Living with a cat can be beneficial to children. Cats can enhance children's self-esteem, teach them responsibility and help them to learn empathy. However, children and cats may not always automatically have a wonderful relationship. Parents must be willing to teach the cat and the child acceptable limits of behavior in order to make their interactions pleasant and safe.

Selecting a Cat

What age is best? Many people have a warm and fuzzy image of a kitten and a child growing up together. If you have a young child and are thinking of adopting a kitten (less than 1 year old) there are a few things you need to consider.

Time and Energy:

• Kittens require a lot of time, patience and supervision. If you have a young child who already requires a lot of care and time, you should ask yourself if you will you have enough time to care for a kitten as well.

Safety:

• Kittens, because they're babies, are fragile creatures. A kitten may become frightened or even injured by a well-meaning, curious child who wants to constantly pick him up, hug him or explore his body by pulling on his tail or ears.

Rough play:

• Kittens have sharp teeth and claws with which they may inadvertently injure a small child. Kittens also tend to climb up on small children and accidentally scratch. All interactions between your child and kitten will need to be closely supervised in order to minimize the chances of either being injured.

Advantages of Getting an Adult Cat:

• Adult cats require less time and attention once they've adjusted to your family and household routine. You can better gauge how hardy and tolerant an adult cat will be of a child's enthusiasm and you can work with your local animal shelter to adopt a cat that has previously lived with children.

As a general rule, if your child is under six years old, it's best to adopt a cat that's over two years old. Although kittens can be a lot of fun and it's exciting and rewarding to help them grow into wonderful companions, they do require significantly more time to supervise than an adult cat.

Who Will Care for the Cat?

It's unrealistic to expect a child, regardless of age, to have the sole responsibility of caring for a cat. Cats need basic things, like food, water, shelter and litterbox maintenance, but they also need to be played with and given opportunities to exercise on a consistent basis. Teaching a cat the rules of the house and helping him become a good companion is too overwhelming a task for a young child. While responsible teenagers may be up to the task, they may not be willing to spend an adequate amount of time with the cat, as their desire to be with their friends usually takes over at this age. If you're adopting a cat "for the kids," you must be prepared and willing to be the cat's primary caretaker.

Starting Off Right

Below are some guidelines to help you start off on the right foot. Remember that small children should never be left alone with a cat or kitten without adult supervision.

Holding:

• Because kittens often squirm and wiggle they can easily fall out of a young child's arms and become injured. If held too tightly or forcibly restrained, the kitten may respond by scratching or biting. It is safest for everyone if your child is sitting down whenever he wants to hold the kitten.
• For adult cats, have your child sit in your lap and let the cat approach both of you. This way you can control your child and not allow him to get "carried away" with pats that are too rough. You are also there to teach your new cat to treat your child gently. Some cats do not want to be held, but will sit next to you and your child if offered treats or petting. Keep in mind that the cat should be allowed to leave when it feels like it.

Petting and Giving Affection:

• Children often want to hug cats or grasp them too firmly. Your cat may view this as a threatening gesture, rather than an affectionate one, and may react with scratching or biting. You should teach your child to let the cat approach on his own terms and pet lightly. You should also teach your child to avoid staring at, or looking directly into, your cat's eyes.

Giving Treats:

• When children offer a treat from fingers held together as a pincher the cat may accidentally bite fingers instead of only taking the treat. Have your child place the treat in an open palm, rather than holding it in his fingers. You may want to place a hand underneath your child's hand to help guide him.

Supervising Play:

• Cats interpret quick and jerky hand movements as an invitation to play. You should teach your child to offer the cat or kitten a toy on a string in order to maximize the distance between the child's hands and the toy. Encouraging a cat to play with hands and fingers may result in scratches or bites.

Be Patient:

• Your new cat may take some time to feel comfortable with your child's actions and sounds and will approach when he feels ready. Your cat must also learn which behaviors on his part are appropriate and which are not. Our handout "Managing Your Kitten's Rough Play" outlines procedures for discouraging rough play and encouraging appropriate play. Punishing your cat for inappropriate behavior will not help. If he learns that being around children always results in "bad things" happening to him, he may become defensive in their presence.

