Norwegian Forest Cat

　　Having a at home means the biggest trouble is that sofas, curtains, chairs, carpets, wooden floors, walls, and furniture get scratched and torn apart by the cat. Once a cat settles on a scratching spot, it will repeatedly go there to scratch.

　　Scratching is a cat’s natural habit, so stopping it completely is impossible. For a small cat, claws are its most powerful weapon, so it must frequently shed old keratin to keep them razor-sharp. Moreover, scratching also displays dominance and leaves scent. Cats have scent glands inside their front paws, so scratching serves to mark their territory with their scent.

　　Among cat training, scratching is the most difficult issue. Therefore, training should begin before the kitten starts scratching furniture.

　　Cats tend to scratch immediately after waking up and prefer to scratch objects around their beds to exercise and relax their front limbs and claws. Thus, when training scratching behavior, wooden boards or posts should be placed as close to the cat bed as possible. As the cat grows, the size of these posts or boards should increase accordingly, and later they can be fixed to the wall near the cat bed.

　　First, prepare dedicated scratching tools. Although many are sold commercially, DIY ones work well too. Place a thick wooden post about 70 cm long and 20 cm in diameter or a wooden board about 37 cm long and 20 cm wide near the cat’s bed. At first, lay it horizontally so the kitten can climb up and down and find the spot it prefers to scratch.

　　If the kitten does not scratch, the owner can gently stroke its head and lightly press down its head to encourage it to scratch the post or board, but the action must be gentle. After scratching, the glands on its paws will deposit secretions on the post or board. Attracted by its own scent, the cat will then scratch there. When it becomes skilled at claw sharpening, praise it so the cat naturally remembers the scratching spot.