Feliscratch to the Rescue to Save the Couches and Prevent Declaw

On HouseSmarts TV, I explain why declaw is not the right way to go. No wonder, nations around the world have banned declaw, and increasingly it is being legislated against in America as it was banned in Denver in 2017.  There’s a new product to encourage cats to scratch in all the right places, called Feliscratch.  I show how cats can be redirected to scratching posts without amputation (which is what a declaw is).

Feliscratch contains a blue dye to capture cats’ attention like a sign saying “look!” and catnip to do the same using cats’ olfactory sense. The real secret sauce in this new natural product to encourage scratching is the synthetic version (or a copy) of the feline interdigital semiochemical pheromone (which cats naturally deposit where they scratch). This product alone, and better with behavior modification, persuades cats to scratch where we like. Still, there are some caveats:

• Scratching posts must be appropriate, a height that is worth the effort to scratch on and sturdy, so there’s no fear of toppling over.
• The kind of material the individual cat likes. Most cats prefer sisal, some prefer carpeting, and some don’t especially care one way or the other
• Location of the placement of the post is important – always located near where the cat is scratching inappropriately.
• A minimum of anxiety in the home. Cats suffering fear, anxiety and stress due to other causes – such as too many cats in one location, may be less likely to use the post. Also there must be enough vertical posts in the home. While no definitive research has been done on this, the suggestion is at least one vertical post plus one per the number of cats in the home. So, if there are three cats in the home, that means four (appropriately located) posts.

Join the national campaign to Save the Couches!