws. It is best to start with trimming your cat's front claws and then move onto your cat's rear claws.

#2 Give Your Cat An Appropriate Place to Scratch

Next, make sure that you give your cat an appropriate place to scratch. You can purchase a variety of scratching posts and boards for your cat from your local pet store. These scratching posts and boards come in a variety of different materials, from wood to carpet to sisal. It is a good idea to provide your cat with scratching posts and boards in a few different materials. This will help satisfy your cat's desire to scratch.

You need to train your cat to use the scratching boards and posts instead of your furniture. Placing catnip on the toys is a great way to attract your cats to the boards. Redirect them to designated scratching posts from a young age to train them where to scratch.

#3 Attach Special Tape to Your Furniture

To keep your cat from scratching your furniture, attach special tape to the furniture. The tape is sticky, which your cat will not like. This special tape is great for training your cat where they should scratch.

The best way to stop your cat from scratching is to train your cat from a young age to use scratching boards and posts in your home instead of your furniture to scratch. You should also carefully trim your cat's claws, starting when they are a kitten, to keep their claws short. Their claws will be less damaging when they are short. As a last resort, talk to your vet about the declawing process.

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28 November 2018

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