Cat Scratching In 2008

New Year's eve at my age isn't what it was when I was 21 or even 30. If it's still a major night of celebration for you, I wish you a good and safe time.

In 2008--or even today--I hope you'll review the materials on Natural Scratch and consider buying one for your felines or the felines of friends or relatives. It not only does the job, it looks pretty good, too.

Most cats take to its soft, white cedar flanks with some prompting and are soon gouging it deeply. Others--the more independent type--need training and that's why Natural Scratch comes with an easy-to-follow and use 12-step training method. It works with every cat.

All the best from America's Dairyland.

Cat scratching? No. Wisconsin in winter.

Friday December 28 brought about five inches of snow to our home in Brookfield, Wisconsin. It was the light, fluffy stuff that sticks to everything. Many who might be seeing this are in snow country so this nothing new to them, but if you happen to be a place where it rarely or never snows, I thought you might get a kick of the pic.

It shows the deck behind our house with sumac trees to the right and a more-than-century old oak behind the pine tree. The structures on the left are sheds that hold summer gear. The near one has the Weber grill and other deck items; the far one holds my wife's gardening stuff, from fertilizer to trowels.

The snow will look wonderfully white for a day or two but then it will begin melting and falling. What's on the ground will quickly attract dust and dirt and lose it brilliance. It's great though while it lasts.

Cat scratching post that lasts and lasts

One of the best things about Natural Scratch is that it lasts and lasts and keeps looking better with use. Sometimes cats scratch the post so frequently it begins to look like a beaver chewed on it. As I've mentioned many times to customers, cats whittle a sculpture over time.

Since Natural Scratch sales began back in the nineties, I've only had one customer who reported her cats had clawed it to a point where the top was threatening to topple down. Many other customers have ordered new posts short of that, but only after five or six years of daily clawing.

'Course I need to add that many posts--even Natural Scratch--will last forever because the cat or cats won't scratch them. This is why training is key..and the reason Natural Scratch comes with an easy-to-follow training guide.

Claws are another wonder of a wonderful creature

Cats are wonderful creatures with many fascinating characteristics, from their unusual vocalizations--meows and purrs--to their astonishing curiosity and penetrating eyes.

Their claws fit well the overall picture of an animal beautifully adapted to its habitat.

With domestication, however, claws have become a little inconvenient due their destructive power. But it is fairly easy to train a cat to claw an approved scratching post and to leave fine things in the home alone.

It's also a fun process for the cat and its human trainer. Find out more at naturalscrath.com.

Scratching post guarantee

Natural Scratch is guaranteed to work or you can ship it back for a refund. Very few are returned, and I believe the reason is Natural Scratch does the job for most people and cats.

It's not an automatic solution but when customers follow the easy-to-read, step-by-step instructions in the training guide, success is all but a certainty. I can say this with confidence for two reasons: 1. Years of experience; and 2. an understanding of animal behavior and, in particular, what attracts and motivates cats.

The white cedar used for the post is a great material for scratching and cats often understand this on their own and need little human involvement to begin clawing it. In addition, Natural Scratch is both rock solid and tall enough to satisfy the desire of many cats to stretch out.

Learn more at www.naturalscratch.com.

Cat scratching is natural

First, it's great that you have a cat that has claws so be happy about that. It's also wonderful that you're giving a home to a creature or two when there are so many that need to be adopted. Congratulations. Now you might also be experiencing something that is part of the existence of any creature, humans included: Wear!

This can come in many forms. Cats regurgitate now and then for no apparent reason and because they've eaten something they shouldn't. Other accidents occur, too. All such things nothing more than signs of life. Children and even adults will produce wear on their environments.

Clawed cats that are trained to scratch only Natural Scratch or another quality post still will occasionally tear across the carpet or even a sofa and dig in a bit with their claws. You can break them of this for the most part by playing with them in ways that don't cause damage and by negatively conditioning such behavior. However, eliminating cat wear totally probably is not possible just as it is not possible to eliminate the wear that is associated with humans.

