How Do You Get A Cat To Use A Scratching Post?

[ladybirder]

I've been trying for a year and a half. Sprayed it with catnip - that failed. Moved it to different places to no avail. My bedroom carpet is nearly ruined. Any ideas cat lovers?

[woofgang]

put the post 'out of reach" of the cat and treat the post like a treasured piece of furniture. that should do the trick.

[Hopkirk]

I hope you haven't got one of those tiddly little narrow scratching posts.

Get a wide one like this and put it over the place where he or she scratches.

http://www.petsathome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/pets/pets-at-home-cardboard-cat-scratcher?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&cm_mmc=Google-_-CPC-_-%20google_shopping-_-google_shopping&ita=1976&ito=google_shopping&CAWELAID=120267720000038113&gclsrc=aw.ds&&cm_mmc=&;ito=GAG43970341133&itc=GAC206943665227&itkw=nil&itaexid=&itawnw=search&;itawmt=&itadvc=m&gclid=CjwKCAiA9efgBRAYEiwAUT-jtI15IEEVk8J9P0vpbud73-eVqrTpEIRJoFIXbcObfhfg06I-oYB1mxoCdnkQAvD_BwE

[Prudie]

I have never got a cat to use one of those - mine favour my old-fashioned coconut(?) bristle doormat - you could try one of those on the bedroom floor although not exactly attractive!

[cassa333]

You don’t. They will scratch whatever they want. Including but not limited to, the furniture, the door, the walls and anyone who sits still long enough.

But when they do just squirt them with orange essence diluted in a spray bottle.

[ladybirder]

Lots of lovely advice, thank you everyone. Never even heard of orange essence cassa, although I have been putting dried orange peel in my pots in the garden to stop him pooing in them rather than in his litter tray. Sigh.
I have one of these posts for him Hopkirk, so probably what you describe. I had one the same for my other two cats and they were fine with it but I gave it to a rescue when the last one died:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81X2-piGHwL._SL1500_.jpg
I think I might move it to the bedroom where he scratches the carpet and buy a flat one to lay there as well. I don't have any left over bits of carpet and I'm certainly not cutting a hole in the bedroom one even for him. Oh and woofgang, you are probably right.
Prudie he does scratch the mat outside of the patio doors so that might work. I'll see how I go with the less unsightly things first as I'm more than likely to trip over a door mat in my bedroom doorway especially in the middle of the night.
Thank you, all of you, for your invaluable advice. I hope he takes it.

[birdwoman]

You might be wasting your time. I have 2 cats. 1 loves the scratching posts the other loves scratching the stair carpet. Nothing I can do about it!

[ladybirder]

You're probably right birdwoman, I can only try;-)

[ummmm]

Mine scratches the stair carper also.

He's a bit of an AHole though...

[Barmaid]

I think being "a bit of an ahole" goes with being a cat.

I was having a conversation the other day and Mr BM was saying that the domestication of cats is unnatural etc etc. I explained that the Egyptians domesticated cats several thousand years ago. They also treated cats as gods. Cats have never forgotten this.

[ummmm]

We are allowed to stroke Ivan for 5 minutes, that's it.

I feed him everyday, on demand, and then when the males come in he gets excited like I've starved him all day. WT Eff...I fed him steak and prawns and he got excited about one of the boys feeding him a sachet of whiskers!!! Ahole!!

[Barmaid]

Yeah he doesnt need to acknowledge you. You do that stuff for him anyway. He needs the guys to fuss him and pet him and feel sorry for him!!!

Mr BM only looks after ASBO when I am not here. Jeez, you would think he is greeting his oldest friend when he walks in the room. He HATES going to bed unless Mr BM has told him to go to bed. He takes ahole and raises it to a whole new level!!!

[ummmm]

Lol....I can't wait to go back yonder and watch FIL walk the cats. Apparently one of them cries!

[ladybirder]

But my first two, brother and sister, whose mother had abandoned them and lived with me from about 6 weeks old for 10 and 21 years respectively were as good as gold and never scratched anything. So they're not all little ***. This one is in another league. I've moved the post into the bedroom where he continues to ignore it. He has actually dragged a 6' x 4' rug across the room today with the dog's bed on it. Dog not too happy.

[ummmm]

I got my previous cat at 6 weeks. He was so lovely. He adapted to us. Current cat was 14 weeks and the runt of the litter. I love him but he's a nightmare. He sharpens his claws on my bed. Won't play with any toys, all he plays with is grape vines and then chucks up fur balls in random places.

[ladybirder]

BM I've given you BA for the first line of your post. So true;-)

[Barmaid]

Lol. Thanks ladybirder!