Getting a scratching post for your cat

BUY (or make) a scratching post large enough for the cat to scratch at full height. It must be completely stable.

You can slightly reduce (but not extinguish) the need for claw conditioning by keeping its claws cut. Ask your veterinary nurse how to do this if you’ve never done it.

If your cat likes catnip, try scenting the post with it to get the kitty interested.

Praise it and give it treats when it scratches the right thing. If your cat is scratching at a horizontal surface, you can make a DIY horizontal surface by covering a breeze block in carpet.

Some cats scratch indoors, because they have failed to learn how to scratch trees out of doors.

Spray catnip on tree trunks, in dry weather.

Reward the cat with treats when you see it scratching a tree.

If your cat scratches in more than one room, install a post in each room.

In the house as a whole there should be one post per cat – and one extra.