Why Your Cat Won’t Use the Scratching Post

Why Your Cat Won’t Use the Scratching Post
It is possible to teach your cat to use the scratching post. A very basic yet frustrating question that’s asked of me all the time is: With all of the scratching posts I buy for my cat, why do they still scratch my couch?! There are easy fixes once you understand your cat's behavior and get to know your cat just a little bit better - and that’s what I’m here for!
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00:00 Cat Advice Intro
01:09 My cats are still scratching the couch
03:05 Where to place the cat tower
03:39 Why cats scratch the couch
05:22 Is your cat a horizontal scratcher?
07:45 Another option for cat scratching couch
08:28 Common mistake cat owners make
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#JacksonGalaxy #Cat #Advice

[@JacksonGalaxy]

🐈Get your frisky feline pouncing and jumping after this soaring feather toy. Air Prey Telescoping Wand 👉shop.jacksongalaxy.com/products/air-prey-telescoping-wand

[@aslanameret]

We got this and it’s Mochi’s favorite toy!

[@melodybeitzel5378]

Why doesn’t my cat play with her toys ?

[@lyndahammond8883]

Maria, please stop calling your cat it. He or she is not a chair or a TV or a car. He or she is a being. Please, identify your kitty as a gender. It can bring you closer as the word, "jt" implies a "thing," not a "being."

[@user-yc5fr8zu1m]

@@lyndahammond8883 do you think the animals care? you use “it” to describe an animal.

[@TheAmtwhite]

I’m in Canada. Why can’t I order from your website? :(

[@britfrie]

Hey! It's ME! Thank you so much for responding to my video! I will definitely implement your suggestions! I have other questions about our favorite boy Ron and will submit another video as soon as I can catch him in the act. hahaha! Also, if you like my cat scratch items in the hall way I will hook you up with the link! Thank you so much again! I am so excited Ron and Ginny are now cat famous! hahaha!

[@Calkookiekat]

Couldn't help but notice your Shooky pillow hehe 💜

[@ronweasley496]

Hii, where did you send him the video? I have some aggressive behavior I don’t know how to fix :(

[@xxzenaiyah]

@@ronweasley496 he has the link in the bio of this vid!

[@ronweasley496]

@@xxzenaiyah thank you!

[@shenagrapa641]

@@Calkookiekat same haha i was like "oh hey an Army" lol

[@mscrabson]

Thankfully my cat isn’t picky and he’ll claw anything: scratch posts I made for him, my chairs, my sofa, my knees...

[@TheALLYISLAME]

😂😂😂

[@flameepidemic4839]

Saaaameee excepyt he prefers the sofa and only sometimes uses his scratching post

[@danielholloway8030]

Ikr

[@sammieculpepper1394]

Yesss

[@merazmahmud5948]

i feel ya 🥲

[@tineputzeys]

This is why I love these so much more than the "my cat from hell" videos. Usually, those people are clueless and it's just about basics. The youtube crowd has clearly done their homework and we get to see advanced cat stuff. Keep doing these! :D

[@flaminflamango5900]

I've learned so much watching these videos, and I'm not even a cat owner (yet!)

[@21_f_aus]

I watch both these and my cat from hell these videos you for sure learn more and get more ideas though...

[@limiv5272]

It's really annoying that nearly all the people picked to participate in that show were just clueless idiots who couldn't be bothered to look up basic information on their own. They should've had a more even mix of people needing basic cat knowledge and people having trouble despite already knowing the basics or beyond

[@cassaleelee]

The premise of the show was that cats are evil, then Jackson steps in to show them "No, they are not, you are just not understanding their needs." I myself have never seen such intensely uncomfortable cats! But it was ultimately about defending cats nature and educating their humans, so you need those who need education.

[@tineputzeys]

@@cassaleelee Of course. And we can assume that people in general, just watching TV for entertainment haven't been steeped in hours and hours of Jackson telling us to play with our cats (and other basic stuff). The content of my cat from hell is perfect for its intended audience. I just like to go a step further in my understanding of cats.

[@dixoncider5046]

My cat was declawed (by a previous owner 🤬), and he still uses his scratching post. He likes to rub his toe beans on the top of the post.

[@loobylouboti]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww 😭 But 😂 Bless his heart! 😍

[@tararoast]

Poor baby 💔 how selfish & cruel the previous owner was.

[@dixoncider5046]

@@tararoast yeah. It was an older women who had eye surgery and needed to get rid of him because he has long hair. Hes a big orange Maine coon and I got him for free. Hes spoiled and gets lots of attention, especially during the pandemic. He uses his mouth alot to play, so I don't have kids or non-cat people around him. I've kicked out 2 roommates so far who were kinda mean to him, even when I was around. He's a good boi

[@redgreen6436]

He uses his mouth alot to play, what does that mean?Biting?

