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It's natural for a cat to scratch. But you don't want your cat to scratch your brand new sofa or carpet, right?

To ensure your cat is happy and healthy, set boundaries for your cat. Let your cat know what he or she can and can't scratch. 

Below are five ways to stop your cat from scratching your furniture. As you work with your cat, reward him or her for good behavior, but don't over do it. You don't want your cat to gain weight.

1. Buy quality scratching posts and make them readily available for your cat to scratch. 

Avoid sticking a scratching post in the corner, especially if you have another pet in the home. 

If your cat is scratching your furniture, place a scratcher by (fill in the blank). If your cat is scratching a rug, place a scratcher on top of it.

A couple of our volunteers tested Feliway at home, and they said it worked. All you do is spray your furniture, or plugin the Feliway diffuser.

Believe it or not, cats love boxes. They love to sit in them and scratch them. The next time you order something online, save the box and give it to your cat to play with. Make sure you take off the flaps; otherwise, your cat could become trapped inside.

Your cat could be scratching your furniture as a way to get your attention. Or they could be bored. Play with your cat every day to your kitty happy and healthy. 

If your cat doesn't use the scratching posts right away, don't worry. Some cats like to investigate before they start using a new toy. Give it some time. If your cat still doesn't use the scratchers, try using double sided tape because cats don't like the sticky feeling.

You could spray a citrus fragrance, or make your own. Add lemon or lime juice to make it stronger. Spray your couch, sofa, chair, rug, etc., wherever your cat may scratch.

Work with your cat and have PATIENCE! In time, your cat will come around to the idea of scratching a scratcher instead of your furniture.

In early Spring of 2011, the shelter's Board of Trustees approved the establishment of a Sponsor a Cage Program which enables a donor to "sponsor" a cat or dog cage temporarily for a fee. The fees collected under this program are used for general operation expenses at the Shelter (i.e., food, medicine, veterinary visits, etc.). The Shelter currently has 33 dog cages and 51 cat cages that are used for this Program.

The fee includes a choice of up to a two-line inscription on a two inch plaque and a choice of the months covered. However, since this is a cage sponsorship program, the choice of sponsoring one particular animal's cage is not available. Why? Primarily because often times an animal is adopted before a sponsorship expires, or the animal is moved into a different cage, and that new cage may already have a sponsor. The fee for sponsoring a cage is $35 for three months (bronze tone plaque), $60 for 6 months (silver), and $100 for 12 months (gold).

Quality Trophy on Pearl Road inscribes the requested sentiment on a plaque that is attached to a base identifying the Parma Animal Shelter Sponsor a Cage Program. Many animal welfare organizations have similar programs, but we are proud to say that the Parma Animal Shelter's Program is one of the lowest cost if not the lowest cost program in the area.

This program has become popular over the last two years, and 2012 had the greatest amount of activity ever. We received a total of 50 (25 dogs and 25 cats) sponsorship applications resulting in $4,130 in revenue generated for the benefit of all our wonderful homeless pets under our care. This one program exceeded revenue generated from 11 of our individual fundraising events last year. While it's true that fundraising events are one-day occurrences, when you compare the amount of labor hours required from volunteers for each of these events, against the nominal labor hours required to execute the components of the Cage Sponsorship Program, it certainly yields a great return on our investment for the benefit of the shelter.

The most popular sponsorship has proved to be the 12-month sponsorship, followed by three months and then six months. The Program is a great way to remember or honor your loved ones of either the two-legged or four-legged variety. It is also a great gift for those folks on your gift list that have everything but are animal lovers and support the good work of animal welfare organizations such as the work provided at the Parma Animal Shelter. For more information and application form, visit our website, or stop by the shelter at 6260 State Road, Parma, Ohio 44134.

Trollbeads at South Park is partnering with the Parma Animal Shelter! 10% of all purchases made between June 23 - June 29 will be donated to the shelter. Use promotional code PAS-2013. Thank you to Trollbeads for partnering with PAS!

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Got spare change? Toss it into the wishing well before you leave the Acme Fresh Market in the Pleasant Valley Shopping Center. Tell your family and friends. The spare change adds up and benefits the Parma Animal Shelter. Thank you!

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