Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 Apollo 8/9/84; site apollo.uucp
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!wivax!apollo!wendya
From: wendya@apollo.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.pets
Subject: RE: Cat Claws & Sofas, etc.
Message-ID: <21552c7a.708@apollo.uucp>
Date: Thu, 23-Aug-84 13:53:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: apollo.21552c7a.708
Posted: Thu Aug 23 13:53:50 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Aug-84 03:34:56 EDT
Organization: Apollo Computer, Chelmsford, Mass.
Lines: 49


The main problem with letting cats get by with scratching anything you
don't want them to scratch is that they leave a scent "marker" and soon
it becomes virtually impossible for them NOT to scratch there. So,
nipping such behaviour in the bud is ESSENTIAL. I'm not sure its possible
to totally solve the problem, especially if your cats are alone for
significant lengths of time (as my 2 are). However, here are some
suggestions:

  1) Understand that you cats have GOT to have SOMETHING to scratch, especially
     if they spend a lot of time (or all the time) indoors.
  2) Provide an attractive alternative -e.g., an old, ugly, upholstered
     chair, placed in some inconspicuous location, which you encourage and
     praise the cats for scratching. By the way, the proper texture is
     extremely important - rough, highly-textured fabrics or materials prove
     irresistable.
  3) Get down on the floor and scratch the "approved" item yourself, while
     the cats are watching. This might seem weird, but it works!
  4) If your cats like catnip, rub a little on the approved spot, or hide
     a bit of it in the upholstery. (Some cats are oblivious to catnip,
     however - mine are.)
  5) Read the book "The Natural Cat" (available in bookstores) -
     it is full of good suggestions, including the address of a company that
     makes the "ultimate" in scratching posts.
  6) Forget about traditional scratching posts (the overpriced kind in pet
     shops) - they are worse than useless for many reasons (again, see "The
     Natural Cat").
  7) Holler like hell at your cats when you catch them scratching anywhere you
     don't want them to. Cats are sensitive to their humans' approval, and
     hollering at them gets their attention and embarrasses them. This is
     quite effective with cats, if used sparingly.
  8) Gently bat a cat out of the way when you catch him scratching the sofa.
  9) Whatever you do, DO NOT declaw your cats. This is a barbaric practice
     equivalent to amputation of your fingers.

My cats have learned where they can and cannot scratch. However, my sofa (a
proscribed place) still shows a bit of damage. This is because the cats are
smart and know just as much about my psychology as I know about theirs. When
they are upset with me for some reason (late dinner, dirty litterbox, etc.),
they wait until they're sure I'm looking, then carefully and quite 
dramatically scratch the sofa. They deliberately don't do a lot of damage
(their claws are only about halfway out), but just enough to train me in
proper behaviour. As far as I have been able to tell, they never do any
damage when I'm not looking.
                            
In any case, I feel that my cats are well worth whatever small amount of
inconvenience or furniture damage they cause. 

W. Christensen