What
Mr. Big Taught Me About Scratching
Mr. Big was
my most troublesome cat ever. He was probably
more feral than tame when he showed up in our
back yard. But he was always getting into fights
and getting beat up, so we took him inside for
good, along with the rest of our herd.
This animal loved to scratch our sofas and
chairs. And the poor cat had been frightened to
death by something (or someone) before he came
to us, so it was really hard to bring ourselves
to discipline him too harshly. After all, he is
just a little cat (why we called him Mr. Big is
another story) . And he meant no harm. A new strategy
was in order, one that we applied to all of our
feline companions.
So, as I started up my cat furniture company,
and began testing models of scratching posts in
my own home, I learned a few things by trial and
error. Here you will find some of the things that
Mr. Big taught me:
How
to Get Your Cat to Use a Scratching Post
1) LOCATION: Place scratching posts where
your cat scratches. Also, consider putting them
between rooms, at high cat traffic areas. I am
not saying anything about a cat's IQ, but it seems
that my cats have always liked the surprise of
seeing something tasty to scratch each time they've
entered a room. It's really not a reflection on
a cat's intelligence. I just think he'll be happy
to put this in his routine if you can make it
easy for him to come upon a well-placed scratching
post.
I don't need to tell you that your cats want
to be near you when you are sitting and relaxing
(so here I am telling you..heh, heh, heh). Make
sure a post is convenient to these places (where
you like to relax) . Think in terms of more than
one post (just like you have more than one chair!).
Yes, big surprise....we suggest you purchase more
than one scratching post in most cases.
2) INTRODUCE & PLAY : The following
method will seem remarkably simple & obvious.
But if you think about it from a cat's point of
view, it is bound to produce the desired result
of helping your kitty discover her scratching
post on her own terms.
I will briefly tell you what did NOT work with
Mr. Big, or with any other cat we've come across
over the years, and that is MAKING the cat go
through the act of scratching the post. If you
think about it for a moment, you'll agree that
a cat must resist this to retain his dignity and
his independence ( and to frustrate and annoy
you, you big bully! ). So, forget about putting
his paws on the post and pretending with him that
he's scratching. It's just too heavy-handed for
most cats, and will usually fail to produce the
desired result. Plus, it's a good way to wind
up bleeding.
Instead of bleeding, get a magazine so you can
sit and read while you do this next step. Also
get a long piece of string (about a yard or so)
. So, even before the cat comes in the room, drape
the string over the length of the post, and just
hang on to your end. Now sit next to the scratching
post, and patiently wait for your cat to come
in the room. Sit very naturally, and do not appear
interested in the post, the cat, or the string.
In fact just be very quiet and still, kind of
like you're dead - except you're not really dead.
When your cat comes to investigate your (fake)
death, use the string to attract your cat to the
post. Do this by very slowly dragging it up the
post to the very top. You can do this very smoothly
by "reeling" in the string around your
index fingers. It's even possible to fool your
cat into thinking that the string is alive - and
therefore some slithery little prey that needs
to be hunted down (or "hunted up" in
this case). As the cat notices the string's ascent
up the pole, stop it for a moment, and then restart
it. I find that many cats will just climb right
up the post after the string. Once that's happened,
the die is cast (as opposed to the cast being
dead). Your cat has found the best place to scratch
all on his own. Well, not really... but it'll
be our little secret!
Truly, your cat knows that you've participated
in this little hoax. But he also knows that your
did this with him, and you didn't make
him scratch there. You helped him see where
to scratch, and you also spent some quality time
with him. There was no yelling, no punishment,
no forcing of any kind, and best of all, no frustration.
It was a piece of cake!
Your cat likes to play, and will appreciate the
attention. And you could use a little playtime
with your cat, too. Enjoy it! Cats are really
good at playing! Maybe you are too serious to
play? Oh I don't think so... heh, heh,
heh... Just give in to your inner cat.
A note to the reluctant cat-owning member
of the family: Maybe you're not totally invested
in this critter. I get that all the time &
believe me, I do understand. It took me forever
to finally admit that I owned Mr. Big. But when
you succeed in getting your (wife's?) cat to use
this scratching post, you will have accomplished
something really positive. And you'll feel good
about it).
3) PRAISE: Praise your cat for using the
post. Make happy, friendly sounds to encourage
your cat. If your cat has a favorite treat, you
can even reward him when he scratches. A
little tender scratch behind his ears and a loving
stroke is always a nice reward, too. If only WE
could get this kind of encouragement when we do
positive things!
It really is just that simple, folks. Your
cat obviously WANTS to scratch, and he will prefer
a great scratch post to anything else. Give this
a try, OK? When it works for you, pass it along
to someone else who needs a little help. And by
all means, let us know if we've helped you solve
this common cat problem.