Training older cat to use scratching post

Question
Hi, I recently adopted a two year old spayed cat. She will be an indoor cat only. I have a scratching post for her to use (it is long & heavy enough), but I don't know how to introduce her to it. The couch has become her scratching post. :(

Answer
Hi Melissa,

You can train an adult cat to use a scratching post, it just takes some persistence! Two of my 3 cats were adopted as adults and learned about this. Here are the steps you should take:

1. Try different scratching materials until you find one she likes. I have 3 different scratching posts because my 3 cats all like to scratch different things, and they all like to have a few choice of vertical or horizontal scratching, sisal, carpet or cardboard. The cardboard "alpine" scratchers are very cheap and poplar with many cats but can make a mess and are unattractive, but I have one tucked away in a corner behind the futon sofa. I highly recommend the "Purrfect Post" made with woven sisal... it is very attractive and durable (mine is 5 years old with 3 cats who use it daily and still looks great). http://www.purrfectpost.com (also click on their "helpful tips" page for good ideas)

Ideally she should have her own furniture so she'll spend less time on yours. Cat trees are not cheap but you can make them yourself easily if you have a screwdriver and know how to use it. Here are some ideas for building cat trees and scratching posts and tips on getting your cat to use them:

http://www.amby.com/cat_site/declaw.html#build-it

2. Position the post in a location close to where she currently scratches. Scratching is a territorial behavior as well as exercise and claw sheath removal. You may eventually be able to gradually move it elsewhere, but keep it there for at least a month and only move a few feet at a time, and keep in the same general area. The nice thing about the Purrfect post is that it's attractive enough to put out near the sofa in the middle of the living room if necessary.

3. Get "sticky paws at the pet store. It is double sided tape that you attach (hopefully temporarily) to the furniture she is drawn to scratch. You can use double sided carpet tape but it might leave a sticky residue whereas the sticky paws are medical adhesive that doesn't leave residue. Put them everywhere she has tried to scratch and anywhere you think she might. Yes your furniture will look a bit weird but it's a training tool that works well! Cats don't like the tape feeling on their paws. You can also use tinfoil on surfaces that you can put it on such as carpet in hallways.

4. Reward her when she scratches the post with a treat. Try playing with her around/on the post with her favorite toy. You can try deterring her with a loud noise (a whistle or some pennies in a can shaken) when she scratches the furniture, but this will only work if she doesn't figure out it is you making the noise - which she probably will, cats are smart! Then she will simply run away when she knows you see her doing it. Cats don't have a boss hierarchy like dogs so they don't accept your opinion on "bad" behavior, they just do what comes naturally. So you have to make the "good" behavior easier and more fun.

More tips here:

http://catnet.stanford.edu/articles/infosheet_scratching.pdf

Good luck!