How To Find A Good Cat Scratching Post

Hi, my names Karen. I'm one of the vets at Cats Protection, the UK's leading cat welfare charity. And I'm going to talk to you today about some aspects of cat care.

Hi, I'm going to talk to you today about how to find a good cat scratching post. Cats need to scratch for a variety of reasons. They need to keep their claws nice and healthy and sharp, and they will need to scratch to do this.

But they also use it to spray their scent glands around certain areas to communicate with each other and with themselves. A good scratching post is one that allows a cat to mimic its natural behavior. So see what your cat does now, as to what kind of scratching it likes to do.

Does it like to stretch up fully long and press itself to something with its scratchers? Or does it like to scratch along the carpet, in which case it may prefer something that's along the floor? There are a lot of different scratching posts to look at, this is a pretty good example. It's got lots of places to play and perch and hide. But the scratching area is the important bit.

It's a good idea to have things that go long tunely as cats claws like to run downward so it's a good idea to have the run of it going downward also. There is all sorts of different ones you can use, there are nice sorts of cardboard disposable sort of ones. These can be propped up against the wall or put horizontally on the ground, depending on what your cat prefers.

Where you place the scratching post is also really important. It needs to be somewhere they are going to want to use it. Some cats like to scratch when they first wake up in the morning, so placing it beside the area where they tend to sleep is a good idea.

Also they might use it for scent marking, so if they use a certain area now, it maybe, it's a good idea to put the scratching post in that same area. So once you've got your cat scratching post, it's important to make sure that the cat's enjoying it and using it properly. Make sure that it is high enough for the cat can stretch out fully when it scratches, and make sure it's sturdy enough for the cat to lean on.

Cats wouldn't like it so much if it wobbles and they won't feel safe. Ways to entice your cat to use the scratching post, maybe using catnip sprays or catnip toys around it, playing with your cat around the base of it, using toys or food treats to encourage them to come near and to use it and to get their scent on it. If you want anymore information on the subject, log on to cats.

org.uk. .