[@dixoncider5046]

@@redgreen6436 to bite and hold or grab things. When I first got him he was a bit more aggressive, but after playing with him lots he's pretty affectionate towards me. He has his moments. Definitely not a cat for an old lady. She was like 75 or so

[@Nikki0417]

I had to laugh when she said "talk to you later," because that's 100% something I would do.

[@rapture2day]

The best cat scratcher is the heavy duty WELCOME mats. (Weight about 5 pounds and not great for bare feet, coconut husky-type.) I put one near my new leather-ish futon and 6 months later, no scratches! They step on the mat and can't resist it. I feel like I won the lottery and put one in every room.

[@watchensee]

Wow I'll have to remember the rough welcome mats as cat scratching equipment, if I ever get a cat.

[@divitiae]

Your comment is old, but thank you! My cat has no interest in different texture scratching posts/alternatives, but she immediately took to the welcome mat. Might take awhile to stop going for the couch, but at least now we have an alternative she likes!

[@IloveOtherPplsMsry]

No wonder my cat keeps going for the carpet, he's a horizontal scratcher.

[@karacole2304]

Right? Makes so much sense.

[@ShawnFumo]

Thankfully a friend had recommended one of the wavy horz cardboard ones before we even adopted our cat. At first she went for the carpet (is a very low tough type carpet) but very soon after she switched over to the scratcher and just uses that. Has ignored the vertical posts we got, but that's fine...

[@manxie1897]

Whenever I introduce a new post, I always scratch it first to entice my cats to scratch at it and understand that this is where they're supposed to scratch. I didn't know I was 'marking' it, which would make them want to mark it too LOL

[@being47]

i tried this with my cat but she didn't started using it. infact she doesn't scratch anywhere , at least in front of me . she is around 2+ months old now.

[@spiralflash6169]

My cat would always scratch the carpet, so I bought her a cat tree with sisel on the post/leg which she ignored. Then I bought her some horizontal scratchers, flat and curved ones, which I placed over her favorite parts of the carpet. She found other areas of carpet to scratch instead, while I tripped over the scratchers every day. She often would scratch the carpet first thing in the morning, so I slept next to my phone so I could "catch" her with a video to consult The Cat Daddy. Suddenly she started using the sisel post and loves it so much now she stopped scratching the carpet, to my delight. So Ms. Pewter missed being a movie star because she's such a smart girl, but she is very grateful to Jackson for her new wet food diet, and the daily play sessions. Jury is still out on the harness. Meow.

[@Vidchemy]

Amazing how cats will change their behavior when they see the phone cam is on lol

[@xenonsan3110]

My cat will also sort of do this too but only if we give him too much food he can eat in one sitting. Apparently cats will try to "bury" food they haven't eaten. So whenever he stops eating we'll pick it up and put it in the fridge at take it out a bit later

[@j.y.3604]

They leave their scent when they scratch so if they scratch on your rug you need to spray some rug cleaner on it and put a cat scratcher over that spot. You have to provide multiple cat scratchers to throughout the house not just in one room

[@xladyfayre]

Mine escaped the harness after being in it for 2 minutes. Well, that went out the window. I was hoping that I could walk her, but nope.

[@jamootoo5200]

I also have a cheap rug, like a 4'x5' I got from Wlmt for like $20 in the dorm & 'furniture'/ vacuum section (all rolled up sticking out of a huge box), that I put down in the carpeted room - under & in front of the 2 cat trees sitting in front of the window (an extra bedroom thats now officially, the cat's room). They have plenty of tree scratchers in there that they totally destroy & only sometimes are in the mood to scratch only that remnant carpet... never the regular carpet around it. It's kind if like a thinner edge bound indoor/outdoor carpet that they can more easily catch their claws on. They seem to prefer it - which I dont care bc it was so cheap/ reason I bought it... and NEVER touch the regular wall to wall carpet anywhere else in the house... I can always throw it out/ replace with another that won't break the bank too. Just an idea - that might have something to it...

[@eileenlester4342]

I sprinkle a little catnip on the post areas and our cat's love it.

[@laurelgirard8475]

If she put an Afghan on the couch, the cats wouldn’t like it. They hate to get their claws caught in it.

[@britfrie]

I have tried this, they don't really care for catnip..

[@eileenlester4342]

@@britfrie 😿

[@staciecarrel4492]

Depending on their age (they look little), they might be a bit too young. Some cats don’t become catnip responsive until adulthood. Though many cats are not responsive at all. Just if they’re young don’t count out the catnip just yet.

