Before the Tacoma City Council voted to ban cat declawing except when medically necessary, a leader said the time was right to "choose cats, not couches."
Cats are more intelligent and trainable than many people expect. I have one cat trained to come to the kitchen when it’s time for her pills and to hop on the bed at bedtime. She’s not exactly doing it on command - she’s happily rushing to me on her own because I’ve taught her that certain actions in certain situations result in her receiving a small blob of melted cheddar (which is how she gets her pills. Don’t tell her, she hates pills so it’s a secret) and/or belly rubs. I just call her name to get her attention and her routine starts.
I’ve learned many cats will often happily train themselves if you provide the right encouragement at the right time. It’s all about giving them a nicer alternative to whatever bullshit they’re pulling.
If you ever have any questions, I’m happy to help.
I caught her clawing the couch this morning. We just purchased a new lovesac with velvet covers, which are pretty resilient to this kind of abuse, because she is so inclined to do this. I think what happened was that she chased her little toy over to that corner and then had pent up aggression or energy that she decided to take out on that juicy couch corner. She has a scratch post on the other side of the couch because she is only very rarely on that side.
I tried picking her up and moving her to this scratch post (she hates being picked up) and putting her paws on the scratch post, but she gave me her most pitiful meow and decided she was done clawing lol. I’ve caught her clawing the couch on the other side right next to this scratch post, so maybe this scratch post isn’t as good as the couch for some reason. We know she likes vertical scratch posts and sisal, and she’ll definitely use that one, so beyond that I’m not sure what’s wrong with it.
You’re welcome and good luck!
Cats are more intelligent and trainable than many people expect. I have one cat trained to come to the kitchen when it’s time for her pills and to hop on the bed at bedtime. She’s not exactly doing it on command - she’s happily rushing to me on her own because I’ve taught her that certain actions in certain situations result in her receiving a small blob of melted cheddar (which is how she gets her pills. Don’t tell her, she hates pills so it’s a secret) and/or belly rubs. I just call her name to get her attention and her routine starts.
I’ve learned many cats will often happily train themselves if you provide the right encouragement at the right time. It’s all about giving them a nicer alternative to whatever bullshit they’re pulling.
If you ever have any questions, I’m happy to help.
I caught her clawing the couch this morning. We just purchased a new lovesac with velvet covers, which are pretty resilient to this kind of abuse, because she is so inclined to do this. I think what happened was that she chased her little toy over to that corner and then had pent up aggression or energy that she decided to take out on that juicy couch corner. She has a scratch post on the other side of the couch because she is only very rarely on that side.
I tried picking her up and moving her to this scratch post (she hates being picked up) and putting her paws on the scratch post, but she gave me her most pitiful meow and decided she was done clawing lol. I’ve caught her clawing the couch on the other side right next to this scratch post, so maybe this scratch post isn’t as good as the couch for some reason. We know she likes vertical scratch posts and sisal, and she’ll definitely use that one, so beyond that I’m not sure what’s wrong with it.