Please contact a behavior specialist if your cat is growling, hissing or biting at your child for any reason. This situation needs IMMEDIATE attention. Punishing your cat is likely to make matters worse.

Copyright 2003. Dumb Friends League. All rights reserved

Train a Cat? Can You Really do That? Of Course You Can!

We’ve all seen cats perform on TV. Do you think those cats have something your cat doesn’t? Probably not. Cat "actors" may be more comfortable than your cat would be in front of all the cameras and lights, but the only other advantage they have is a patient and knowledgeable trainer to work with them. In fact, you can bet that many of those cats you see on TV were rescued from a shelter.

You may not envision stardom for your cat, but you can still teach your cat a few tricks and impress your friends and family. Tricks like sit, high-five, come, stay, and jump (on or over something) are relatively easy to teach. Training is fun and will strengthen the bond between you and your feline friend. Patience and a sense of humor are key. Anger and frustration have absolutely no place in training.

Clicker Training

One great training method used for cats and many other animals is called "clicker training." This method is often used with performing marine mammals and zoo animals that need to learn to accept human handling. It involves using a specific sound IMMEDIATELY after the desired behavior is performed. The sound can be a click (you can purchase cheap clickers from pet stores or just use a click of your tongue) or it can be a key word ("yes," "good," etc.). The trick (for you!) is to make sure you use the same sound or word all the time.

The idea behind clicker training is that the click (or whatever sound you choose) serves as a "bridge" between the desired behavior and the cat’s reward (after clicking, you’ll give your cat a food treat). So the order of go is: (1) The desired behavior occurs, (2) you click and (3) you give your cat a reward.

The reason for having a bridge is simply that animals live in the present. To make it easy for them to learn, we must let them know RIGHT AWAY when they do a good thing. Say your cat sits. In the seconds it takes you to fumble around for a treat to reward her for the sit, your cat may have turned her head to look out the window. For all she knows, turning her head is what got her the reward, not sitting. But you can eliminate that confusion by clicking the moment her butt hits the floor.

Of course, clicking in itself is not a particularly motivating reward for your cat. So now you must link the click with the treat. To begin, take a few treats in your hand, sit on the floor with your cat, and just click and treat. Click and treat, click and treat, click and treat. Kitty doesn’t have to perform any special behavior here. She’s just figuring out that the click is a good thing because it means a treat will follow. This may take minutes, hours or weeks!

(By the way, training should never last for more than a few minutes at a time. To speed up progress, you can do really short training sessions several times a day. But also keep in mind how many food treats your cat is getting, and adjust her diet accordingly if necessary. In fact, you may want to use her regular food as the treat if she’ll go for that. Or talk to your veterinarian about healthy treats and a good diet for your kitty in training.)

Targeting

Once your cat associates the click with the treat, a great way to begin actually teaching her to do something is by using a target. A target is something that she’ll learn to touch with her nose (and later maybe with her paw). A stick, a dowel, or something similar will work, as long as it’s long enough for you to be standing with it in your hand and have it still reach your cat’s nose while she’s sitting on the floor. Another suggestion is to use the "wand" from one of those cat toys that has a string and feather attached. Just remove the string and feather first.

Okay, now you’ve got your target. Begin by standing or sitting with the target in your hand and your cat nearby. Hold the target so that it’s easy for your cat to come sniff it. Some cats may be frightened if you wave it around them. Now comes patience (because you never want to physically force your cat to do what you want; learning is more effective when she figures it out for herself). Most likely, your cat will eventually come sniff the target out of curiosity. When she does, click and treat! If she just doesn’t appear interested, you might try putting a dab of moist food or catnip spray on the tip of the target. You may even have to begin by clicking and treating when she comes toward it, even if she doesn’t touch it initially. Baby steps are okay! Eventually, though, your goal is to get her to touch the tip of the target. Again, this could take minutes, hours or weeks. Several short training sessions are ideal.

