How to wean a cat from scratching wallpaper and furniture

However, do not forget, they can be used for a short period of time, because these pads deprive the cat of stability. With them, it is difficult for the cat to move around, because the pads do not allow the claws to retract, that is, they deprive the paws of their natural position.

How to teach a cat to scratch wallpaper and furniture: simple tips

Sharpening claws is a cat's need that must be satisfied. But repairs and furniture are also pathetic. This article will not talk about how to train the pet to use a scratching post, but about how to wean it from scratching other tempting surfaces.

You can't punish your cat when he's clawing at your leather chair. Spanking, newspaper and other harshness will only lead to a worsening of the cat's character. But scaring the cat and giving him an "a-ta-ta" message is okay.

Use a tin of coins or other object to make a sharp rattling sound that will scare away the furry culprit. Keep the cherished jar at hand. You can use a sprayer with water, but then you have to get up and run to spray the cat, who will run away, laughing, happy that he ripped his master from the computer.

Make the surface unattractive (or unkillable)

Not only does the owner leave the house regularly, but he also sleeps. Therefore, to scare the cat away from the furniture manually is an ineffective method, it serves more for self-soothing. The key to success is to make the surfaces of the house unsuitable for scratching.

Upholstered furniture:

StickyPaws tape can be applied to the cat's favorite areas for the first time. The sticky surface will keep the cat from trying to sharpen its claws here again. A budget option is to replace the special tape from the pet store with double-sided tape.

The radical solution is removable covers made of elastic material. Damage already caused is usually covered with them. The stretchy material is not suitable for clawing. If you only plan to buy a sofa and armchairs, look for furniture covered with special "anti-cat" fabrics. The material without interlacing threads will not be covered with snags and cats do not like it. It can be velour, teflon-impregnated flock or relax (synthetic suede).

How to teach the cat to scratch the furniture?

Many people do not want to have a cat or dog just for fear that the animal will ruin the furniture in the apartment. And if the dog is more or less can be weaned from the "vandalism" by their own forces, but with the family of cats is not so straightforward. Not for nothing they say that the cat walks by itself – these domestic predators, as a rule, deny the rules of the game, imposed by man. However, they are much more loyal to compromise, and, therefore, all difficulties are surmountable, it is only necessary to take into account some points. Then the four-legged friend will feel comfortable at home without destroying the interior, and certainly will give you a lot of good impressions. The Murkosha shelter practices responsible pet ownership, so our staff will be happy to answer any questions about helping an animal adjust to a new home and advise on how to protect furniture from pets.

The main problem faced by owners is that the cat scratches and scratches furniture and other interior objects. If an experienced breeder or owner doesn't have such a problem in principle, a beginner may ruin almost everything the cat can reach within a week. And the main reason for this is the need to sharpen the claws. After all, cats are real predators. And in the wild, the sharpness of their claws determines the efficiency of the hunt, and therefore their survival. But this is far from the only reason why a cat starts spoiling furniture.

• Claw sharpening is an important hygienic procedure – cats scratch furniture and remove the dead part of their claws.
• A way of marking territory – this is how cats in the wild leave their scent in strategic places, delimiting hunting grounds.
• A way to get rid of stress – akin to how people in a state of nervous excitement twirl objects in their hands or vent their anger on dishes, a punching bag and so on.

This is interesting! As highly evolved creatures of the animal kingdom, cats and dogs suffer the most from stress. And often the actions of the pet's owner increase the stress on the pet's psyche rather than relieve it. Therefore, if your cat needs to be weaned from something, do not shout and do not punish your four-legged friend – you will only aggravate the problem. And this way you will definitely not be able to protect the furniture.

Anti-scratchers .

These are special caps for claws, made of vinyl. With the help of glue they are attached to the cat's claws, allowing him to realize himself and not to spoil the interior at the same time.

How do I keep my cat from scratching the furniture? A relaxed purr with the help of glue should be put on all the anti-scratchers. Every 10-14 days the caps will fall off and need to be glued on.

At first the animal will try to get rid of "manicure", but soon it will get used to it. There are different sizes of anti-scratchers on the market, depending on the length of the pet's claws (S, M, L). It is advisable to buy several sizes at once.

Removal of claws

Not knowing how to wean a cat from scratching the couch, some owners decide on inhumane measures. Onychectomy is a radical surgical procedure to remove claws in cats. The animal stops scratching the furniture, but becomes disabled. Movement coordination and posture are impaired, and the pet will no longer be able to jump gracefully and will be pulled down.

When buying a scratching post put a few drops of valerian or motherwort on it (they attract cats). The scratching post should:

When choosing a spray, make sure it does not cause allergies in your purr. It's best to have the claws trimmed by a veterinarian at first. If you trim the claw too hard, you can damage the nearby vessels, get an infection, or at the very least give your cat a painful experience.

Without knowing how to wean your cat from scratching furniture, don't forget to use traditional methods:

How do you teach a cat to scratch furniture and wallpaper? Use smells. Cats don't like the smell of citrus, onions and vinegar. Dilute citrus oil with water, and sprinkle the liquid on the damaged areas.

What else you can do to teach your kitty to chew on the furniture

As you know, cats do not tolerate caustic and pungent smells. They have a special dislike for citrus fruits. Therefore, try the following methods:

• spread the peel from a lemon in those places where the kitten is tearing up the wallpaper (or use a spray with a citrus scent);
• Use wallpaper sprays available at pet stores;
• purchase Felivey. It is designed to normalize the behavior of the cat. It contains pheromones, which have a calming effect on the animal. If you spray "pheliway" on the place of damaged wallpaper, the cat will smell familiar and decide that he has already marked this part of the apartment.