[@Alien--Bunny]

My cat will scratch both vertical and horizontal. It depends on the texture of the post and if it's stable. He has a huge one, but because he dislikes the texture, he just sits on it.

[@Vessenkestrel]

We moved the scratching post that our first cat rejected into the room our new cat likes to hang put in. Now the first cat suddenly loves it 😝

[@kylie7780]

I had a scratching post in the kitchen for a year and my cat didn't touch it. We moved it 2 ft. over and she suddenly loves it.

[@loobylouboti]

@@kylie7780 loooool 😂

[@cynthiasstylemua9822]

We did the same thing, our cats didn't like the scatcher at first. We moved it across the room and they began using it. Then we moved it back to where it was before. It's all good now. Luckily, they didn't scratch our couch. Since we bought our cats their own beds and put them on the floor our cats rarely jump and lay on the couch. Only when they really want to be pet and snuggle will they come on the couch. Otherwise, each has its own bed and loves having its own space.

[@semperfi818]

Moving any kitteh furniture can have surprising results -- and here one also sees the way one kitteh will suddenly look at an ignored item in a new way when it seems to have been given to another kitteh. 😉😸🐱

[@tromedl]

@@kylie7780 LOL I did the same. Can't never tell with the cats.

[@tararoast]

That explains why my cats will not use flat scratching products, thanks Jackson.

[@jesslikescoffee24]

One of my cat’s favorite scratching spots is an old rug rolled up. We got a new rug, rolled up the old one, and left it just sitting there for a bit before taking it out. She hopped right on to scratch it, we weren’t bothered because it wasn’t getting used, and now she loves it so much that we’ve just kept it for her 😅 It’s ugly, but she’s spoiled.

[@DivaPWI]

We have an old, busted up, leather office chair. It is the most hideous thing! But all four of my babies LOVE this stupid chair. So it has been in my home office for 4 years. It's "their" chair. The bonus for me is that I have had another chair for six months; one of those awesome gaming car-seat style chairs, and none of them scratch at it. They stick to their chair. My hub and I always spoil our babies even if their style choices are questionable.

[@fingerlickingoooood]

that sounds very ugly... kudos to you guys. lucky cat lol

[@fingerlickingoooood]

@@DivaPWI i love this comment lol

[@toriless]

As soon as she said "I don't own this couch" I thought "you do now".

[@TmHasuSnow]

Thank you so much for these videos. Well I am 13 and can’t have a cat until I move out, yet I watch these 🤣 but anyway I want to be super prepared for one day when I get a cat, and your videos are gonna make me the best cat mom ever 🥰

[@abby-me17016]

Same, just i’m not 13.

[@RadiantSharaShaymin]

That's so responsible... wow! Keep being cool!

[@fingerlickingoooood]

i feel for you kid. i've wanted a cat since the fourth grade, and i was never allowed. i'm moving out this month, i'm 22 now. it's a long wait. try to beg your parents. if it doesn't work... try to forget about it for now. maybe beg for a hamster or something small. just make sure you take good care of it. you're going to be a great cat mom some day.

[@RadiantSharaShaymin]

@@fingerlickingoooood Just to say, hamsters need their cage and *everything* in it well-cleaned at least once a week - I (personally) wouldn't say they're small (and if the wheel is squeaky, you'll hear it at 2 am) Not trying to start anything, but just giving a fair warning. The cage you keep them in could very well make it a pain, please be careful!

[@catitude4]

I've had cats all my life and here is what I found out. Everything they seem to make for cats is too small, from scratch posts to litter boxes. Chewy sells a large cat scratch post that they can actually climb. My cats use these. As for your sofa, get some large comforters and cover the couch or chair, they only like to scratch solid surfaces. For litter boxes, I get those large storage boxes with covers, cut a hole in the side, now they have plenty of room. They like that better. Cat trees the same way, they are all too small. I did find larger ones at a pet store, but that was a long time ago. I still have them. It's a pet peeve of mine, everything is too small.

[@inebyine]

I agree. I am a tall human and my rescue cat is a very big boy, so we can totally relate! I've been looking for ages for a scratching mat (he's a horizontal scratcher as well) that's actually spacious enough. In the end I just got him some large wood panels to scratch on and he loves it.

[@SPNSO-js4hx]

I totally agree!

[@kellyngrey4950]

My cat tends to be a horizontal scratcher too. Something I've found that works is one of those flat cardboard scratchers - I tend to pick it up and move it around often for sweeping/cleaning. When I'm done, I'll toss it out somewhere on the floor. As soon as it hits the ground my boy goes for it. I think for him, he likes the novelty of "reclaiming" it every time I throw it down. (He also loves to scratch the entry rug. I don't bother correcting him because it's cheap and I can replace it, and I'm happy he's not scratching elsewhere!)