Once she’s consistently touching the target, move the target around. You’ll eventually be able to use the target to make her walk beside you, jump up on the bed or a stool, perhaps even jump through a hoop! At some point, you can eliminate the target stick and just use your finger or hand as a target.

A Couple of Easy Tricks to Get You Started

Sit

Sitting is easy to teach. You can use the target or put a treat in your hand and let your hand be the target. If you use your hand, let your cat sniff the treat you’re holding so she knows it’s there. Stand in front of your cat. Lure her into the sit position by simply raising your hand or the target up and toward her back a little. Keep your hand/target close to her nose as you do this. As she follows your hand with her eyes and nose, the rest of her body will automatically end up in the sit position. If she gets up on her hind legs, you’re holding the target or treat too far away. As soon as her butt hits the floor, click and treat. Once she knows to sit by just your hand rising over her head, you can add the command, "sit." When she knows "sit" pretty well, you can begin phasing out the treats, rewarding only randomly.

High-Five

High-five is similar to the sit. Remember how we said that your cat may get up on her hind legs if you hold the treat too far away? Well, this is what you need to do for the high-five. Some cats may reach with one paw, some with both. Once one of her paws hits the target or your hand, click and treat. Eventually add the command, "high-five."

Don’t Stop Now!

This is just a brief introduction to the fun things you can teach your cat. To learn more, read the book, Clicker Training for Cats, by Karen Pryor, do an Internet search for "clicker training," Just remember that training should always be FUN for both you and your cat. The look of amazement on your friends’ faces as your cat performs is a great added bonus!

This article was written by animal behavior volunteer, Cheryl Kolus.

Copyright 2003, Larimer Humane Society

Wouldn’t it be nice if all it took to introduce a new cat to your resident pet were a brief handshake and a couple of "HELLO, My Name Is..." name-tags? Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple, which means you’ll need to have some realistic expectations from the outset. What are realistic expectations?
First, it’s recognizing and accepting that your pets may never be best buddies but will usually come to at least tolerate each other. Second, it’s understanding the need to move slowly during the introduction process to increase your chances for success. Some cats are more social than other cats. For example, an eight-year-old cat who has never been around other animals may never learn to share her territory (and her people) with other pets in the household. But an eight-week-old kitten separated from her mom and littermates for the first time might be glad to have a cat or dog companion. Cats are territorial, and they need to be introduced to other animals very slowly so they can get used to each other before a face-to-face confrontation. Slow introductions help prevent fearful and aggressive problems from developing. Here are guidelines to help make the introductions go smoothly.

Confinement

Confine your new cat to one medium-sized room with her litter box, food, water, and a bed. Feed your resident pets and the newcomer on each side of the door to this room, so that they associate something enjoyable (eating!) with each other’s smells. Gradually move the dishes closer to the door until your pets can eat calmly while standing directly on either side of the door.

The Old Switcheroo

Swap the sleeping blankets or beds used by all the cats so they each have a chance to become accustomed to the other cats’ scents. You can even rub a towel on one animal and put it underneath the food dish of another animal. Once your new cat is using her litter box and eating regularly while confined, let her have free time in the house while confining your other animals to the new cat’s room. This switch provides another way for the animals to experience each other’s scents without a face-to-face meeting. It also allows the newcomer to become familiar with her new surroundings without being frightened by the other animals. Next, after the animals have been returned to their original designated parts of the house, use two doorstops to prop open the dividing door just enough to allow the animals to see each other, and repeat the whole process over a period of days—supervised, of course.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

It’s better to introduce your pets to each other gradually so that neither animal becomes afraid or aggressive. You can expect a mild protest from either cat from time to time, but don’t allow these behaviors to intensify. If either animal becomes fearful or aggressive, separate them, and start the introduction process once again with a series of very small, gradual steps, as outlined above. Note: When you introduce pets to each other, one of them may send "play" signals which can be misinterpreted by the other pet as signs of aggression. If that’s the case, always handle the situation as "aggression" and seek professional help from a veterinarian or animal behaviorist right away.

