So you went to the shelter (hopefully) and you found your perfect kitty. She was so sweet at the shelter, and so grateful when you got her home, but now - your wonderful kitty has claws and uses them!
Your skin is badly damaged and your beautiful new couch looks 100 yrs old thanks to that little puff ball you picked up at the shelter. Before you regret adopting your new cat and go to extremes and declaw your cat so you can live peacefully, consider these ideas first:
When you declaw your cat you are preforming an amputation that is not merely a kitty manicure. You are doing what would be compared to removing your finger tips from the first knuckle, and living your life with your hands mutilated as such. A cats declawing experience is no less traumatic.
With that said (you can do a search on declawing and it's effects for more on this subject), this article is about humane solutions so you can avoid declawing your cat.
Cats scratch not to sharpen their claws, they scratch to mark out territory and also because it feels really good to them.
When you are working with your cat, and showing them the boundaries of your house (the couch is not a scratching post), keep this mantra in mind "Direction over discipline; direction over discipline."
Training your cat where to scratch is not rocket science - you just need to buy some things for kitty and provide some time and direction for your cat. Honestly, it's that simple.
When I brought my kitty home from the shelter, I was prepared. I covered my couches with blankets (a temporary fix to shield from kitties claws), had lots of kitty toys, and purchased three scratch boxes (shown in photo).
NOW THIS IS KEY: You can see my kitty enjoying her scratch box; this is the Alpine Scratcher, and my kitty prefers to scratch this over the couch. In this way I have provided her with direction as to where a good place to scratch is.
So, in-a-nut-shell of kitty training; find things that your cat will naturally prefer to scratch over your couch - that is key - and provide these things for her.
Another tool I use is a spay bottle set on mist. This is used as a tool to annoy kitty (not discipline), when she scratches where she is not suppose too. By providing pleasurable (remember scratching feels so good for kitty) places through out my house and using the annoying spray bottle to discourage kitty away from my couch and chairs, I am setting up a natural training environment for kitty to live in harmony.
Make sure you play with your cat as this will help with boredom. Another trick is to hang cool carpets on your wall (seriously), rub catnip on the carpets, and let kitty at them. You can also keep your cats claws trimmed. Any groomer can do it or you can learn to do it yourself.
There are literally hundreds of products and things you can make to distract your cat from your couch - a piece of wood, a carpeted cat jungle (Petco or homemade), even stuffed animals hanging from a doorknob! Use your imagination and see what works for your cat.
In summary, use direction over discipline and your cat will have her favorite places, while you still have yours in one piece!
Your skin is badly damaged and your beautiful new couch looks 100 yrs old thanks to that little puff ball you picked up at the shelter. Before you regret adopting your new cat and go to extremes and declaw your cat so you can live peacefully, consider these ideas first:
When you declaw your cat you are preforming an amputation that is not merely a kitty manicure. You are doing what would be compared to removing your finger tips from the first knuckle, and living your life with your hands mutilated as such. A cats declawing experience is no less traumatic.
With that said (you can do a search on declawing and it's effects for more on this subject), this article is about humane solutions so you can avoid declawing your cat.
Cats scratch not to sharpen their claws, they scratch to mark out territory and also because it feels really good to them.
When you are working with your cat, and showing them the boundaries of your house (the couch is not a scratching post), keep this mantra in mind "Direction over discipline; direction over discipline."
Training your cat where to scratch is not rocket science - you just need to buy some things for kitty and provide some time and direction for your cat. Honestly, it's that simple.
When I brought my kitty home from the shelter, I was prepared. I covered my couches with blankets (a temporary fix to shield from kitties claws), had lots of kitty toys, and purchased three scratch boxes (shown in photo). NOW THIS IS KEY: You can see my kitty enjoying her scratch box; this is the Alpine Scratcher, and my kitty prefers to scratch this over the couch. In this way I have provided her with direction as to where a good place to scratch is.
So, in-a-nut-shell of kitty training; find things that your cat will naturally prefer to scratch over your couch - that is key - and provide these things for her.
Another tool I use is a spay bottle set on mist. This is used as a tool to annoy kitty (not discipline), when she scratches where she is not suppose too. By providing pleasurable (remember scratching feels so good for kitty) places through out my house and using the annoying spray bottle to discourage kitty away from my couch and chairs, I am setting up a natural training environment for kitty to live in harmony.
Make sure you play with your cat as this will help with boredom. Another trick is to hang cool carpets on your wall (seriously), rub catnip on the carpets, and let kitty at them. You can also keep your cats claws trimmed. Any groomer can do it or you can learn to do it yourself.
There are literally hundreds of products and things you can make to distract your cat from your couch - a piece of wood, a carpeted cat jungle (Petco or homemade), even stuffed animals hanging from a doorknob! Use your imagination and see what works for your cat.
In summary, use direction over discipline and your cat will have her favorite places, while you still have yours in one piece!
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