When you have a new kitten sooner or later you are going to have to teach him or her not to scratch your furniture, and the good news is that this is suprisingly simple.Cats and kittens love to scratch. It is highly pleasurable for them and it serves the practical purpose of stripping away old cells from their nails so that their nails stay nice and sharp.
The bad news is that kittens are likely to watch to scratch all your nice furniture, curtains, and carpets. So what do you do?
Invest in a scratching post. Look for ones that are stable, high enough for your kitten to stretch upwards, and covered in something such as rough rope, hemp, or twine.
Do not be tempted to put your kittens paws onto the scratching post. Instead praise your kitten whenever he or she approaches or uses the post. Praise your kitten in an encouraging pleasant tone of voice and use his or her name.
You may tempt your kitten to the post with a treat or a toy. When your kitten approaches give him or her the treat and praise your kitten again.
If your kitten scratches the carpet or furniture immediately scold him or her by saying "Nooooo. (kittens name)". in a low tone of voice and put the scratching post infront of the item they were scratching.
A good place for a scratching post is either near where the kitten sleeps or where your kittens eat.
If you use a treat to attract your kitten to the scratching post and he or she ignores you simply try again closer to meal time.
If you praise your kitten and he or she ignores you its OK because your kitten is just pretending! Kittens (and cats) quickly pick up on praise and will adapt their behavior accordingly.
A range of scratching posts and cat activity centres with scratching posts are available from Pet Supermarket
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