Precautionary Measures

Try to keep your resident pets’ schedules close to what they were before the newcomer’s arrival. Before bringing a new pet home, check with your veterinarian to be sure all your current pets are healthy. You’ll also want to have at least one litter box per cat in separate locations. Make sure that none of the cats are being "ambushed" by another while trying to use the litter box, and be sure each cat has a safe hiding place. If small spats (hissing, growling, or posturing) do occur between your cats, you shouldn’t attempt to intervene directly to separate the cats. Instead, make a loud noise, throw a pillow, or use a squirt bottle with water and vinegar to separate the cats. Give them a chance to calm down before reintroducing them to each other.

Cat-to-Dog Introductions

You’ll need to be even more careful when introducing a dog and a cat to one another. A dog can seriously injure and even kill a cat very easily, even if they’re only playing—all it takes is one quick shake to break the cat’s neck. Some dogs have such a high prey drive that they should never be left alone with a cat. Dogs usually want to chase and play with cats, and cats usually become afraid and defensive. In addition to using the techniques described above to begin introducing your new cat to your resident dog, take these steps:

Practice Obedience

If your dog doesn’t already know the commands "sit," "down," "come," and "stay," begin working on them right away. If you are unsure of how to teach these behaviors to your dog and get your dog to respond reliably each time, consider taking a training class with your dog at the Larimer Humane Society. Small pieces of food will increase your dog’s motivation to perform, which will be necessary in the presence of a strong distraction such as a new cat. Even if your dog already knows these commands, work to reinforce these commands in return for a tidbit.

Set Up Controlled Meetings

After your new cat and resident dog have become comfortable eating on opposite sides of the door and have been exposed to each other’s scents as described above, you can attempt a face-to-face introduction in a controlled manner. Put your dog’s leash on and have him either sit or lie down and stay for treats. Have a second person offer your cat some special pieces of food. At first, the cat and the dog should be on opposite sides of the room. Lots of short visits are better than a few long visits. Don’t drag out the visit so long that the dog becomes uncontrollable. Repeat this step several times until both the cat and dog are tolerating each other’s presence without fear, aggression, or other undesirable behavior.

Let Your Cat Go Next

Allow your cat some freedom to explore your dog at her own pace, with the dog still on-leash and in a "down- stay." Meanwhile, keep giving your dog treats and praise for his calm behavior. If your dog gets up from his "stay" position, he should be repositioned with a treat lure and praised and rewarded for obeying the "stay" command. If your cat runs away or becomes aggressive, you’re progressing too fast. Go back to the previous introduction steps.

Use Positive Reinforcement

Although your dog must be taught that chasing or being rough with your cat is unacceptable behavior, he must also be taught what is appropriate and be rewarded for those behaviors, such as sitting, coming when called, or lying down in return for a treat. If your dog is always punished when your cat is around and never has "good things" happen in the cat’s presence, your dog may redirect aggression toward the cat.

Directly Supervise All Interactions Between Your Dog and Cat

You may want to keep your dog at your side and on-leash whenever your cat is free in the house during the introduction process. Be sure that your cat has an escape route and a place to hide. And until you’re certain your cat will be safe, be sure to keep the two separated when you aren’t home.

Kittens and Puppies

Because they’re so much smaller, kittens are in more danger of being injured or killed by a young energetic dog or by a predatory dog. A kitten will need to be kept separate from an especially energetic dog until she is fully grown, except for periods of supervised interaction to enable the animals to get to know each other. Even after the cat is fully grown, she may not be able to be safely left alone with the dog. Usually, a well-socialized cat will be able to keep a puppy in his place, but some cats don’t have enough confidence to do this. If you have an especially shy cat, you might need to keep her separated from your puppy until he matures enough to have more self-control.

When to Get Help

If introductions don’t go smoothly, seek professional advice immediately. Animals can be severely injured in fights, and the longer the problem continues, the harder it can be to resolve. Punishment won’t work and could make things worse. Luckily, most conflicts between pets in the same family can often be resolved with professional guidance.

