How can you stop your cat from carpet chewing?

Having a cat is a fun and rewarding experience, however as all cat owners know, cats have claws and will use them on your carpet. Cats will use your carpet to sharpen their claws, causing bits and pieces of the carpet to come up from the ground. Once the strings of the carpet are exposed, cats will also play with the area and potentially pull it up completely. Given enough time, cats can cause major damage to a carpeted area. It is important to break a cat of its carpet clawing habit as soon as possible to save your carpet, using humane methods that provide your cat an alternative place to scratch and sharpen his or her claws.

Visit your local pet store or shop online for two different types of products. You will need to purchase a safe scratching substitute for your cat, such as a scratch pad or scratching post. If your cat likes to get up on to things and high areas, try getting a taller style post to allow them to also climb and play.

While shopping, you should also purchase one of the sprays made to repel cats and dogs from an area – these products are safe for animals, and usually have a bitter smell that deters the pet from whatever area has been sprayed. The smell of the spray is generally made to be detected by a pet’s nose, and should not have an overwhelming odor to a human.

Once the you have these items, determine where in the house your cat is concentrating his or her scratching routine, as it will generally be the same place each time as cats are creatures of habit. Watch the area and observe the cat’s behavior as they approach it, including how often it is visited, in order to to catch the cat in the act of actually scratching the carpet.

Spray the pet deterrent on to the area of carpet that is being scratched, making sure it is well covered. Then, place the new scratching pad or post right next to the affected area of carpet. This combination of actions should steer your cat away from the carpet, and onto the material that is made for scratching.