Where to Put a Cat Scratcher So Your Cat Uses It

You can buy quality scratcher or Make it at homeBut if he's standing in a place that doesn't care about the cat, he'll probably continue to use the sofa, carpet or other furniture.

When deciding, where to place the cat scratcher"Therefore, do not start with where you are least hindered. Watch where the cat scratches today and in what situations it does it. That's where you usually find the best place.

Start with furniture that the cat is already scratching

If the cat regularly scratches one corner of the sofa, place a new scratcher as close as possible to it.

It may seem illogical to build another object right where you don't want it. But for a cat, a place is already part of her habit. When you hide the scratcher at the opposite end of the room, you offer it a more suitable surface, but in a place she did not choose to scratch.

Once the new scratcher is reliably used, you can move it gradually if necessary. I'd rather take smaller distances than straight to another corner of the room.

A good place is near rest

Cats often stretch out after awakening and scratching can be a natural part of this routine.

If the cat has a favorite bed, chair or place on the sofa, a scratcher can work well near it. The cat wakes up, stretches and has a suitable scraping area at hand.

This is also why it may not be the best place for a scratcher to be somewhere on the side of a corridor or a chamber, even if there is enough free space.

Consider the places the cat often walks through

Scratching isn't just to care for the claws. The cat also leaves visible and odour traces.

Therefore, there may be attractive places on normal routes - for example at the entrance to the living room or between the resting place and other parts of the apartment.

So you don't have to automatically hide the scratcher in the least conspicuous corner. If you want the cat to use it regularly, it is often better to integrate it into the space in which it actually spends time.

Also follow the direction of scratching

The right place alone is not enough if the cat does not comply with the type of scratcher.

The cat that stretches along the side of the sofa probably prefers vertical scratching. The scratcher should be high enough to allow it to stretch comfortably.

If it scratches the carpet, it can be better horizontal scratcher for cat or a simple cardboard scraping area.

Some cats like a slippery slope. So before you start looking for a different place, check if the problem is more of an orientation or material.

The scratcher at the window can work, but not always

The window is an attractive part of the apartment for many cats because it spends time watching the surroundings. If the cat passes by the window regularly or rests there, its proximity may also be suitable for scratchers.

But there's no need to put a scratcher by the window just because it's a "cat place." If the cat never scratches there and uses a different part of the room most of the time, the view itself from the window may not be enough.

Also watch out for radiators, curtains and the safety of open or open windows.

In a larger apartment, more scraping places can make sense.

One scratcher may not be optimal for the whole apartment.

If the cat spends part of the day in the living room and sleeps at night in the bedroom, it may be more practical to offer her the opportunity to scratch in more places. It doesn't have to be two big scraping trees. The second place can be a smaller cardboard or wall scratcher.

Similarly, two cats can have different preferences. One can use a high sisal column while the other will search for cardboard on the floor.

What if the cat ignores the new scratch?

Before you mark the scratch as a failure, check gradually location, stability, height, orientation and material.

If he's standing far away from where the cat normally scratches, move him closer. If it is nod when used, stabilize it. And if the cat still prefers the carpet in front of the high sisal column, offer her a horizontal variant.

You can also take advantage of the game and lead the favorite toy around the scratcher to be examined by the cat itself. But it's not appropriate to take her paws and drive them over the scratcher mechanically.

The best place for a scratcher is not where you least see it. It's where the cat naturally needs it. Once you find out when and where it scratches, the choice of the right place is much easier.