But the wear that cats might produce in your environment is certainly outweighed by the love they give back.

Solving scratching challenges...

...isn't as easy as a walk in the park but it's not that hard either. First, you need a good scratching post (may I recommend Natural Scratch); second, you need to know how to train your cat (Natural Scratch comes with a short training guide); third, you need a food reward that your cat craves; then you need to be patient and consistent; and finally, you have to proceed with kindness and love for critter.

With all of the above in place, you will succeed. I'm so sure of it that Natural Scratch carries a money-back guaranty. Read more at www.naturalscratch.com. It would be great to have you for a customer and to supply your cat with a scratching target he or she can claw happily, deeply, and with your total approval.

Scratching solution

Natural Scratch has helped many people train their cats to scratch it exclusively and to leave other fine things in the home alone. It doesn’t happen in one day with some cats but it does with others. As I often mention to customers who contact me, the behavior cats exhibit when they encounter Natural Scratch falls neatly under a Bell Curve.

Some cats take to it immediately; others need the extra patient attention of a loving human companion. But, all can be trained.

Most cats are somewhere under the center of the Bell Curve and will take to the post fairly rapidly when owners follow the techniques that are in the training booklet. Have a look today at naturalscratch.com

Cat scratching testimonials

Today I uploaded three new testimonials to my http://www.naturalscratch.com/ns3testimonials-5.html page. These always make my day. I'm grateful for customers who take the time to let me know their cats like Natural Scratch and for their permission to post the comments.

As I mention in the history of Natural Scratch, getting cats to claw a scratching post was something my family tried without success when I was growing up. My mother didn't believe in declawing so she just sacrificed a couch end to the cat.

It's gratifying that Natural Scratch and the training method that accompanies it have solved scratching challenges for a lot of people and preserved many sets of claws.

Treats and training

It's amazing how susceptible cats are to food rewards. Once you identify a treat or snack your cat craves, you can train her or him to do a wide range of things.

What is key though is the "snack your cat craves" part.

Just like most humans, most cats are nuts for certain kinds of food. It can range from the many varieties of kitty treats that are available in stores to common household items such as crackers and chips.

Find the right treat and your cat companion will soon be trained to claw Natural Scratch or to do a long list of other things that will make her or him a more pleasing housemate.

Cat scratching testimonials

A big thrill for me is receiving e-mail messages from customers telling me their cats like Natural Scratch. It's a wonderful thing to help people and cats.

Please have a look at the comments at http://www.naturalscratch.com/ns3testimonials-5.html

I also urge prospective customers to read the comments because they indicate the range of reactions cats have to Natural Scratch. Some take to it with little prompting; others need active training.

The easy-to-follow training booklet that accompanies Natural Scratch helps customers in this regard. Training is a fun process that will fill turn any cat into a Natural Scratch-exclusive clawer and fill any human with a sense of accomplishment.

Cat-Scratching Post Improvements

Although I naturally wish all cat lovers purchased a Natural Scratch post, I am nevertheless heartened by the fact that the posts that are available today are much better than what was offered years ago. For a variety of reasons--including service life and appearance over time--I believe white cedar is superior to just about any other material, however, sisal-wrapped or -clad posts are also very good.

What's heartening is the abundance of decent posts makes declawing less likely than ever. Great! In my youth, about all that was available was carpet-covered posts and these didn't appeal to cats.

As I've written many times in this blog, though, of far greater importance than the post is the training that is used to steer a cat or kitten toward an approved clawing target and no other.

All purchasers of Natural Scratch receive a training booklet that teaches them how to train their cats. It's a fun process that works wonderfully well.

Cat-scratching frusration

Naturally cats scratching something they shouldn't is frustrating. However, the solution is as near as www.naturalscratch.com. It's guaranteed.

A frustration for me is getting what I think is a very effective and long-lasting scratching post system in front of more people who need it and into the claws of more cats who need it.

I've tried various things to publicize Natural Scratch but haven't had any breakthrough successes. If you have any ideas, please let me know! My ad in *Best Friends* helps but I need more exposure.