Cat-Proofing Your Home

If you own a cat, you know they can be a bit annoying -- such as when they chew your flowers, scratch your favorite chair, or jump up on the kitchen counter.

But The Early Show's resident veterinarian, Dr. Debbye Turner, says there are ways to stop Fluffy's dislikeable behavior and make him or her more home-friendly.

Turner outlined some on Monday.

She explained that cats are naturally curious. Anything new in their environment sparks a session of thorough sniffing and inspecting. No wonder there's an old saying, "Curiosity kills the cat." Cats not only like to become well-acquainted with their environment, they also want to "own" everything. That's why cats rub their faces, chin, and back on your chairs, sofa, and even you. Those sites on their anatomy have scent glands that mark an item with their distinct scent when they rub on it. Cats also love heights. That vantage point in the wild aids their hunting skills.

Altogether, these behaviors help explain why our feline friends love to be where we don't want them.

Many people think cats can't be trained. But that's most certainly not true.

They're extremely intelligent, and they have the capacity to learn acceptable behaviors.

All cats aren't alike, so some deterrents might work on one cat, but not another. You'll have to use trial-and-error to determine what works best with your kitty.

Here's a list of things cats do that don't usually please their owners, and ways to teach then to discontinue that offense. Many of these tips can be found on the Web site of The Humane Society of the United States.

OFFENSE: JUMPING ON COUNTERS, FURNITURE, ETC.

One of the most sensitive places on a cat's body is the pads of their feet. They're very sensitive to what touches their feet. So, an effective way to keep a cat off or out of an area that you don't want them to explore is to change the FEEL of the surface.

Here are some ways:

Wallpaper, sticky side up: Cats won't like the feel of their paws sticking to the paper. Once they jump on it once, chances are they won't try again.

Upside-down plastic carpet runner: If you put down a plastic carpet runner with the prickly side up, your cat will most assuredly avoid this area.

Strong smells: A cat's sense of smell is powerful. So, if there's an area you don't want your cat trafficking, just soak a cloth or cotton balls in one of the following: cologne, muscle run, or aloe gel. Those substances may stain your expensive furniture or carpet, so you can place the soaked cotton balls in a bowl in the area that you want to keep off-limits.

OFFENSE: CHEWING PLANTS OR OTHER ITEMS

The easiest way to keep your cat from chewing on plants is to hang or position them in an area that the cat can't reach. This is especially important because some plants are toxic to cats (plants such as crocus, chinaberry tree, day lily, easter lily, philodendron, and many more).

Spraying one of the following on the plant may help keep your kitty away: bitter apple, muscle rub, concentrated citrus juice, aloe gel.

OFFENSE: SCRATCHING FURNITURE, CARPET, CURTAINS, ETC.

Cats scratch for a variety of reasons, including removing the outer, dead layer of their nails, marking territory, exercise, and just boredom. Scratching is normal behavior, and the chances of getting your cat to stop scratching completely are pretty slim. So, the solution is to provide an alternative, such as a scratching post. Put it near the item your cat likes to scratch. Use one of the techniques above to discourage scratching the furniture. Plus, rub a little catnip on the scratching post. This may encourage the cat to use the scratching post and not your expensive chair.

LOUD NOISE AVERSION: An effective way to get a cat to stop doing something you don't like is to distract or alarm her a bit. You don't want to scare the living daylights out of him, though!

That may lead to other problems. But good distractions are: a squirt bottle or water gun filled with water, air horn, whistle, soda can filled with coins or beans. Also, never underestimate the power of spaking in loud, authoritative tone. The drawback of those methods is your cat will learn to not commit the offending behavior while you're there, but go back to her bad ways when you're not around. That's when the sticky surfaces, bad smells, and bad tastes may serve you better.

PUNISHMENT: Hitting a cat with your hand, stick, or any heavy object is absolutely not acceptable! We don't know our own strength. Even what we think is a gentle tap can do real damage to your kitty, including kidney damage. NEVER HIT YOUR CAT.