How to Train Your Cat to Use a Cat Scratching Post

Love your cat, but tired of cat-shredded home furnishings? Wish you could train you cat to scratch on something besides your expensive sofa or ottoman? You can. With a little consistent effort on your part, you can train you cat to use a cat scratching post.

Cats love to scratch and you will not be able to change that normal behavior in your cat, so that leaves you with only a few choices- have your cat de-clawed, ban your cat from your house, or train your cat to use a scratching post.

The first step to train your cat to use a cat scratching post is choosing the right scratch post. The scratching post needs to be stable enough for your cat to climb on without toppling over, it should have a flat resting place on the top, and the scratching posts needs to be covered with some type of material your cat can sink their claws into. For do-it-yourselfers, this is a perfect home building project for recycling leftover lumber and carpet scraps.

Cats mark their territory by scratching, so if you have owned your cat any length of time, your cat has already chosen her territory and left behind the scratch marks to prove it. That is where you want to place the cat scratching post, near the spot your cat scratches the most.

Encourage your cat to use the cat scratching post by teasing her with a cat toy on the post, or rub catnip on the scratching post. Each time your cat actually uses the scratching post, praise her and reward her with a treat.

Make the furniture or other areas of your home that your cat uses for scratching unappealing or inaccessible to the cat by blocking it off from the cat's access. Cover the furniture corners, shut the door to a room, etc. While this may be unappealing to the cat owner, remember it is just temporary until your cat learns to use the cat scratching post, then you can have your house back with un-shredded furnishings.

Once your cat has begun to use the scratching post reliably in the starting location, you will want to start moving the scratching post slowly towards the location that you desire. Start moving the scratching post a few inches every day. Continue to encourage your cat to use the scratching post and reward her for doing so.