This help sheet was made possible by support and assistance from www.petsforlife.org

We all like to be praised rather than punished. The same is true for your cat, and that’s the theory behind positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement means giving your pet something pleasant or rewarding immediately after she does something you want her to do. Because your praise or reward makes her more likely to repeat that behavior in the future, it is one of your most powerful tools for shaping or changing your cat’s behavior. It’s more effective to teach your pet what she should do than try to teach her what she shouldn’t.

Correct timing is essential when using positive reinforcement. The reward must occur immediately—within seconds—or your cat may not associate it with the proper action. For example, when your cat uses her scratching post, you can throw a piece of dry cat food for her to chase as a reward. Many cats enjoy chasing (hunting) their food and it’s good exercise too. But if you throw the food when she has stopped scratching the post and is walking toward you, she will think she’s being rewarded for coming to you. Consistency is also an important element in training. Everyone in the family should reward the same desired behaviors.

Using Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement may include food treats, praise, petting, or a favorite toy or game. When your pet is first learning a new behavior, such as clawing the scratching
post instead of your couch, she should be rewarded every time you catch her using her scratching post. You may even help shape her behavior of using the scratching post by spraying it with catnip (if she reacts positively to catnip) or enticing her with a toy that you dangle on the post. Taking your cat over to the scratching post, positioning her paws on the post, and raking them along the post to show her what she’s supposed to do will likely have the opposite effect of encouraging her to use the post. She may interpret your actions as frightening and uncomfortable. It’s important to look at the world from her point of view.

Once your cat reliably offers the desired behavior, you may reward her with treats intermittently, for example, three out of every four times she does the behavior. Then, over time, reward her about half the time, then about a third of the time, and so on, until you’re only rewarding her occasionally with a treat. Continue to praise her every time. Your cat will learn that if she keeps offering desired behaviors, eventually she’ll get what she wants—your praise and an occasional treat. You won’t be forever bound to carry a pocketful of goodies, but it’s fun to surprise your cat from time to time.

The Pros and Cons of Punishment

Punishment can be verbal, postural, or physical and is meant to make your pet immediately associate something unpleasant when she does something you don’t want her to do. The punishment makes it less likely that the behavior will occur again. To be effective, punishment must be delivered while your pet is engaged in the undesirable behavior—in other words, “caught in the act.” If the punishment is delivered too late, even seconds later, your pet will not associate the punishment with the undesired behavior. The punishment will seem unpredictable to her.

Remember, cats do not act out of spite or revenge, and they don’t have a moral sense of right and wrong. Never use physical punishment that involves discomfort or pain as this may cause her to bite, defend herself, or resort to other undesirable behaviors. Holding your cat’s neck skin and shaking her may result in a frightened cat who scratches or bites to defend herself. And punishment might be associated with other stimuli, including people, that are present at the time the punishment occurs. For example, a cat who is punished for getting too close to a new baby may become fearful of, or aggressive toward, that baby—or toward other babies. That’s why physical punishment is not only bad for your cat, it’s also bad for you and others.

Punishment delivered by you may erode your cat’s trust and frighten her. That’s why punishment is most effective when it does not come directly from you. For example, if your cat enjoys scratching the couch, you may apply special doublesided tape to those surfaces. Cats rarely like sticky paws. Your cat will perceive the couch, instead of you, as delivering the punishment. In this way, too, your cat is more likely to avoid the undesirable behavior when you’re not around. However, it is critical that while discouraging undesirable behaviors, you help your cat understand what you want her to do and provide appropriate outlets for her normal cat behaviors.

One of the reasons that cats are such fun companions is that when they’re not sleeping, many of them enjoy playing. Playing helps your cat develop physically and behaviorally. Providing appropriate play outlets for your cat can reduce undesirable behaviors. Be sure your cat has safe toys to play with by herself, and don’t underestimate the power of playing with your cat to strengthen the bond between you and enhance the quality of life for both of you.

Adapted from material originally developed by applied animal behaviorists at the Dumb Friends League, Denver, Colorado. ©2000 Dumb Friends League and ©2003 The HSUS. All rights reserved.

