Although you can’t instruct the cats to use their own posts exclusively, it’s beneficial to provide several scratching options. Some cats have very particular preferences when it comes to the type of scratching surface, or whether they want to scratch horizontally or vertically. Or you may have one cat who is uncomfortable entering another cat’s area to use the scratching post.

In multiple-cat homes, provide more than one scratching post and more than one type. Place posts and horizontal scratch pads in several rooms so a cat doesn’t have far to go if she has the urge to scratch. Even if you live in a small apartment, you can attach scratch pads to walls.

The more options you provide, the happier your multicat home will be.