my cat keeps scratching everything in the house screens included and knockin over garbage. how do i stop her

Answer 1

Buy a scratching post.

Answer 2

If your cat is a kitten, some of this behavior is just juvenile energy and s/he will probably mellow out with age. If your cat is an adult, you may have a neurotic, lonely animal -- either way, consider getting a second cat. The cats will then play with each other instead of being so destructive. Cats are NOT really solitary animals. On farms, they live in colonies and interact socially a lot. A cat living alone becomes bored and neurotic -- the "single cat syndrome." You simply cannot wrestle and play with you cat the same as another cat can.

Also, is your cat neutered or spayed? If not, this could be the reason for scratcihng the screens -- the cat wants to go out on the town. Spay/neutering cuts down on the desire to wander and seek a mate -- hence fewer torn screens...

Answer 3

There is a cat scratcher called the "Cat Cavern" that is sold at PetsMart as well as Walmart and other similar stores. It is a triangular scratcher that actually lets the cat get the angle scratch that they may try to achieve when scratching furniture, etc. It comes with catnip to attract the cat, but you will also have to work with your cat to teach her that that is hers and the furniture, garbage can, etc is yours. Generally, when my cats have gone to scratch something that is not theirs(my favorite recliner...), I clap my hands very loudly once and say (not scream) "NO!". This surprises them and discourages them from that action because they get startled. When you are first trying to change the behavior, you may want to take her to the scratcher the first few times so that she knows she can scratch that instead. Once you have established that pattern, just do the clap "NO!" combination and see what happens...you may be surprised that your cat loses interest in 'your stuff' and just turns around to go find her scratcher.

I do not believe in declawing cats, or any animal, for that matter. They have claws for a reason, if she ever were to get outside and had no claws, she would not be able to defend herself or get up a tree from a predator, etc. So be very careful when deciding whether or not declawing is right for you and your cat's situation.

Answer 4

Um.. well that sounds unpleasant. You will have to cover the garbage securely or tuck it away where the cat cannot get into it. I have always had my cats' front feet declawed (a vet can do this) and that usually stop most scratching behavior. It also seemed to make them better pets because they realize that they cannot just scratch you when they're not happy and take off. Good luck =)

Answer 5

I would say that there are two things you can do. I had this problem before, and it seemed to work for me. First you have to get something that you will allow the cat to scratch. That way they know the right from wrong. I recommed that you get a small spray bottle. If you spray the cat once when they do something wrong like that, it should show them that they shouldn't do that. (We all know how much cats love water!!) After a few times, the cat will learn to stop this behavior.

Answer 6

I 100% agree with Melimo. I have two "ex" feral cats that are the best kitties in the world and they learned right from wrong by me using a squirt bottle. I personally would never declaw my cats, but it's personal choice and I don't condemn others for doing it, most people are just unaware of the consequences.declawing may lead to secondary contracture of the tendons. This makes it uncomfortable for the cat to walk. Since the last joints of their front paws are missing, they compensate by placing more of their weight to the hind quarters, causing them to be out of balance. This shift of weight to the hind quarters may lead to atrophy of the muscles of their front quarters. Can also cause distress. Cat's paws also have scent glands that leave their own special scent on their territory, it's as natural as eating to them. Stock up on scratching posts and catnip & love your cat by not maiming them for life!

Answer 7

Get a water bottle. Anytime your cat is scratching something that you don't want it to scratch, give her a squirt with the water and a firm "NO." She will learn very quickly not to do so - and even stop if you just pick up the water bottle.

Answer 8

Wal Mart sells a box that has cat nip in it. It's a little hard to describe but it's less then $2.00 and it's a small rectangle box down the cat isle of course. I've used it before and it seemed to work. Or get it declawed

Answer 9

Buy cat scratching posts and place them around the house especially near to the furniture it usually scrathces. Also buy cat nip in spray form and spray this onto the posts. I have done this with my two and they no longer touch the furniture in fact I am hard pressed to get them off the posts with the cat nip, they love it.

Answer 10

there is a product called soft claws, that are little rubber caps that glue onto their nails, and last about a month. It doesn't stop the scratching, but it protects ur things!