Scratching

Cats love scratching and for good reasons. For example to mark their territory. They use scratching as a way to threaten other cats. They use scratching during playing. They scratch while they stretch out. And during scratching the cats get rid of their old nails so that new, sharper nails can arise. Unfortunately cats can cause damage to furniture, curtains and other things which you would rather keep undamaged.

This is what you can do about it:
•  Make sure you have a varied offer of places where it is allowed for the cat to scratch such as scratching-posts, a piece of carpet, wood, tree-bark etc. Some cats prefer horizontal scratching-posts, while other cats prefer vertical ones. There are cats which like to scratch on sisal while other cats prefer a piece of carpet. Once you have found out what your cat prefers, you can create several scratching places on different locations. All cats need a scratching place which is solid and doesn’t fall apart, fall down when they scratch. Cats also like it if the scratching place is long enough so that they can fully stretch out during scratching (that is probably why they love curtains so much).
•  Encourage your cat to discover the scratching places you made by sprinkling them with valerian or by means of toys which you hang on top of the scratching places.
•  Scratching on undesired places can be discouraged by removing or covering these places. You can place plastic, double-sided  scotch tape, sandpaper or a piece of inside out vinyl carpet on the furniture or floor, on the place which the cat uses for scratching. Always place the approved scratching places near the undesired scratching places.
•  Regularly cut the cat’s nails or have someone do this. 
•  If you catch your cat while he scratches on an undesired place, you can try to * stop this by clapping your hands loudly. Only do this on the moment that you catch him, not later. And also don’t do this too much, because it might result in it that your cat gets scared of you.

What you shouldn’t do:
•  Don’t rub the cat’s paws against the scratching place. This might result in it that the cat gets scared of the scratching place and doesn’t dare to come close to it anymore.
•  Don’t throw away the favorite scratching-post (or something else which your cat may use) because it has become ugly. Cats do prefer it if the top material isn’t complete anymore, since they can perfectly place their nails in it then. Besides, this scratching place is soaked with the cat’s smell.

Unclawing:
The term “unclawing” doesn’t cover the overtones, since it implicates that only the nails are removed. Unclawing actually means amputating the far ends of the cat’s toes. Recovering from this permanent, heavy mutilation is a very painful process for the cat. And you have just read in the beginning of this article that the cat’s nails are very important, besides the fact that they might have itch sometimes and love to scratch then. Fortunately, unclawing is forbidden in the Netherlands, but unfortunately this however takes place sometimes.
In the USA cats are more often unclawed compared to the Netherlands. Someone once answered the question: “What is the best age to unclaw cats?” as follows: “about two weeks after you have had removed your own finger tips.