[@j.y.3604]

You need multiple cat scratchers both horizontal and vertical in different rooms in your house you can't buy one cat scratcher and put it in the living room because if your cat wakes up in the bedroom the first thing he's going to want to do is scratch it's a natural instinct keep multiple scratchers around your house they're not expensive go to Ross Dress for Less and they always have cat scratchers there for three or four dollars by a few of them and just toss them around the house and your cat will use them

[@marys7251]

@@j.y.3604 Thanks for the Ross tip!😊

[@fingerlickingoooood]

love this comment lol

[@ngndnd]

i hate those flat cardboard scratchers they move too much. Even my cat hates them

[@sofastuffing]

@iviknsbcbdjs you could try using blu-tack or putty to keep them stuck to the floor

[@AnnPhilipp]

hehe, you can never go wrong with a Monty Python reference...

[@trombonegirlie23]

The air prey wand is seriously the best cat toy available.

[@maxandminiadventure]

Jackson, took your advice looooong time ago...Animal Planet days and it's been working for us since. You have saved us from frustrations over scratching! 🙏🙏Yes, not all cats are the same when it comes to scratching, Maxie is a vertical scratcher.

[@kami_kauai]

Brittany if you’re reading: I had the EXACT same problem as you, and attempted the same solutions you did. I finally managed to solve it by spraying citrus sent on my couch. I mixed citrus essential oils with vodka and sprayed the spots on the couch every morning and evening for several weeks. You have to spray pretty close to the fabric so that you don’t make the whole room smell uninviting to your cats. But they won’t like the smell of your couch now and gradually learn not to stretch/scratch on it. It takes weeks of religious spraying but it really works. My cat will sit on the couch but not scratch it now :)

[@senocracy]

hi!! i keep reading that citrus essential were toxic to cats, is this really safe to try? would love a tactic that finally works but i don’t want to harm her.

[@renda4806]

Essential oils are toxic for cats

[@kaylastarr7863]

@@senocracy i don't think my cat is worth testing it out tbh i suspect a past cat of mine passed that way before this was well known, a roommate loved those diffuser things. I don't recommend it.

[@kami_kauai]

@@renda4806 yeah that’s why I don’t spray my cat with them, just the couch :P

[@kami_kauai]

@@kaylastarr7863 I did say I spray really close to the couch. Of course no one should use a diffuser 🙄

[@snixw125]

Oh man, it just clicked! I now know why my cat scratches the only upholstered chair. She wants something high up so she can stretch. Awesome 👍 thanks for the video.

[@lesliedaubert4250]

My kitty has a horizontal scratcher , and a wavy horizontal one. He rubs the wavy one, but scratches the carpet instead. When I got the first cardboard one he loved it. But now it's the carpet.

[@TheCatWrangler]

It sounds to me like he has gotten bored of his scratchers and where they are in the house. What I would recommend is getting some new horizontal and vertical scratchers. Or literally just the cardboard refills (the cheep kind works well) and temporarily putting them all over the carpet especially in the spots where the kitty is scratching. Most cats prefer cardboard to carpet. It sounds like he is craving novelty when it comes to scratching. You can avoid him going back to the carpet by changing up the scratcher placement from time to time and getting new ones every couple of years. Moving scratchers to important places for him can work well too. hope that helps a little :)

[@tiffariff]

Some cats like the texture of fabric or sometimes even rubber. It’s not always the direction but the texture which is much harder to correct

[@sawah765]

if he wants a carpet texture u could get door mats or carpet patches and use catnip to make it more interesting than the actual carpet

[@staciecarrel4492]

After awhile scratchers get too shredded to serve their purpose. It may be time for refills or entirely new ones (depending on the type of scratcher). Even sisal scratching posts get worn out after awhile (longer than cardboard ones).

[@tiffariff]

@@staciecarrel4492 yeah we have ones that are refillable :)

[@mycool8184]

This just gave me a crazy idea for my cat. I make vertical corner scratchers. And place them on the corners of the couch. So now mr.whiskers, can hang with the scent. And scratch where he wants

[@ohiko9594]

Our perfect scratch surface is an ugly old soviet chair from my grandmom's house. We didn't care much about it, because it was ugly and we didn't use it for years. Our kitty Basia absolutely loves it, she turned into a masterpiece through the years, but it's very sturdy and it has both horizontal and vertical surface, so she's 100% content. She never touches the rug or the couch nearby.

