Managing Cat-Scratching Behavior
Cats which live indoors scratch furniture, carpets, clothes and just about anything else they can get their paws on as a way of sharpening and maintaining their claws. This destructive behavior can be quite frustrating to pet owners whom often find themselves torn between their pet and their desire to have a presentable home.
Behavioral modification techniques are often the first line of defense in this battle against the nails. These include providing a scratching post and or squirting the cat with water as it is caught in the act of scratching. Unfortunately these techniques require a great deal of patience and a certain degree of luck: introducing a scratching post to a cat is no guarantee that she will use it and use of a spray bottle to discourage scratching is often unrewarding because it is difficult to squirt the cat without her associating the negative experience with her care-giver, possibly resulting in a fearful pet.
Many cat-owners consider the difficult decision of de-clawing their pet. There is no denying that the procedure causes a fair amount of temporary discomfort, removes the pet's defense to predators, and makes the pet housebound.
