My cats keep clawing at the carpet on my stairs, does anyone know of good tactics to get them to stop?

A Quora user asked, “My cats keep clawing at the carpet on my stairs, does anyone know of good tactics to get them to stop?” And I think I have the perfect answer in a picture that I have just taken with my phone. Here it is:

Scratching board
Photo: Michael

You can place half a dozen around the home next to the skirting board or just before the first step of the stairs and your cat will prefer to scratch them than the carpet or stairs. The reason: it feels better as it is corrugated cardboard and catnip has been sprinkled on it. The catnip comes with the item. The fact that it is a horizontal item also encourages a cat to scratch it as a substitute for the carpet which is horizontal. This is in comparison to a cat scratching post which is arguably better as a substitute for the sides of an armchair.

You buy it from Amazon at around $5 or £5. Very cheap, very effective. When the board wears out because of scratching you can turn the corrugated cardboard block over to present a fresh surface.


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Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

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1 Response

  1. Albert Schepis says:

    Yeah, rather than be completely befuddled or try to stop a cat from doing a healthy thing they are naturally compelled to do, provide them an substitute or even better place to do it. It’s good to ask, but it’s best to be smarter than a cat. Thank you Michael.

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