[@Jaygerix]

jackson, thank you for everything man! I recently adopted a "wallflower" cat in a sense from the SPCA, he was very shy, shaky and timid. But hes come out his shell a lot the past couple days, had him for about 4 days now, Your videos have helped me so much, especially covering up any places he could go hide behind, cucoon > caving! Going to buy some horozontial scratchers today to stop him scratching at my dining table seats!

[@Oscar-gq4ro]

My cats didn’t like the scratching post till I turned it on it’s side. Now they love damn thing. It’s just the top platform pole from an old cat tower tipped on its side.

[@dragonofmordor]

Jackson, I just want to thank you for all the advice you give us. I just recently moved a couple of weeks ago, and I was so worried my Joanna was going to get sick because she's a cat who reacts to change often by getting sick. But I followed all your advice for setting up her base camp in my bedroom with all her things, using holistic wall plugins that seem to help her stress levels, making sure the new house smelled like both of us, keeping her litter box smelling like her, and then slowly allowing her to explore the new house as she became ready. And she's done amazingly well. She actually loves the new house, she's been exploring all the counters, shelves, and other high spaces and spending hours in the new windows bird-watching. And I've seen barely any signs of stress after the first couple of days. Your advice on cats always works wonders with my girl.

[@DeekJohnson]

Build your own...buy a foot or 2 of that black runner carpet that comes off a roll at Home Depot ($5 ft). It has a rubber backing and folds easily around a 2 x 4... and staple. cats love it.

[@madelinegarber7860]

I laughed a little too hard when he said cat instead of couch. This was super helpful. My cat now is a veryical scratcher, but I have no idwa what my next cat will be. I’ll have to pay attention so I buy the right kind of scratchers and such.

[@basscheutjens6612]

One of my cats is also a horizontal scratcher. She used to always scratch one part of a rug and whatever I tried to put on it, she would move it and scratch the rug. Then I accidentally stumbled onto a horizontal scratcher in the store (didn't know that existed), bought one and put it on the rug where she would normally scratch. She immediately started using it and when I moved it off the rug after a few days she kept using the scratcher and stopped using the rug. Jackson, thanks for all your lessons, you helped me a lot to just look at my cats and understand them and become a better cat guardian.

[@kookamunga2458]

I did not need to buy any scratch posts . I strapped a hunk of 2×4 lumber about 3 foot in length to the leg of a wicker chair in my living room in the exact same spot where cat likes to scratch and in the other room where he likes to scratch I tied a peice of plywood measuring 3 foot by 4 foot also standing upright . My cat uses them all the time . I also have a picture painted on one of the scratch posts so it wouldn't clash with the decor and the paint that I used on the picture is non toxic . Oh sometimes it's better to have a peice of old wooden furniture for the cat to scratch .

[@alalonso89]

I had this problem with my cat scratching the arm rest. I just threw a cheap soft fleece blanket on it and now she’s not interested in scratching it anymore. I don’t mind her sleeping on the couch, I did mind the scratching though :D

[@heatherbryant4197]

My cat loves that fleece material that looks like lambs wool ("sherpa"). He also loves the textile suitcases are made out of though lol (both to sleep on, not scratch) The latter seemed a bit odd to me. Sometimes you just gotta find the right texture.

[@okashi10]

Same for me! I put a nice soft fleece blanket over by couch cushions and my little dude just leaves them alone now.

[@ki2348]

3:24 hey, my cats have that exact cat tree! mouse and all, just a different color. nice!

[@pamelacox540]

We have kitties that adore horizontal cardboard scratchers and sturdy vertical sisal posts. We have to first turn then replace the horizontal cardboard scratchers when they’re “worn out”. They LOVE when the cardboard is new❤️

[@Fifi_Is_My_Name-O]

My cats love the "rug type" mats for scratching most of the time although they do like to hang out in the kitty condo cat trees by the window. What I have always done when I get any sort of "scratching" item is rub it down well with a good quality cat nip, I rub the cat nip between my hands, and then rub it onto the item, all over it and sprinkle a little bit on it too. This seems to keep them scratching in all the right places the majority of the time. I "reapply" the cat nip in the same way every so often.

[@AaronSmith-kr5yf]

Gotta have some sacrificial furniture if you have cats IMO. When I grew up we had a nice ranch house with the rec room over the garage. Locked the cat up there every night in the rec room, he had a cat door to get into the garage with the litter box down there. Garage was lots of fun, cave crickets, spiders, flying bugs, the occasional mouse since we kept bird feed in there. Anyways, the old furniture went up into the rec room, aka the cat room, where he'd claw the shit out of it and we just didn't care. With my current cat I saw a rattan laundry basket for $8 at goodwill, sacrificial scratching post. Found an old wicker chair at a garage sale for $20, kitty has scratched the shit out of it. Now I've put blue tape on the corners of the couches and chairs I want to keep nice, also sprayed her with compressed air if I see her trying to scratch on the good furniture. She gets the message. I've also put some cardboard scratchers at the corners of the furniture I don't want her to scratch, that also has worked, removed the blue tape after a few months and she doesn't scratch the good couch/chairs.