Fight, Flee or Freeze?

No, it isn’t the latest game show sweeping the nation. Instead, these three "f ’s" describe the ways that cats usually respond to objects, persons, or situations they perceive as a threat. It’s normal for you to want to help and comfort your cat when she’s frightened. However, that isn’t necessarily the best thing to do from your cat’s point of view. It’s normal for a cat to feel insecure or frightened in a new environment. Often, your new cat will hide for a day or two when you first bring her home. Sometimes a traumatic experience—such as taking her for a car ride to the veterinarian or introducing a new animal into the home—can disrupt her routine and send her under the bed for a few days.

Each cat has her preferred way of dealing with a crisis. You’ll notice that your cat probably tends to try one option first, and if that doesn’t work, she’s forced to try a different option. For instance, if your cat is afraid of dogs and a friend brings his dog to your home to visit, your cat puffs out her fur to make herself look big, then hisses and spits at the dog. If the dog doesn’t retreat, your cat may flee the situation, find a hiding spot, and freeze until she deems the situation safe.

Your cat may show the following behaviors when she is fearful:

• Fleeing
• Hiding
• Aggression (which includes spitting, hissing, growling, swatting, biting, scratching, puffing fur and tail, arching back, swishing tail, and flattening ears)
• Loss of control over bladder or bowels
• Freezing

Although some fearful behaviors are acceptable, overly anxious or fearful cats may need help from you in the form of training, patience, and love.

What Causes Fearful Behavior?

You’ll need to observe your cat closely to determine the trigger for her fearful behavior. Keep in mind that just because you know that the person or animal approaching your cat has good intentions doesn’t mean your cat shares the same view. The trigger for her fearful behavior could be anything.

Some common triggers are:

• A particular person
• A stranger
• Another animal
• A child
• Loud noises

What You Can Do

Take the following steps to reduce your cat’s anxiety and help her become more confident: First, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian for a thorough physical examination to rule out any medical reasons for your cat’s fearful behavior. Cats don’t always act sick, even when they are. Any sudden behavior change could mean that your cat is ill. Some common symptoms that suggest your cat may be sick are sudden aggressiveness, hiding, and eliminating outside the litter box.

If your cat is healthy, but hiding, leave her alone. She’ll come out when she’s ready. Forcing her out of her hiding spot will only make her more fearful. Make sure she has easy access to food, water, and her litter box. Clean the litter box and change the food and water every day so you know whether she is eating and drinking. Keep any contact with the fear stimulus to a minimum. Keep your cat’s routine as consistent as possible. Cats feel more confident if they know when to expect daily feeding, playing, cuddling, and grooming.

Try to desensitize your cat to the fear stimulus by following these steps:

• Determine what distance your cat can be from the fear stimulus without responding fearfully.
• Introduce the fear stimulus at this distance while you’re feeding your cat tasty treats and praising her.
• Slowly move the fear stimulus closer as you continue to praise your cat and offer her treats.

If at any time during this process your cat shows fearful behavior, you’ve proceeded too quickly and will need to start over from the beginning. This is the most common mistake people make when desensitizing an animal; it can be avoided by working in short sessions, paying careful attention to your cat so that you don’t progress too rapidly for her.

If you need help with the desensitization process, please contat a cat behavior specialist.

A Note About Aggression

If your cat seriously threatens you, another person, or an animal—and the behavior is not an isolated incident—you should seek help as soon as possible. To keep everyone safe in the meantime, confine your cat to an area of the house where all interactions with her are kept to a minimum and are supervised by a responsible person. Cat bites and scratches are serious and can easily become infected. Bites that need to be treated by a doctor should be reported to your local animal control agency; your cat may need to be quarantined and watched for signs of rabies. If you can’t keep your cat separated from the stimulus that triggers her aggressive behavior and you’re unable to work with an animal-behavior specialist, you may need to reevaluate the cat’s situation in your home. Remember, trying to place an aggressive cat in a new home should be done with extreme caution. The safety of your cat and of the other animals and humans she encounters should be your first consideration.

