The best way to stop your cat from destroying your property and making your home cat proof is to make sure that you are putting your cat into an environment that is designed with them in mind. Your home can easily be saved from a lot of problems by setting up a play center that will let your cat climb, scratch, leap, and sleep in peace. Throw a few toys in there for your cat to play with and your cat will be in heaven. If your cat stays indoors they won’t have a lot of access to grass or other plants that cats love to chew on. Offerings of lettuce or cat grass can stop them from chewing up your houseplants.
Cat proofing problem areas
Keeping your cat away from problem areas is a little harder than keeping them busy. Child locks, barricades, and closing doors will go along way, but some cats are too smart for your weak cat proofing efforts! For these stubborn kittens, you will have to try remote punishment, taste and odour aversion, or even booby traps if you’re feeling adventurous. You should never, ever use physical punishment to train your cat. All you will do is create an adorable pet that also happens to be terrified of you. Even worse, they won’t learn anything! They will only stay away from the areas when you’re around.
Cat proof against scratching
Scratching is also a common behaviour that your cat might give in to. Your cat is trying to mark its territory and get a decent stretch in, but the side effect is that your furniture will be destroyed.
To stop the destructive scratching you have a couple of options. You can keep your cat out of the tempting rooms, regularly trim their nails, or give them a scratching post. It will take some encouragement to get your cat to use the scratching post, however, and you can put it near their favourite nap area and maybe even another one in another area that they spend a lot of time in.
In the event that they continue scratching the furniture in the living room, you can try putting a scratching post there as well. Use some food rewards to try to encourage the proper behaviour. If that still doesn’t work then it might be time to use plastic coverings or double-sided tape, but I hope it doesn’t come to that or else you will be a human living in a cat home.
There is one final option, but one that you should try your absolute best to avoid. De clawing is a relatively safe procedure, but is fairly controversial and results in a lot of mixed reviews. If you’re only other option is to kick your cat out of the house than this is an option for you.
There have been several studies that found negative behaviour’s were present after the procedure, but it is up to you and your veterinarian.
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