[@kennysoreano3263]

I have found thats smooth soft fabrics like velvet and microsuede are way less attractive than woven upholstery fabrics!

[@littlemouse9900]

Sounds like her cat are wanting a flat floor scratcher. She has a lot of curved and towers. My cat preferred the 100% flat cardboard based one. I sprinkled tons of catnip on it and he went bonkers and scratched up the whole thing now I just sprinkle catnip every few months!

[@BigMattXXL]

Instructions unclear. Cat is now super glued to the ceiling fan

[@dkleath8697]

😆👍✌️

[@GaryLiseo]

Any advice for encouraging scratching for cats? I adopted my cat almost 3 months ago and she seems beyond happy living with me. I've tried getting her scratchers, but she did not take to them (one hanging from a doorknob and the other a small fabric tower/post). She doesn't have any problems scratching furniture and is content to spend any time she can cuddled up with me purring, like right now, but doesn't seem to like "normal" cat things (toys, scratching, catnip, cardboard boxes, etc.) If it helps, she is also about 8 years old and also does not care for what the humane society gave me she had there (a bed and a few toys).

[@maxandminiadventure]

Hi Jackson, your smurgling advice caught Maxie's attention...she was listening! Where can I post this for you to see? 😁😁😺😺😁😁

[@scrapperify]

It’s in the episode description (will need to expand it to see)

[@janine7418]

My cat does both. His horizontal scratcher is going bald in spots. He also loves to scratch the corner of my bed where the sheet is exposed. I have decided to embrace his Love and buy inexpensive sheets. Oh, and I LOVE your videos! I bing watch on lazy mornings.

[@henryramos3416]

The monty python bit had me rolling 😅

[@Jen_nifer99]

I’m so happy that my cat uses the cat tree/scratchpost I bought her ☺️ I just quickly carried her to the cat tree every time I saw her wanting to scratch the couch. And it worked! My cat is definitely a vertical scratcher. So she likes sisal posts

[@NectereYT]

That air prey wand turned my sweet kitty into a ferocious monster. We had to take the feather off lol.

[@rosec.9695]

My cats always scratch my bed frame but refuse to use the scratching post, now I know why 😅 thanks

[@JacksonGalaxy]

You’re welcome 😊

[@sarah-leah-thompson]

My cat LOVED destroying our nice, thickly woven couch. I purchased a cover that fit awkwardly on the couch but was cheap, plastic protectors for the side, and yet she still found ways to destroy it. I finally gave in a bought velvet couch and cushion covers from Amazon and she has not touched the couch with a single claw! She still enjoys sitting and napping on it, but no longer claws it. The cover that came with 3 cushion covers, along with 3 extra covers was $80. Best purchase.

[@CyborgWolf]

It took 3 years for my cat to use hers. It was a rectangular one we hanged on the wall near the floor. Never even considered it. One day I took it off for some reason & left it on the floor because I forgot to put it back up. She went nut on it. Now she uses a scratch post multiple time a day, especially when she's excited and ready to play.

[@loobylouboti]

Isn't it funny that whatever we think our cats will love, and put so much thought into it for them, they have their own ideas about how *exactly* they want it. Bless them. Be so much easier if they could just say, "Here human, I don't dig that. Put it over there *points*" 😂

[@CyborgWolf]

@@loobylouboti True lol. Now I try different things with her. I give her one thing & another to see what she likes or not. Then I get rid of what she doesn't like or care & keep the "good thing" It make both our lives easier XD

[@loobylouboti]

@@CyborgWolf Good thinking. Saves having loads of crap lying around too! 😂

[@AdelardRen]

One of my cats seems to have an affection for scratching wood.

[@TheCatWrangler]

What worked for me is... 1. Cover the couch with a large thick blanket to protect the couch. Wash and replace the blanket every few weeks. Super easy! 2. OR Use double sided sticky tape for just a couple weeks. --> you dont need to cover the whole couch.... just put a few strips in the main areas. You only need to leave it there long enough so they learn that is not fun to scratch there. once they move to the appropriate scratchers, you can slowly take the tape off.

