# Using Scratch Posts



## Becksie (Sep 24, 2008)

Hello

The scratch post I ordered has just arrived, in fact it's big enough for a panther! 
How do I start training charlie to get the idea of what to do? tried scratching my nails up & down, he just sat there looking at me with a puzzled look on his face, i've wrapped a long snake toy around the top of it so it dangles down.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated!


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## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

Ive found they just know what its for,give her a while to get used to it and im sure she will soon be scratching away to her hearts content!!:001_tongue:


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## Khouri (Oct 20, 2008)

Ours use it about half the time so far, the rest of the time it's the sofa!

To get ours interested I dangled a toy above it to make them jump up and feel the post with their claws, then I left treats around and at the top of it over the course of a few days... 

When they try and use the sofa, I pick them up, take them to the post and dangle a toy to get them to start scratching. I think it's starting to work so far, but still need to get them to use it all the time... our sofa is getting maulled!


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## ella (Jan 1, 2009)

Hiya

I found out by mistake that catnip had the desired effect (I dropped some powered catnip on the carpet!) and his scratch pad now is regularly dusted with catnip....

e


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## Xalron-S341 (Jan 9, 2009)

Haha, yes catnip is definitely the solution!


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## pugsley Adams (Dec 30, 2008)

I used to years ago, take the wee kitten up to the post and gently make her scratch it. Eventually she caught on, but there were the in between times, where the sofa were far game, while I was out,lol!


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## Tillski (Jan 8, 2009)

I found that getting her to play with a dangly toy and then hold it above the post has the desired effect; mine got bored with the toy and just focused on her scratching - she has a little go everytime she walks past it now! Although, she still has a bit of a thing for the carpet on the stairs - a little morning ritual of hers.


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

The dangling toy should help. Also try putting his paws on the post and moving them so he's sort of scratching it. He should get the idea fairly quickly. Having said that i bought a new post when I got Mai Tai and ended up selling it on e.bay cos she wasn't interested in it. It had toys and catnip and was gorgeous but she prefers an old one that my older cat had as a kitten. She's getting a bit big for it now so I'm looking for a new one.


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## DKDREAM (Sep 15, 2008)

You could try spraying cat nip on the poles. Thats what ive done in the past and it works.


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## Alansw8 (May 25, 2008)

My new girl mona likes my jeans to climb up in a morning when its feeding time but i forgot about putting catnip on my 2 cat centres but she does use them anyway, it just seems to be when its feeding time ( morning)( i do have dried food down at all times with plenty of water)she wants to climb up with her very pin like nails which i cut every 2 weeks. I never had this problem with Belle ( maybe she is more lady like and mona is built like a docker)


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## Xalron-S341 (Jan 9, 2009)

As I said before catnip is definitely the answer here, although apparently some cats are not as receptive to it as others... It's definitely a good idea to test it out and see if it works, anyway... I personally use catnip spray on everything I want my cats to play with/scratch, it works like a charm. They mess so much with that stuff they hardly have time to decimate anything else!

I get this stuff because it comes as a spray and easy to apply to various objects, although there's of other kinds.


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## Becksie (Sep 24, 2008)

I've practically sprayed a whole bottle of cat nip over this post but he took one sniff and walked off! hahaha is my pussy cat odd?!


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## mckitty (Jan 11, 2009)

Xalron-S341 said:


> Haha, yes catnip is definitely the solution!


it must be !

we got something similar to this










from pets at home, ours has a paw shaped bed on top though, bracken knew what to do straight away as a catnip filled ball hangs down from the bed next to the scratching post, hes never scratched anything else

you could also try argos

Buy Cat Scratching Tree. at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for .










which is very similar to what i got from pets at home but unavailable to me at the time, good luck


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## bluechip (Dec 26, 2008)

my cats just started using it, i never showed them what to do but if they used my sofa i told them off.


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