Sue Beckett, of Roseburg, Ore., loves her Siamese cats Blue and Rocco. They romp like kittens all day and purr her to sleep at night. What she doesn’t love is her cats’ penchant for shredding the arms of her $3,000 couch.
To remedy the problem behavior, she tried scratching posts, double-sided tape and even protective plastic sheeting.
“They just dug in their claws and wouldn’t let go,” Beckett says. “No matter what I did, they always went back to scratching that couch.”
Once Beckett consulted her veterinarian and realized why they scratched, however, she successfully redirected their behavior.
“It helped to get into the cats’ minds and figure out why they scratch in the first place,” Beckett says. “Scratching is innate; it’s something cats do. I can’t stop the behavior, but I can provide surfaces that are OK for all of us.”
**For the full article, pick up the December issue of CAT FANCY**
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