[@janinachen9817]

Okay, I usually never ever comment anywhere...but I just gotta tell you that you, Mr. Galaxy, are a saviour! I grew up raising cats and I never struggled with them. However, a few weeks ago I got a new kitten and she drove me nuts! Scratching my furniture, scratching my carpets, basically scratching everything she wasn't supposed to and I always wondered why. She had two scratching towers as a scratching alternative next to the couch and in a window...but no matter how many No's and how many alternatives...my couch and my carpets were always victims to her little murder mittens. It got to the point that my couch consisted of over 50% tape. After this video I finally understood! She's a horizontal scratcher!! I ran to the store and bought a bunch of horizontal scratching alternatives and she finally stops scratching my couch! You are a genius! I can finally cater to her needs and she did not only stop scratching my couch, she's also much more relaxed and started seaottering!

[@mirandawade3362]

Hi Jackson! New here. I'm not a cat person but a feral follow me in the door one day and she would't leave. I'm allergic so we kept the cat and got another cat so she could have a friend. Someone at PetCo told me to watch your videos. I have my work cut out for me. Thank you for all you do to educate us on how kitties work and how we can best be of service to them.

[@keaco73]

Those cat towers tend to have very very short felt-like surface instead of a rug. They can’t dig their claws in it to pull themselves up. My cat fell backwards once then I got rid of it and made one with real carpet.

[@markharnet2660]

I can’t take my eyes off mr conehead! Like your style.

[@magdabak5797]

Of course we are watching all the videos. They literally safe my life.

[@romalovi98]

We got a flat cardboard scratcher for my cat (I noticed he would sit and scratch on cardboard boxes we temporarily had laying around) and at first he just ignored it. Then I showed him a video of a cat using the same kind (he likes watching other cat videos and I was curious how he would react) and put a few treats on the scratcher. The next day he started using it regularly 🤷‍♀️

[@melissabarrett9750]

I made the mistake, many years ago of buying one of the scratching posts with the rope wrapped around the pole. My sweet indoors cat hated how rough it was on his paw pads and refused to use it. I don't understand anyone making those ones. Put carpet around the post instead and the cat will be so grateful.

[@scottb7539]

Try rough lumber. that's a winner for my cats.

[@Drab_Mode]

I successfully am teaching my kitty to scratch a post and not a couch, it’s hard but giving them attention when they do the good scratch does help a lot. I wish mine were horizontal scratchers, would help out a lot.

[@loneranger7573]

both my cats love a sisal door mat, they like to scratch them cuz they're on the ground. outside, they use the tree trunks occasionally but they are floor scratchers. they have each a cat tree with sisal on the bottom tier but seldom use that

[@anmnou]

"Aha Brittaney, AHA!!" LOL, so cute!

[@laurachristianson1688]

We just cover our couch with a bunch of throw blankets we keep warm and save the couch as well😺😺😺

[@okashi10]

Loving the groovy opening animation! I'm thinking of adopting a 2nd cat next month and am so thankful for Jackson's advice!

[@nepadron]

Your videos have been so helpful to me and my various cats over the years, thanks Jackson!

[@waltersobchak7275]

Jackson gained weight looking good. I still can’t let go though. 27 years daily. Once in the morning that’s all. I’m afraid of getting obese as it runs in my family. I feel it has saved my life honestly

[@lauriedavis5137]

Great information Jackson. Thanks so much! 😻😻

[@rebeccaannespurlock3354]

I found all of Jackson's information useful!

[@didididi4613]

I have used Glad Press n Seal wrapped around my couch and other surfaces to make it unpleasant for my cats to scratch. It works well and sticks without leaving residue.

[@mlcinlj6065]

Makes sense. Thanks

[@bojigirl5672]

Now I know one of my cats is a horizontal scratcher. Thanks! I covered my couch seats with table pad cloths. Flannel-like side on the cushion and vinyl side up. The cat would sometimes lay on it but grew discouraged about scratching it. It’s nice because the pad can be wrapped around the seat so they can’t get to the cushion.

[@EDU4519Computing1]

Our Persian has scratched both back corners of our 2-seater couch but has completely ignored the 3-seater. I usually watch TV sitting on the 2-seater but she does not scratch where I sit but at the back and those corners are not scratched to shreds. She is the only one who does that as our ginger and calico use just the cat-tree (although the calico likes a carpet when we have them on during winter). For the persian, I had placed a vertical scratch post near the her preferred scratching corner but she completely ignored it. I might also add that her preferred sleeping place is on top of the back of the couch which is quite wide as the back is made of a deep cushion which she has turned into a sort of a bowl shape.

[@MyLast2Braincells84]

My girl LOVES cardboard scratchers. She will stretch a little on the vertical sisal ones, but much prefers to shred up the horizontal ones. And when she perches to scratch on those curved stackable ones, it's like she's holding onto prey.

