Cats Only News

Remember, your cat's yearly examination is the most important part of its health care

Cats Only Veterinary Clinic

3416 Riverside Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43221

(614) 459-4105  Fax: (614) 459-5704

Hours: M 8-6, T-Th 8-8, Fri 8-5, Sat 9-2pm

Basic Training

Scratching Behavior

To prevent damage to furniture or carpets, you should teach your cat to use a scratching post.  Cats do not scratch to sharpen their claws or you would see them scratching with their back claws as well.  Clawing behavior is a type of marking behavior, so the type and placement of a scratching post is important.  A post that is made of material that shreds (like wrapped twine) and is placed in a prominent place is usually well accepted.  Reward appropriate behavior!  If your cat picks something else to scratch, move that item, booby trap it, and place the scratching post in its place.  To make a simple booby trap, take several empty soda cans, place a few coins in each can and seal the end with tape.  Tie the cans together with a string and place the string across the area where the cat is scratching.  Clawing will catch the string and pull the cans down making a loud noise to startle the cat.  Most cats will not try to scratch that item again, but you can reset the trap to ensure appropriate behavior.  If you catch your cat in the act of scratching, make a loud startling noise.

If the scratching behavior becomes a problem, other options like declawing or temporary plastic nail caps should be considered.

Plant Eating

Most cats will bite or ingest plants if they are available.  Almost all plants cause gastrointestinal irritation, i.e. vomiting and/or diarrhea.  Many plants are poisonous and deadly if ingested.  Plants or grasses of any kind should not be in any area that is accessible to your cat.

Playtime

Cats are nocturnal - active at night.  If this makes it hard for you to sleep at night, try adjusting your cat’s activity time by playing during the day and especially in the evening just before your bedtime.  Do not reward your cat by feeding it if it wakes you up in the middle of the night (this will only encourage the behavior).  Instead make a loud noise or squirt the cat with water to discourage this behavior.  If necessary, the cat may also be put in a crate overnight.

The Cats Only Care Manual

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Avoidance Techniques

Booby traps and avoidance techniques will also work well to keep your cat off of tables and countertops, away from Christmas trees and the oriental rug, out of the baby’s room, or from running out the back door.  Cats by nature are easily offended and tend to then avoid what offends them.  We can use this to our advantage when training our kitten or cat to stay off of or away from things or places.   Noise and water seem to be two easy ways to discourage a cat.  Unless your goal is to keep your cat away from you, be sure that the cat perceives these offenses as coming from the area or thing you want the cat to stay away from.  Position yourself away from the dining room table and use a squirt gun or bottle to spray your cat with water when it first jumps up so that your cat perceives that the water came from the table.  Your cat is smart enough to test it again to be sure it gets a squirt from the table every time it gets up there, but your cat will seldom do it many times before it finds something else to climb on that isn’t offensive.  Be persistent.   A kid’s whistle or air horn works very effectively to keep the cat from running out doors.  Position someone outside the door and at the first attempt, blast the whistle or horn to startle your cat.   Once or twice should discourage that behavior also.  Double-sided stick tape may be placed on the surface that is off limits, as the stickiness will discourage cat paws.  A false edge may also be created using cardboard and the soda cans.  Place the cardboard on the counter and stack the coin-filled cans on one side.  The cardboard should stick out past the counter so that when the cat jumps, the cardboard gives way and flips the cans to make a loud noise. 

Training your cat early with these avoidance techniques that do not make your cat afraid of you will make your lifelong home sharing much more harmonious.