Cats Must Scratch
*This post may contain affiliate links for which I earn commissions.*
Cats Have A Need to Scratch Something
Cat owners can get very frustrated when their cats scratch up furniture, drapes, carpeting, etc. Cats have to scratch for many reasons. Their nails need to shed the outer sheath every so often. The way they get that old out layer off is by scratching. If they don’t do this the nail gets uncomfortable and eventually painful.
Cats also have to scratch to sharpen their claws which they use for climbing, running, playing, and protection. This activity also helps them with stretching which also feels great and is good for your cats. Felines also will scratch to mark and claim territory.
Getting your cat not to scratch is impossible. They simply must do it. Your best strategy is to get them to scratch where you want them to. In order to make this happen cat owners have to provide proper scratching options for their cats to use instead of furniture.
There are two main focuses to improve your odds of getting your cat to scratch on the proper item. These two areas are what to get for them to scratch on and where to put the scratching item.
Let’s look at what to get first. There are multiple options to consider. We love and our cats love this:
This bundle combo is wonderful It comes with three individual scratch pads and a fourth that stays in the box. They are made from recycled cardboard and you can place them almost anywhere. When one side is pretty used up you can just flip it over and now you have a brand new scratch board. Our cats love to lay on them and just hang out too. If you want to spice things up a bit just sprinkle some catnip on the scratcher. Catnip is a great way to get your cat excited about the scratcher right away. Shown below is just the box and pads without the lounger
The other thing to focus on is WHERE to put the new preferred scratching toy. A great place to start is to put the scratch pad near areas where the cat has been scratching on something you DON’T want them to scratch on. Placing cat nip on it initially is also a big help when trying to get them to start using the new scratcher. Other tips for a more successful introduction of the new scratcher is to make a big deal about it by showing it to them, sitting near it for awhile, perhaps using a toy on or around it as well. Anything you can think of that will attract your cat to interact with their new scratcher can be helpful. It really needs to be a fun, positive, and entertaining experience. Keep in mind you may need to emphasize this new scratcher for the first few days until kitty gets into the habit of using it.
One drawback of this type of cardboard scratcher is it can get a bit messy. The pieces do fall back into the corrugated pad, but they also do fly a bit and end on the floor. It is possible to pick up the few pieces by hand or wait a bit longer and a vacuum or broom and dust pan work fine. The long term solution to the mess issue is to always keep the box the pads come in and each time you reorder you can just keep a pad in a box and all the pieces stay in the box. We now have five boxes one for each pad and no mess at all. I told you we really love this solution!
These are not just scratch pads. They are in boxes. Cats love laying in boxes.
Cats also like to not only lay on the pads, but play with them as well.
When the rubber meets the road you are looking for a great scratching solution that your cats will love and use. Like Grayson here.
We don’t want Grayson tearing up anything since he is more like Hercules than a cat. Thankfully, he loves his scratch pad. These multi-faceted pads are made from recycled cardboard and can be recycled again when they are finally and totally shredded. This makes them environmentally friendly. So SAVE your furniture! SAVE your sanity! and SAVE the planet! Just remember to keep the box to use for your next reorder like we did.
