Our cat scratches EVERYTHING — the sofa, seat cushions, and even the carpet. But most disconcertingly, the cat scratches our new black, wooden bed frame. We provide her plenty of playtime, lots of "good" attention, and a designated scratching post (which she knows is hers), but she won’t stop. What’s the best way to get her to stop scratching up the furniture? If not everything, what’s the best way to get her to stop scratching the bedpost? Are there any "repellant" products you’ve used that are most effective?
Links appreciated.
Thanks.
We didn’t want to declaw our housecats and had the same problem, especially with the "baby". I put small strips of clear wide strapping/packaging tape over all the places where she/they were scratching. It didn’t hurt the furniture and eventually broke the habit. I also put a little piece of the tape, sticky side up on dining room chairs, etc where I didn’t want them jumping up and sitting. When we left the house overnight, I stacked sofa pillows at all the logical scratching places which made it impossible to scratch the furniture. They finally relented and started using the scratching posts which have sisal rope wrapped on them…the only ones that have every worked and we make sure they are secure from tipping by having them braced against a wall. We have three cats and one doesn’t like the posts because one tipped over when she used it, but she uses those flat mats with sisal on them from the pet store.
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get her declawed..painless relatively cheap and it will put a complete stop to all scratching
goodluck♥
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do not declaw your kitty like above said….this is cruel. A declaw is the taking off of the first knuckle! It’s very painful for the kitties.
I have used the sticky tape strips and what I do is trim the tips of their nails. The part of the nail that curves (looks like a hook) trim it this is the part that destroys furniture. You can also purchase tips to put over their nail…never used them. Or those pads that give them a mild shock…never used that either but have seen many people recommend them.
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Nope – You can’t declaw them…painless my ass. More and more vets won’t do that to a cat, in fact in Europe nobody does it anymore. Try a cat repellant spray or train them by shaking a rattle can when they scratch and physically move them to their scratching post.
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We didn’t want to declaw our housecats and had the same problem, especially with the "baby". I put small strips of clear wide strapping/packaging tape over all the places where she/they were scratching. It didn’t hurt the furniture and eventually broke the habit. I also put a little piece of the tape, sticky side up on dining room chairs, etc where I didn’t want them jumping up and sitting. When we left the house overnight, I stacked sofa pillows at all the logical scratching places which made it impossible to scratch the furniture. They finally relented and started using the scratching posts which have sisal rope wrapped on them…the only ones that have every worked and we make sure they are secure from tipping by having them braced against a wall. We have three cats and one doesn’t like the posts because one tipped over when she used it, but she uses those flat mats with sisal on them from the pet store.
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Either buy or make a cat scratching poll. You can make one using a piece of 4" X 4" which you’ve bolted into a wide, sturdy base made of 1 inch plywood cut to size then attaching carpet to it with carpet tacks or a staple gun.
Every time you catch the cat scratching on the furniture, scold it then take it to the scratching poll. They also sell cat repellent at Pet Smart which you could try spraying on the areas where the cat likes to scratch.
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well you dont declaw them unless you are also willing to have your fingers chopped off… thank god vets overy here in the uk wont even do it anymore..
if there is a solution id love to hear it… id kind of figured it was part of having cats… we dont have, have never had and never intend to have any decent furniture… the cats only ruin it.. .:D
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Soft Paws are an EXCELLENT alternative to painful declawing.
If your kitty doesn’t respond to efforts to deter her from scratching inappropriately, get her some soft paws! Not only do they work, but they’re cheap, and they come in some very cute colors.
I had pink softpaws for a scratching foster kitty a long time ago. They worked wonders, and didn’t cause her any pain. She could scratch wherever she wanted to, and it didn’t hurt a thing.
http://www.softpaws.com/
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There are three possible ways that I know of to make a cat stop scratching. One is to declaw it but I wouldn’t recommend that if you have an outdoor kitty or even an indoor/outdoor kitty. You could also get certain sprays that are also supposed to stop them from scratching but that varies from cat to cat. The most effective way I’ve found is "capping" their claws. It’s not painful at all and you can get them at petsmart in diffrent colors. You just put a little of the special glue it comes with and stick it on kitties claws. They eventually fall off and you have to put them back on and I’d also recommend you make sure there claws stay clean because stuff tends to stick to them. Here is a great site I found: http://www.catscratching.com/
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Experience.
yeah. get a scratching post.
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yes go to your local health food store and buy a Ginger root and rub it into your furniture cats hate ginger.the root will leave no stain on your furniture.
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We used packaging tape on the corners of our furniture. We also tried the water battle trick-spaying them with water-but it didn’t really work and I thought it was cruel. The packaging tape really seemed to work well.
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One of my cats used to do that, but then I got a scratching post for him from the store, it is one with catnip on it or in it. He hasn’t scratched on the furniture since
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Hi there…cats are instinctively curious and to better train them we need to provide an environment that is mentally stimulating for them. Consider first adding a few extra scratching posts/mats with different textures such as cardboard, sisel, carpet and the like scratching posts. Some cats are horizontal scratchers whereas others are vertical so be sure to include both.
To prevent counter or table top surfing consider using double-side sticky tape as cats dislike having their paws stuck to the tape and soon learn to avoid areas that are unpleasant, which is more beneficial than a water bottle squirt since you can’t always be there to supervise your cat. Additionally, if there are food, dirty dishes on the counters while you are away, it’s important to clear off the counters and wash dishes when you are training your cat.
Consider purchasing a garbage can that has a closeable lid so that the cat no longer can have access to the contents. This generally is the best alternative to keep animals out of the garbage.
To help discourage climbing of curtains and damaging other items consider trimming your cat’s nails often and use a glue-on nail adhesive product called SoftPaws http://www.softpaws.com to soften the sharp nails.
Here’s an instructional video on how to trim cats claws by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for Feline Health: http://www.felinevideos.vet.cornell.edu/trimming_claws/full_movie.shtml
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Animal Trainer to domestic and exotic cats
27 year friendship with a veterinarian