What NOT to Do

Do not punish your cat for her fearful behavior. Animals associate punishment with what they’re doing at the time they’re punished, so your cat is likely to associate any punishment you give her with you. This will only cause her to become fearful of you, and she still won’t understand why she’s being punished.

Do not force your cat to experience the object or situation that is causing her fear. For example, if she is afraid of a certain person, don’t let that person try to pick her up and hold her; this will only make her more fearful of that person.

Be cautious in handling your cat when she is frightened. She may accidentally direct her aggression toward you.

This help sheet was made possible by assistance from www.petsforlife.org

Although some people think a cat’s scratching behavior is a reflection of her distaste for a couch’s upholstery, a not-so-subtle hint to open the drapes, or a poorly conceived Zorro impersonation, the fact is that cats scratch objects in their environment for many perfectly normal reasons.

Why Do Cats Scratch?

Cats scratch for many reasons, including:

• To remove the dead outer layer of their claws.
• To mark their territory by leaving both a visual mark and a scent—they have scent glands on their paws.
• To stretch their bodies and flex their feet and claws.
• To work off energy.

Because scratching is a normal behavior and one that cats are highly motivated to display, it’s unrealistic to try to prevent them from scratching. Instead, the goal in resolving scratching problems is to redirect the scratching onto acceptable objects.

Training Your Cat to Scratch Acceptable Objects

You must provide objects for scratching that are appealing, attractive, and convenient from your cat’s point of view. Start by observing the physical features of the objects your cat is scratching. The answers to the following questions will help you understand your cat’s scratching preferences:

• Where are they located? Prominent objects, objects close to sleeping areas, and objects near the entrance to a room are often chosen.
• What texture do they have—are they soft or coarse?
• What shape do they have—are they horizontal or vertical?
• How tall are they?
• At what height does your cat scratch?

Now, considering your cat’s demonstrated preferences, substitute similar objects for her to scratch (rope-wrapped posts, corrugated cardboard, or even a log). Place the acceptable object(s) near the inappropriate object(s) that she’s already using. Make sure the objects are stable and won’t fall over or move around when she uses them. Cover the inappropriate objects with something your cat will find unappealing, such as double-sided sticky tape, aluminum foil, or a plastic carpet runner with the pointy side up. Or you may give the objects an aversive odor by attaching cotton balls containing perfume, a muscle rub, or other safe yet unpleasant substances. Be careful with odors, though, because you don’t want the nearby acceptable objects to also smell unpleasant. When your cat is consistently using the appropriate object, it can be moved very gradually (no more than three inches each day) to a location more suitable to you. It’s best, however, to keep the appropriate scratching objects as close to your cat’s preferred scratching locations as possible. Don’t remove the unappealing coverings or odors from the inappropriate objects until your cat is consistently using the appropriate objects in their permanent locations for several weeks, or even a month. They should then be removed gradually, not all at once.

Should I Punish My Cat for Scratching?

NO! Punishment is effective only if you catch your cat in the act of scratching unacceptable objects and have provided her with acceptable scratching objects. Punishment after the fact won’t change the behavior, may cause her to be afraid of you or the environment, and may elicit defensive aggression. Used by itself, punishment won’t resolve scratching problems because it doesn’t teach your cat where to scratch instead. If you do catch your cat in the act of scratching inappropriate objects, punish her in a way that prevents her from associating the punishment with you. If you don’t, then your cat will very quickly figure out that "I can scratch here when my owner’s not in the room." Try making a loud noise (using a whistle, shaking a soda can filled with rocks, or slapping the wall) or using a water-filled squirt bottle. Never throw any object directly at your cat. Doing so may cause your cat to become very fearful of you. As previously mentioned, if you use other, more interactive techniques, she’ll learn to refrain from scratching in your presence but will continue to scratch when you’re not around. The best method is to reward appropriate scratching behavior while minimizing your reaction to (or ignoring) the inappropriate scratching behavior.

How Do I Trim My Cat's Claws?

