Many people are often dismayed to find that their young cat has been scratching the furniture or walls whilst they have been left on their own.  The misconception that the cat uses your furniture to sharpen the claws is wrong – they actually scratch in order to remove the dead outer layer of their claws which allows the new sharper claw to come through.  For the uninitiated, these can become quite a complex and annoying problem.

For some, it is too much to take and they decide that declawing the animal is the only option.  This is considered to be mutilation of the cat in some circles as a cats natural instinct is to explore the outside world and hunt but without claws they cannot climb effectively, use their natural instincts to hunt or offer any means of self defence when faced with aggression.  This does not even take into account the animals feelings and happiness which is always affected after de clawing.

A much more reasonable option to stop your kitten or adult cat from ruining your home is by offering them an alternative place to scratch.  This can be achieved by using a scratching post or even a cat tree scratching post combination set.  These items are usually covered in sisal or thick string that is great for a cat to scratch.

To encourage your cat to use these items you will need to place them in front of the area that they usually attack.  As they see a better alternative in front of them they will use it and as they get more comfortable using the scratching post you can slowly move it to an area of your choosing.  Your cat will welcome a specified space to scratch and you will soon find that your furniture will be left alone.