How to wean a cat to tear wallpaper?

Before adopting a kitten, prospective owners should carefully consider and weigh the pros and cons. If everything is clear with positive aspects, then with negative ones it is usually more difficult. It is important to realize at this stage that a cat is almost always a threat to furniture. If the kitten is thoroughbred, then, most likely, he will already be accustomed to the toilet and the scratching post, so there should be no problems with education. However, if the kitten was separated from its mother too early – picked up on the street or taken from a shelter – then it is very likely that there will be problems. One of them is the need to sharpen the claws.

Physiological features

The first step is to figure out why the cat sharpens its claws:

• Cat claws are always growing. Grinding, they peel off, the top layer peels off. To get rid of it, the pet begins to sharpen its claws;

• In nature, cats sharpen their claws on a tree trunk, thus marking the territory. Of course, there are no trees in the apartment, but the pet still has an instinct. Furniture and wallpaper are perfect as a label, so that everyone understands that this territory is occupied;

• Watch how a cat sharpens its claws: it kneads the muscles of the body and changes the rhythm of movements. It is believed that in this way the pet does a warm-up and splashes out the accumulated emotions.

How to wean?

The most popular way to solve the problem of torn furniture and wallpaper is a scratching post. This is a special device for grinding claws. You can buy a scratching post at a pet store or make your own. Usually, a piece of felt, jute or even carpet is used for this.

Ready-made scratching posts come in completely different shapes and sizes: built into a cat’s house, separate posts, or even entire complexes for games. They also differ in the material from which they are made: it can be jute, wood and even cardboard. Choose the scratching post that most resembles the material chosen for grinding claws by your pet.

How to train a cat to a scratching post?

1. Observe the behavior of the cat: in what places does she like to sharpen her claws? If there are several such places, it makes sense to buy several scratching posts. The design must be well fixed so that when grinding the claws, the cat can lean on it.

2. You can draw the attention of a cat to a new accessory with the help of catnip. However, the scratching posts from the pet store are usually already soaked in a solution that attracts a pet.

3. It is worth limiting the cat’s access to furniture or to that section of the wallpaper where it is used to sharpening its claws. You can glue them with something or make a small temporary rearrangement. You can also saturate these areas with a repellent spray, which is sold at the pet store, or citrus essential oils (cats do not like them).

4. If the cat did not understand from the first time that the new object in the apartment was its scratching post, you should not raise your voice or raise your hand to the animal. Instead, try to train your pet, because cats are very smart. As soon as the cat starts scratching the wallpaper, use a water spray bottle to scare it away, and then take the cat to the scratching post. If your cat is interested in a new accessory, reward her with treats.

August 15 2017

Updated: December 21, 2017