People often believe that declawing their cat is a harmless “quick fix” for unwanted scratching. Scratching is normal cat behaviour. It isn’t done to intentionally destroy your favourite chair. Cats scratch to remove the dead husks from their claws, mark territory, and stretch their muscles.
Cats are usually about 8 weeks old when they begin scratching. That is the ideal time to train kittens to use a scratching post/cat tree and allow nail trims. If you are worried about your cat damaging your home or want to avoid unwanted scratching, start with these tips:
Keep his claws trimmed to minimize damage to household items
Provide stable scratching posts/trees and boards around your home. Offer different materials like carpet, sisal wood and cardboard as well as different styles (vertical and horizontal). Use toys and catnip to entice your cat to use the posts/trees and boards
Attach tape or aluminum foil to furniture to deter your cat from unwanted scratching
Ask us about soft plastic caps like Soft Paws that are glued to your cat’s nails. They need to be replaced about every six weeks.
