The Edmonton Muse May 2019 | Page 37

Do you have a cat behaviour question you'd like addressed? Please email [email protected]. If

your question is selected as next month's topic, you'll win an hour in our cat lounge, coffee included!

A few things you can look at, regarding the scratching post itself: Is it the same material that they enjoy scratching? In this example, the cat loves carpet. Maybe they prefer that texture to the sisal rope or cardboard one you provided! Is your post a vertical post? Observe your cat's current favourite scratching

areas. If they're horizontal (like the floor!) then you can try simply tipping over the post to modify it to be horizontal. Or try placing it on the area of the floor they currently prefer scratching.

Too many times, cat owners tend to over personify their cats, and this can be a detriment when trying to redirect behaviour. Our precious fuzzy kitty boo-boo babies, at the end of the day, are animals, and when we stop and think, from a primal, survival perspective, we can usually figure out why the cat is “grumpy” or demonstrating a certain behaviour, and take steps to remove the stressor that is causing the cat to be “grumpy”.