# How do you get a cat to use a scratching post?!



## LynzSweetie (Feb 26, 2013)

Sweetie will NOT use her scratching post, her scratching mat, the blanket we put over the sofa....anything. She will slink under the protective blanket and get to the sweet...sweet fabric underneath....

.....I know that she knows she has a post and a mat, because she has used them on the sly, I saw her! But since then she's taken an unhealthy fascination with the sofa arm and has totally snubbed her actual post/mat!!


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## Rachel64 (Feb 7, 2013)

Try rubbing some dried catnip where you want her to scratch.


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

You can get a catnip spray too, otherwise it's just removing her when she scratches somewhere else and putting her paws on the scratching post. Move them up and down for her or scratch the post yourself to try to get her to do the same


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## broccoli (Jul 1, 2011)

you can get scratch mats - i hung one on the door because they scratched the doorpost, one uses the mat.


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## Toby Tyler (Feb 17, 2013)

You can try different kinds of scratching surfaces and heights. Some cats like to scratch horizontally and she may be one of them.

To discourage her from scratching the furniture you can _try_ double sided tape. _Most_ cats hate the feel of it. Just don't tell my Cricket that.


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## Shiny (Mar 24, 2013)

I had the same problem. Both of my kitties are outdoor cats, so their claws are always sharp from climbing trees and such, so I never really needed a scratching post.

Recently enough, I bought a really nice pair of leather boots, and my cats seem to love them as much as I do, which is a big problem. I bought a scratching mat thing, and neither of them would go near it. I told my mom about the problem, and she bought something she saw at a store for my cats. Anyways, they love it! They've been using it since the day that she brought it over to my place.

It is an "Omega Paw" catnip treated ripple board scratch box. Wow, that was a mouthful. Anyways, apparently it's like a kitty foot massage. I put it in my entryway, right next to my shoes, and they haven't scratched my boots since! I went out and bought another one to put in my bedroom closet, next to my second stash of shoes, and I haven't had a problem with scratching since.

Ripple Board Cat Scratch Box

If you want to try it, on their website they have store locations.

If you find something your cat likes to use, the first couple times he/she uses it, maybe give them a treat to encourage it. Also, if you put it right near the problem area, that should help too.


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## LynzSweetie (Feb 26, 2013)

Thanks guys! I will give the catnip scratching thingymabob a go, and try getting some of the other products mentioned here - I was always of the belief that catnip just made your cat go crazy, and was the worst enemy to trying to keep a calm and well adjusted kitty!!


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## Shiny (Mar 24, 2013)

Yeah, catnip can have some pretty dramatic effects on cats, but I've also seen some cats being calmed by it. It's kind of like coffee for cats 

The scratching boxes and mats that some people were talking about are simply treated in catnip, so the cats don't really eat it, they just might be more encouraged to use it. 

Good luck finding something that works for you!


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## AlfonzPig (Mar 30, 2013)

Have you tried cardboard boxes with them? I find that most cats love them, and will sleep in them, claw them and chew their corners. If your cats like cardboard for scratching you can lean a piece up against the scratching post and as they scratch at it, just try making the cardboard smaller and smaller ( still leaning against the post) until the cardboard is gone and they will have ( hopefully as it doesn't always work) started using the post.


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