{"id":1598,"date":"2020-10-07T09:26:31","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T16:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cattitudebehavior.com\/?page_id=1598"},"modified":"2026-07-21T09:05:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T16:05:15","slug":"clawing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.cattitudebehavior.com\/index.php\/clawing\/","title":{"rendered":"Clawing & Scratching"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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The key to solving your cat\u2019s scratching\/clawing problem is to redirect your cat\u2019s natural urge to scratch towards more appropriate areas. Make those areas more appealing while making where s\/he\u2019s scratching now less appealing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Never punish your cat! Not only will it not work, (that action will continue when you’re not there–and it doesn’t get to the motivation), it will make him\/her afraid of or angry with you. Remember: a cat connects the punishment with You, not with her action.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Book a Service or Free Consultation<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Indications of the Problem<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The fabric on your sofa is in tatters or your favorite leather chair is lacerated beyond repair.\u00a0 That scratching post you bought is hardly used.\u00a0 Cats need their claws: for balance, exercise, (ooh, that shoulder and back stretch!) play, survival, catching prey and marking territory ( \u201cinstant messaging\u201d).\u00a0 Clawing helps the cat work off excess energy. It feels good! But when s\/he scratches and claws in all the wrong places, there\u2019s a problem. Claw withdraw! (That does NOT mean declawing. Never. Ever.)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Possible Causes<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The principal cause of inappropriate scratching\/clawing is not providing the best surfaces for your cat to use. Some cats prefer vertical surfaces, while others may prefer horizontal or even 90 degree\u2013angled scratchers.\u00a0 You may have bought a post that you liked due to its height, angle, color, texture, and price, but was it what Noodles likes?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Potential Solutions<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Never declaw!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s mutilation, nothing less. It\u2019s equivalent to cutting off the first joint of your own fingers. And the method, whether it’s amputation by laser or by any other way, makes no difference. Declawing is never<\/em> necessary and never<\/em> recommended by any responsible cat behavior consultant or animal organization. It\u2019s also illegal in many countries, and many American cities.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As a professionally-trained, specifically cat behaviorist with over 45 years of experience, I also manage other problems and fears; the aging cat, the feral cat and the stray cat can present special challenges of their own. These are the types of issues that require the skills of an experienced cat behaviorist.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n

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*FOR A FASTER RESPONSE, PLEASE EMAIL ME DIRECTLY<\/span><\/span>\u00a0 (JANE_EHR@ HOTMAIL.COM), INSTEAD OF USING THE FORM. (I don’t always get form submissions!)* Also, as my Paypal account uses another email address, please use the form. Thank you!
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Book a Clawing Consultation:<\/span><\/h1>\r\n

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Initial Telephone Chat: <\/strong>Complementary (Contact to Book<\/strong><\/a>) <\/span><\/strong>Let’s discuss the issues. I can ask you some questions, and we can schedule the appropriate consult.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Short Consultation (30+<\/span> mins): $135.00<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

After initial consultation (the more information I have, the better I can help),\u00a0 we can discuss certain problems that may not need a longer consultation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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In-Depth Consultation (60+<\/span> mins): $250.00<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This includes in-depth questioning during a one-hour-plus telephone call, and email follow-up report, with\u00a0 recommendations. Follow-ups by telephone\/email for 60 days included. Especially useful for national and international consults.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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NOTE:<\/strong> Occasionally I do home visits, depending on the problem and client distance. Contact me for further information…and discussion.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The key to solving your cat\u2019s scratching\/clawing problem is to redirect your cat\u2019s natural urge to scratch towards more appropriate areas. Make those areas more appealing while making where s\/he\u2019s scratching now less appealing. Never punish your cat! Not only …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1685,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1598","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cattitudebehavior.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cattitudebehavior.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cattitudebehavior.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cattitudebehavior.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cattitudebehavior.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1598"}],"version-history":[{"count":90,"href":"https:\/\/www.cattitudebehavior.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4746,"href":"https:\/\/www.cattitudebehavior.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1598\/revisions\/4746"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cattitudebehavior.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cattitudebehavior.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}