New Study shows it's bad for your cat, and you.
"Declawing" may sound like a relatively benign procedure, like getting your nails trimmed. But declawing a cat so she'll stop scratching the furniture involves removing the bones at the tip of her toes. Apparently, the process can result in long-term problems for your feline friend, based on a new study using 274 cats of various ages.
1. Get at least one scratching post. If it's a vertical scratching post, make sure it's tall enough that your cat can stretch to use it. And make sure it's stable.
2. Position the post near your cat's favorite sleeping spot, and/or near the furniture she likes to scratch the most.
3. Cover the post in catnip or toys so that it's more attractive than the sofa.
4. Reward the cat with a cheek scritch or a treat every time she uses the post.
5. Don't hit her if she scratches the sofa. Just say 'no' firmly and relocate her to the appropriate scratching post, and reward her for using that instead.
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