More often than not, using scents only works well in tandem with a scratching post. When the cat realizes that the familiar place for the claw point is no longer suitable for him, the owner begins to train him to the scratching post.

How to protect the wallpaper

Sometimes the urge to scratch the wallpaper or the chair becomes a habit – if the kitten has been used to it from the very childhood and has been scratching it for a long time. In this case, while you are still getting him used to the scratching post (some may take time to get used to it) you should resort to additional methods of protection. They will help for a time, while he is weaning himself off this detrimental habit.

1. Trim the cat's claws and do it regularly from now on. If you have never done this before, you should first take your cat to the vet for this procedure. But after watching the process 1-2 times, you will soon learn how to do it yourself. It will only take you 5-10 minutes per week, and the damage from scratching will be greatly reduced.

2. You can use protective materials. For example, cover the damaged areas on the wallpaper with a temporary shield of plastic. You can use "Cotostop" – these are flexible protective panels of transparent plastic, which are attached to the wall and reliably protect it from claws. And such a screen will even be visually almost invisible.

This should be combined with the accustoming to the scratching post. Put it near such a place – the cat will not be able to sharpen his claws where he is used to, but you will give him a very close alternative. Soon he will get used to it and will find the scratching post much more convenient.

Get a kitten who won't scratch the wallpaper

If you don't have a pet yet, but you're about to get one, our tips are doubly helpful, since it's much easier to teach right away than to retrain. It's important to introduce the scratching post as soon as it arrives at home as well as the litter box. Cats are very smart and they won't miss the opportunity to sharpen their claws at their own pleasure, without annoying their owners.

In this case, you can get a pet that will already be perfectly familiar with the scratching post. All "Murkosha" pets learn this science. They are also accustomed to the litter box, vaccinated, have a veterinary passport, and are ready to purr in the evening next to their owner.

Rules for taking care of a cat or cat

To communicate with a small cat brought mutual satisfaction, you should know the rules of care for the four-legged, which will not require much effort, but – love and patience.

1. The first and most important condition is personal space, a place for the animal: it can be a house or a bed on which it will sit and sleep. At the same time we must not forget to shake out of it dust and hair, as well as periodically wash it.
2. The food should be varied and balanced.
3. If a cat lives in an apartment, you must train him to the litter box from the first days of his life.
4. Hair requires care, especially if the cat is a long-haired breed.

These simple tips will help you raise an affectionate, obedient and tidy animal that will thank you for your master's care with gentle purrs.

Clawing

Of course, the easiest way to teach your cat to scratch the wallpaper is to deprive it of claws. You will have to trim the claws 2-3 times a month. You should not remove them completely. Firstly, the cat will be uncoordinated, it will be difficult to play, run, keep her balance. She may get trauma and stress. And painful wounds will form in the place of the claws. Secondly, the claws are the cat's protection, without them the cat will feel vulnerable and may become fearful and feral.

Much more humane claw trimming is the use of special pads. They are made of rubber, silicone and soft plastic. The pads are attached to the claw with a safe glue and fall off naturallywhen the claw grows back. The caps are replaced as needed.
The first couple of days the pet will feel discomfort, but then it will get used to it and will be able to let out the claws, but will not scratch. The only disadvantage is that some cats can't stand silicone and the pads are contraindicated for them.

Wishing to wean the cat from damaging the furniture, do not rush to extreme measures. Often enough just a few warning words and a special scratching post.

How to wean the cat from a bad habit

There are several ways to wean the cat from scratching furniture and wallpaper. For example, you can train your pet using commands or signals. It is recommended to use objects that make loud noises (rattles, metal things, balloons) and to say "no", "no", "ew" or hiss at the pet. We recommend using these measures before or during the first seconds of the nail sharpening attempt.

For the pet, these actions will be associated with punishment, which will help to discourage the cat from scratching the furniture. Sticky pads are another way to protect your pet's furniture. They can be attached to any surface.

Clawfoot .

The easiest and most effective way to wean a cat from pecking furniture and wallpaper is to buy a scratching post for him. There are many options on the market; there are both individual posts and posts built into houses, and whole complexes for games. You should buy a scratching post made of the material, more similar to the one that the pet likes in the house. You need to choose a free corner or other area of the apartment to install it. A place for the animal's needs can be made from a board, carpeting, twine or ordinary clothesline. This requires wrapping the material around a rigid and stable base.

To accustom the pet to the scratching post, catnip or valerian (infusion) can be used. Beforehand, the place is covered with the substance, and then brought to the pet's device. It is necessary to start playing with the cat so that she releases her claws. After that, its paw should be brought to the design, copying the natural sharpening. It is recommended to repeat the process until the animal gets used to it and begins to do it independently. A scratching post for cats needs to be made large enough so that the pet can fully stretch out.

If nothing helps

If water and a scratching post do not solve the problem, you will have to think about how to teach the cat to scratch the furniture, using more serious methods. You can use special silicone attachments for animals. They are attached to the claws with an adhesive substance and last from 1 to 2 months. Once the top horn part of the cat's claw peels off, the pad falls off along with it.

A replacement for silicone devices is surgical removal of the claw. This procedure is not recommended for use, as it is similar to amputation of fingers in humans and is not humane.

You can also protect items from the kitty with covers. They are similar to fabric covers, which are attached to the surface, but cover the entire furniture or an individual part of it. If the cat is tearing up an interior item, it is recommended to use a spray with a strong repellent odor. It can be found at the veterinary drugstore or prepared by yourself. This substance has an unpleasant aroma for cats and can discourage the animal from any furniture. You can mix essential oils, spices, citrus juice with water or hang spice bags near the problem area. This method is not always suitable, as the listed substances spread an unpleasant aroma to humans, and can also leave streaks and stains.