My Cat Won't Use Her Scratching Mat?

Question

My Cat Always Scratches At My Walls, So I Got Her A Cat Mat And Glued It Onto The Wall. How Do I Get Her To Use It. I've Tried Everything But She Only Lays Underneath It!

Answer 1

Ouch. I think every cat owner has been there before. You can try to spark her interest by rubbing some cat nip or some tasty treat on it.  You can also try (and it's a long shot) scraping your nails across the material yourself when she's feeling playful and see if she'll mimic you. Just don't try to physically put her paws on the mat or she'll probably resent you for it ;) That's about all you can try, I'm afraid. Some cats just don't want to use a scratching post/cat tree/scratching mat.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, you probably won't get her to scratch at it. Cats are very independent, self minded, stubborn animals. No matter how great pets they are and how much they love us, they are very self minded. She probably realized she was supposed to scratch the mat, so she decided not to. I wish there was some way i can help, but she is a cat, so there probably isn't anything you can do...  

Answer 3

They need something they can really put some aggression into.  Cats scratch not only to sharpen their claws against predators, but to mark their territory.

I would get a scratching post, 2-3 times larger than her and cover it with catnip.  She'll get the idea really quick.

Answer 4

oooh thats rough buddy... try cat nip

hope this works :D

Answer 5

Cats are like kids.  They have their likes and dislikes.  My cat only lays on her scratching mat and that is even with cat nip in it.  She does not have any front claws so "pawing" the furniture is not a big deal for us.  A good squirt from a water bottle and a firm "NO" will get them to stop doing something you don't want.  See about getting a carpet covered scratching mat or pole for her and see if that does any good.

Answer 6

She may not like that mat. My cat prefers the cardboard scratching strips (I buy them at Target), or a carpet tree to scratch on. Your cat may be scratching at the walls because she thinks that they are something she can dig at to get to something. My cat will often scratch the wall where her litter box is, and my parent's cat scratches at windows because he wants to go outside.

Answer 7

My cats have a climbing tree covered with carpet, a low scratching post and a scratch mat, none of which they use!

All three of them love pieces of cardboard with the surface slightly roughened to start so that they can really rip into it.

I just dismantle cardboard boxes and leave the pieces scattered around our living room.

A short, sharp squirt with a water spray often discourages unwanted behaviour!