To help keep them sharp, cats keep their claws retracted until they’re needed. As the claws grow too long and become curved, they can’t be retracted completely. You should clip off the sharp tips of your cat’s claws on her front feet every two weeks or so. Clipping your cat’s claws will also help prevent them from becoming snagged in carpets and fabrics, not to mention your skin!

Before trimming your cat’s claws, help her get accustomed to having her paws handled and squeezed. You can do this by gently petting her legs and paws while giving her a treat. This will help to make it a more pleasant experience. Gradually increase the pressure so that petting becomes gentle squeezing, as you’ll need to do this to extend the claw. Continue with the treats until your cat tolerates this kind of touching and restraint. It may take a little longer if she’s not used to having her legs or paws handled. Apply a small amount of pressure to her paw—with your thumb on top of her paw and your index finger underneath— until a claw is extended. You should be able to see the pink or "quick," which is a small blood vessel. Don’t cut into this pink portion, as it will bleed and be painful for your cat. If you cut off just the sharp tip of the claw, the "hook," it will dull the claw and prevent extensive damage to household objects and to your skin. There are several types of claw trimmers designed especially for pets. These are better than your own nail clipper because they won’t crush the claw.

Until you and your cat have become accustomed to the routine, one claw or foot a day is enough of a challenge. Don’t push to do all of them at once, or you’ll both have only negative memories of claw clippers!

Should I Declaw My Cat?

The Larimer Humane Society opposes declawing when done solely for the convenience of the owner. Scratching is a natural behavior for cats and can be directed to appropriate items. Declawing can also lead to litter box or aggression problems.

What is Declawing?

Declawing is the surgical amputation of the bone and claw of the cat's digit. It is comparable to the removal of your fingertip and fingernail. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia. Many methods are used to sever the joint. Declawing is an elective surgery, which means it is not essential or required for survival. It is similar to cosmetic surgery. Around 25% of cats in the United States are declawed. Many veterinarians in the United States will not declaw cats and certain countries have regulations prohibiting the surgery.

Some people believe declawing is an option for fixing behavior problems, such as scratching furniture or people. However, cats can develop other behavior problems following the surgery, such as litter box problems. Complications may be seen following the declaw surgery. Possible ones include the following:

• Chronic pain and/or lameness
• Arthristis/joint stiffness
• Claw or nail growing back
• Litter box problems
• Change in personality
• Increase in biting (loss of primary defense, the claws)

In addition to declawing, another surgical procedure used to keep cats from scratching is the "tendonectomy". The tendon is severed so the toe and claw cannot be extended. The claws continue to grow, so they will need to be trimmed regularly. Similar behavior problems may develop.

What Are the Other Options to Surgery?

• Give your cat appropriate items to scratch. A scratching post should be taller than the cat when it is standing on its hind legs. Cats have surface preferences, so find a suitable one for your cat.
• Encourage scratching on appropriate items. Give a treat or praise when the cat is scratching the post, rub cat nip on the post, feed the cat near the post, and play with the cat near and around the post.
• Make furniture unacceptable by using plastic or aluminum foil to cover target areas. Try placing double-sided carpet tape on the furnitiure to keep the cat away. Note-always do a fabric safe test prior to using tape on your furniture.
• Keep your cat's nails trimmed. If you have questions on trimming the nails, ask your veterinarian.
• Try putting SoftPaws on your cat. Soft paws are rubber cups that fit over each individual claw, they are glued to the nail and will have to be replaced monthly and the nails will need to be trimmed. The disadvantage to these is that cats cannot fully retract their claws, however this is a much more humane solution to scratching than to have your cat declawed. However, we recommend allowing your cat to scratch appropriate objects. Remember that scratching is a very natural, normal behavior in cats.

If you do decide to declaw your cat, please keep him/her indoors only. Without its claws, your cat has lost one important part of its natural defense system.

Adapted from material originally developed by applied animal behaviorists at the Dumb Friends League, Denver, Colorado. ©2000 Dumb Friends League and ©2003 The HSUS. All rights reserved.