There is nothing worse than a cat that is constantly scratching the carpet and furniture. Your
beautiful furniture can be ruined very quickly by this behavior, so it is wise to do
something about it as soon as possible.
Scratching is natural behavior for a cat, so it won’t be possible to prevent him from
doing it altogether. What you must do is train him to scratch on something that doesn’t
matter. Scratching poles made of rope wound around a rod are available especially for
this purpose. It is a good idea to get one as soon as you get your kitten. If you teach
him to use it right from when he is little, then it will be easier.
If the kitty doesn’t seem to like the scratching pole as much as your best chair, then
buy some catmint and smear it on the rope. The aroma is very attractive to cats. Also
get a spray bottle full of water to spray in his face when he scratches your furniture.
Cats hate having water in their faces. There is only one problem with this; your
furniture may be French-polished and so watermark very easily. What to do?
The idea is to teach kitty, not hurt him, so roll up one or two sheets only of newspaper
and use it to tap his face with. It won’t hurt him, but he will hate the noise and feel of
it. This is also a good way to stop him scratching people. After being smacked with it
a few times, simply hearing the rustle of paper will often stop him. Sometimes, cats
will crouch around a corner and spring out at you or the children. Don’t forget that
while it is normal behavior for a cat to do this sort of thing, the behavior needs to be
controlled or it may cause injury.
The rolled up newspaper trick will soon discourage kitty from pouncing and
scratching. If you hold him up by the scruff of the neck at the same time, you will
exert dominance over him, telling him you are the top cat. Smack him lightly on the
paws or face with the paper, and then put him down. If your cat puts out his claws
when you are petting him, gently push at them until he retracts them. In this way
you’ll teach him that claws out while being petted on laps is unacceptable behavior
