Want to spoil you kitty with a new cat scratching post, but concerned that he might not be interested?
There are several ways to help your cat get used to, and love, a new piece of cat furniture. Cats are naturally curious, and some would explore straight away, others might need some encouragement. You can use catnip, treats, petting and praise to help show your cat that the scratching post is a safe haven for their enjoyment!
5 Steps to Introduce Your Cat to A New Scratching Post
- Location, location, location! Select a spot for the new cat furniture where your cat already likes to his spend time, this will help to get your cat to investigate the cat tower on his own. Should your kitty be hesitant, let’s look at ways to build confidence and show that the cat tree is a safe and fun playground.
- Call your kitty cat and offer treats, catnip, petting and praise when approaching the cat scratching post. Help show your cat that there is nothing to be afraid of by talking in a soothing voice and that the cat tower should be associated with heaps of rewards. Take note of your cat’s comfort level and do not rush the introduction. If your kitty seems sceptical, you might need to repeat this step a couple of times until he is totally relaxed when close to the cat tree.
- Initiating play sessions in the area where the scratching post has been placed will also help. Ignore the cat furniture, be relaxed and focus on a play session with your cat – this will help to desensitize your kitty to the new furniture.
- Start by introducing your cat to the base of the scratching post. You can sprinkle some catnip leading to the post and on the lowest platform. Or get kitty’s attention and drop a couple of treats or catnip leading to the tree. Keep encouraging and petting your cat when they move closer to the tree. Do not force your cat onto the scratching post as this might be too overwhelming and discourage future exploration. If your cat is uncertain, stop and resume at a later stage. When using playtime, once you have his attention hide his favourite toy behind one of the posts. This might encourage investigation of the cat tower, as cat are naturally curious.
- When you notice that your cat is relaxed when approaching the base of the scratching post, the above steps can be repeated with higher platforms, baskets, posts and condos of the large cat tree. Continue to praise, pet and offer treats and catnip – your cat will soon associate the cat scratching post with fun, reward and excitement.
- Dangling accessories attached to the post with elastic such as toy mice or pompoms offer great entertainment for cats as they try and catch the hanging “prey”. When choosing a cat tree make sure there are some of these included on the furniture to get your cat interested and curious enough to explore!
With patience, encouragement and positive reinforcement you will have your cat loving their new playground in no time.
View our range of cat trees and scratching posts.
Keep your scratching post looking like new with these helpful cleaning hints.
Cosmic Pets is a pet product and accessory wholesaler and offer pet supplies to pet stores, vet shops and pet care professionals. Contact us for a catalogue and price list for a complete list of pet products available for resale in South Africa and Namibia.