[@charlesmoore1762]

If Mr. Ron won't stop scratching the couch, I'll adopt him! and he can scratch anyplace he wishes! What a charmer!! Seriously, though, good question and I appreciate the good ideas. My three kittens have the run of the house, but I have had to create a few "cat-free zones!" after out-of-control rambunction!

[@darkessraven]

Rachel and Jun have four cats which all have different preferences for scratches. Their first cat likes vertical walls so they got a scratch board wall for it. Two cats they picked up from the streets like horizontal so there’s a a scratch board in the shape of a resting bed. Finally, the last cat likes digging into carpet with its claws so they recently got a play rug.

[@FlukasMcDoogle]

You're the best! Thank you!

[@hanifmalik-mcbride4952]

I love all your cat videos&documentaries !!! Sending Love from Washington DC

[@jenniferharris7625]

What?!?😂 I should Not cover my cat in dbl sided tape? 😮j/k. Have watched you for years & been lucky to learn lots of things from you! Totally enjoying your show.

[@ruftime]

Thank you!

[@KingArtexerxes]

At one time I had a vinyl recliner used to sit in. Had to give it away after a year. Too scratched up. Switched to cloth Lazy-Boy couch and no more problems there. Then I installed a rather expensive sound system with speakers either hanging on walls or installed in the wall. But the subwoofer is a big box with an inviting screen on the front. So from day 1, there’s a large scratching post beside it that I’ve replaced a couple of times. It gets a lot of use and the bass speaker after many years never got scratched.

[@XxdipstcklovrxX]

awesome advice. i always learn something from you!

[@hi-mk3ht]

Awe the harry potter reference in the cats' names

[@azobichamdoktorpol3264]

Just what I was looking for thanks man

[@texasskygirl7890]

Jackson, I took.your advice years ago. I put a scratching post ( I rubbed some catnip on them) and put them by my furniture. My cat loves them.

[@bbrunaz]

How did you know I needed this video??? 😱❤️

[@seli7473]

I'm late to the party, but I want to add my comment. I adopted litter mates/bonded pair. They loved scratching posts. But when one passed away, the other would not touch the scratching posts. (I added many new ones that had no scent from the previous kitty.) Only after I got him a younger kitty did he finally start using posts. I can't explain it, but in case someone is on that path - there it is.

[@patriciabronk1786]

Wow, what a great lesson. I learned something new.

[@jewelzgewelz]

OMG THANK YOU JACKSON!!! I bought an expensive cat scratching post and was heartbroken that my cat Jedster hadn’t touched it for the last two weeks. I tried it by his cat tree, and moved it by my couch. I used catnip and no luck. Watched your video, disassembled the base of the vertical scratching post, laid it horizontally on a rug and almost instantly he was scratching it! Lol. I had no idea there were different kinds of scratching that cats prefer. Mind blown. Thank you!!! I was really starting to regret my purchase and thinking of donating it. Now that I’ve experienced amazing results from your video I’m going to see what you have posted about wet food. My cat won’t eat it, I’ve tried almost every brand and style. He will only lick it a little and then walk away, lol. Can’t wait to see what I’m missing.

[@clairenollet2389]

My one cat loves her giant slanted cardboard scratcher. The other cat loves the carpet-covered poles on her cat trees. The first cat is not interested in carpet, and the second cat is not interested in cardboard. Both cats avoid the sisal rope-covered poles on the cat trees. They both avoid furniture. You have to offer enough scratching surfaces until you find out what each cat prefers.

[@nyancat.123]

My tuxie girl Bluey loves horizontal/flat scratching posts

[@AccountingNightmare]

I really like these kinds of videos! Seeing how people have actually implemented your advice in their living spaces is really helpful to think about how I can improve my own, and the problem solving aspect of it is really interesting and educational!

[@ricileigh88]

You're videos are so helpful. I was watching for years before I adopted my cats.

[@ataylorsews]

I am so glad I found your video!!! I have had a new kitten for 3 weeks now and felt bad punishing her for scratching and biting. It just didn't make sense and wasn't working. I was starting to think it wasn't going to work out. I finally had the bright idea to look on KZbin. THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH for sharing your knowledge. We will have a peaceful household now!

[@bernadetteloughlan2838]

thanks jackson very informative again love bernadette xxx

[@Desimcd]

I can't wait until your wand is back in stock! 💗Great video as always

[@themachfivepets997]

My cat likes to scratch wood (the corner bit of the wall...) LOL.

[@pattikuiper6976]

Wow! Thank you Jackson. I have treasures of info from this video.

[@lovewashington8173]

This was very helpful, like seriously helpful. You gave me ideas that other KZbinrs did not. I usually don't share videos on my FB unless there funny, but yours is very informational!!!! Thank you!!!❤