Mary Allen
Weaning cats from scratching wallpaper is not easy and requires patience, calm, and consistency. However, the training is worthwhile and, if successful, will save cat owners a lot of frustration and renovation work.
In our last guide, we described possible causes of unwanted wallpaper scratches. In order to stop cats from scratching wallpaper, it is important to know the reasons for their behavior. If so, you can start troubleshooting.
Wean Cats From Scratching Wallpaper: Eliminate the Causes
If there are not enough scratching opportunities to blame for the behavior of your four-legged friend, you should increase the apartment accordingly. One or two spaces per room should allow your kitten to sharpen its claws. It’s nice if you provide different options for this. Scratching trees, scratching waves, or simple scratching boards on the wall in combination with each other make sharpening her claws a pleasure. Here are a few examples.
Consider rubbing catnip on new scratching opportunities to make them even more tempting for your cat.
If you suspect that his territorial behavior encourages your house tiger to scratch wallpaper, you should have him spayed. Because this is often accompanied by other unwanted behaviors like tagging and meowing loudly, this is the best option.
If boredom is the cause of clawing at the wallpaper, the best way to break your cat’s habit is to get more attention. Put in regular playtime, try to keep her busy with intelligence toys like a play board, and provide a large scratching post for her to play with.
If your cat is kept alone, you should think about a second cat that she can run around with to her heart’s content. Leaving the house free can also help and help you break the habit of scratching at the wallpaper.
Training to Stop Your Cat From Scratching Wallpaper
Despite all attempts to eliminate the causes of wallpaper scratching, it is still possible that your cat has already gotten used to it and does not understand why it should stop now. Now it’s your turn to explain that to her.
The important thing here is to be consistent instead of scolding. Scolding usually doesn’t help at all or leads to the opposite of the hoped-for effect. Being consistent means: every scratch of the wallpaper (really everyone) is followed by a strict command “No!” Then place your cat on its scratching post or another alternative where scratching is encouraged.
If your kitten does this well, give them praise. You can also do this if your cat looks for the scratching post instead of the wallpaper. It can take a while for your training to take root — be patient and keep at it, it’s worth it.