scratching post Archives

How to Train your Cat to be a Tree Hugger

George the cat love useing his scratching tree to get treats.

28/04/2019
Chirpy Cats
20 Comments
Cat Behaviour
anti-declaw, cat behavior, cat tree, scratching post

Last updated August 11th, 2020

When your cat won’t use his scratching post or cat tree you may feel at your wit’s end. But perk up, because cats love learning, especially when the learning involves something that they were born to do. There are ways to turn your indifferent cat into a tree hugger.

I am a bit of a tree hugger. I cannot see a world without trees. I have pleasant memories of my childhood climbing our mango and avocado trees with my gangly long limbs trying to maneuver as high as I could. I felt happy and free like I could do anything, perched like a happy cat in a tree.

11/03/2018
Chirpy Cats
23 Comments
Caturday Voodles
anti-declaw, cat behavior, cat communication, funny cat video, scratching post, talking cats

Last updated July 29th, 2020

Why do cats scratch?

Scratching is always one of the first topics that pop up in cat forums and more often than not, seen in a negative light. We ask questions like “Why is my cat scratching my couch?” or “My cat is not using his new scratching post!” But that’s because we view it from our human perspective, and not from the cat’s purrspective if you will. Your cat is not a “jerk” or scratching out of spite, as is commonly thought. In the world of cats scratching is very much linked to everyday cat rituals and is a behavior that carries positive associations for the cat.

In our post about Declawing, and why it needs to stop we mention that scratching is a vital part of a cat’s well-being. Providing cats with many different types of scratching posts contributes to a cat’s enrichment needs. Cats do not scratch your couch to get back at you but it’s an innate feline behavior necessary for cats to feel confident and happy in their environment.

cats write love text messages on their scratching posts

12/02/2018
Chirpy Cats
11 Comments
Caturday Doodles
bonded cats, cat communication, cuddle buddies, old cats, scratching post

Last updated March 12th, 2018

They couldn’t be more different. She with her slim athletic build and long Bengal limbs, agile light-footed paws and non-stop chatter, Sarabi has no mute button. Earl Grey, on the other hand, will charm you with his almost silent meow, sometimes manifesting as a raspy croak or squeak, one of his most endearing traits. While she would flit about like a paper kite, he is never in any hurry to go anywhere, even in his youth.

Earl Grey and Sarabi have known each other all their lives and are longtime cuddle buddies. You will not see the one sleeping without the other. Whether they are spooning, lying in yin-yang position or just grooming, these two oldies will make their space on the couch each evening. But for a couple that is so bonded they have always had their ‘arguments.’ I don’t think he likes it when she screams her head off while running up and down the stairs playing fetch with her mouse. In fact, he would often intercept her game by biting her on her neck as if to say “Be quiet or I stop your game!” Funnily she would heed his request and continue the game without a peep. Read More

Monday Haiku: Say it Simply With Affirmations

We don’t do New Year’s resolutions – it’s a heavy burden that can weigh you down. Now not to burst your resolution bubble at all, we do have an alternative pathway that allows for more fluidity. Because life is not stagnant. Sometimes your goals need to shift gears too and may steer you in a different direction.

Instead, we like to use affirmations, because it’s evolving, shifting and changing according to whatever life’s tide washes your way. Affirmations will allow you to reach your goals, trailing along many pathways while keeping it crystal clear. But all these pathways lead to your end goal, and before you know it you’ve accomplished your goal, hey wait…. you’ve actually made a resolution and stuck to it, without even knowing it! Read More

Scratching Post Secrets Revealed week #3

Last updated January 17th, 2018

Pixie, Please let sleeping cats lie!

There is nothing more annoying than that overzealous friend wanting you to join her for Zumba at the crack of dawn and all you want to do is sleep in. And what about that roommate who oversteps the boundaries and helps himself to your week’s supply of yogurt in one sitting? When it comes to our cats, their relationships with each other are no different. So what’s a cat to do when his housemate wants to play and he wants to sleep? Well, you scratch a sticky note text on your scratching post, of course! Read More

5 Essential Must-Haves for a Happy Chirpy Cat

27/09/2017
The Lady Cat
40 Comments
Cat Enrichment
cat behavior, environment enrichment, happy cat, scratching post

Last updated September 15th, 2020

How to keep your cat happy

It seems that cats have it made. The internet worships them and judging by those viral Youtube Best Cat compilation videos, they rule their households with a firm furry paw. And we like it.

“Hey Mr. Dog, I need your bed if you don’t mind, thanks, you’re too kind!”

But despite this overall perception of a cat’s elevated status as Ruler of the Drooler, cats are still largely misunderstood. Cats are viewed as independent, aloof and in need of less medical and preventative care than dogs, but this could not be further from the truth.

September is Happy Cat Month, an event in its 9th year running, created by the Catalyst Council, to help promote the health and well-being of our purry felines, focusing on the different ways to ensure your cat is happy, enriched and healthy.

17/09/2016
Chirpy Cats
24 Comments
Cat Behaviour, Caturday Doodles
cat enrichment, Catalyst Council, Caturday art, Happy Cat Month, scratching post

Last updated January 1st, 2018

Sly wants to play, but what does Ollie have up his furry paws?

Hello furriends, I’m Sly Pie and I heard via the cat vine that September is Happy Cat Month. I would not have deemed it necessary to have a month dedicated to our happiness, because every month should be Happy Cat Month. But when I reflect back on my life before I joined the Chirpy Cats crew, I understand why there is a need to highlight a month for us cats. You see, I was not always pampered and fussed over, I was living the thug life, free to roam but always wondering where my next meal is coming from.