Is it too late for me?

Question

I'm REALLY, REALLY ready to buy new furniture as my 2 black cats Wintekang & Onyx have destroyed my couch, two of my chairs & the corners of my box spring. I have to admit when they were kittens, I gave them the run of the house & didn't discipline them like I should have when they began scratching things. They are 3 yrs old now & I REFUSE to declaw them after I found out what is actually done during the procedure. Is it too late to teach them to stop scratching my furniture? I read about some things called "Soft Paws" that are like fake nails for a cat, cute but a little weird to me. (Apparantely, you can get them in colors) I am going to buy two scratching posts this week, since they scratch everything else anyway I should have no problem getting them to use those. I also considered some kind of spray but the reviews about those aren't that great. They are 3 years old now is it too late to stop this? I love my cats and want to keep them but I can't have them destroying new furniture!

Answer 1

I have two cats, and am in a similar situation. After my couch and loveseat were destroyed by the kitties, I decided it was time to train them before buying new furniture. I bought them a nice scratch post and some good catnip. Rub some catnip on the scratch post, and I will bet that they will start scratching at that instead of your furniture. They often scratch furniture because they don't have any other alternatives. It wasn't too late for mine, who are 1 and 5. Good luck!

Answer 2

Definitely don't declaw the cats. It is possible to use the Soft Paws for a short time and the cats will learn not to shred the furniture. I did this to a cat who was tearing up the wood in my doorways. After about 4-5 months he quit scratching there. Also try double sided tape on the corners of the furniture...helps to some extent. Use catnip to attract them to the new scratching posts, and spray them with water when they scratch the furniture.

Try keeping their nails trimmed. It is a pretty simple thing to do if your cats don't mind you messing with their feet. Buy toenail clippers for cats. Just make sure not to trim the nail into the pink part...that is a blood vessel.

Their is a product called boundary that I used to spray on my furniture that did repel the cats. Problem is you have to spray it on every 24 hours.

Answer 3

Hi there...this is a good question. Everyone who has already suggested rubbing catnip on the scratching posts were correct. In addition whenever you see them begin to claw inappropriately quietly and quickly move them to those posts then offer then a small cat food treat (not their usual meal food) every time. Since they are a little older now the goal is to help them learn to associate that they will be rewarded by scratching on the posts only therefore food is an extra incentive to the catnip. Have a little patience as this takes a bit of time to retrain, but it can be done if you consistently do this.

I realize you cannot be home to supervise them so the supplemental solution would be to place multiple strips of double-sided tape all over the furniture. This can be inconvenient as well as ugly, but the goal here is to ultimately disuade the cats from returning to the furniture even after a few times. Cats are naturally inquisitive and return to investigate even after a few bad surprises of getting stuck. If you can do this for approximately a month this should be long enough to help them realize that place is no longer enjoyable. Additionally, they are also training themselves by learning that getting stuck they should avoid these areas at all costs.

Please keep in mind that the goal is to make retraining rewarding and use positive reinforcements. Also there are negative self-reinforcements (where the animal learns on his own to avoid situations without a human present) that work best. Typical techniques used such as squirting, startling them, swatting is ineffective as they learn to associate the human doing the action as the bad thing rather than on their own. Animal trainers best train the big animals with only positive reinforcements as the animals learn quickly this way.

Answer 4

Our kitten is 11 mos now and he's been scratching. He has not outgrown the need to scratch on beds, chairs or the leather sofa. Spraying with the squirt bottle works to some extent - but then he seems to get less annoyed by it.

He likes to scratch - that's what cats do. It's instinct and they also have scent glands on their paws so that's how they place scent. He has posts, kitty condo, the works - even the cardboard Alpine scratchers. Regardless, he's gone after the leather sofa and was liking that best.

We got SoftPaws the other day and glued them on. They're not hard to get on if you have one person hold the cat and the other does the glue and placing part of the project. We got the medium size and that worked well.

One has fallen off so I probably didn't get enough glue in it. He's still getting used to the feeling, but I think it's a lot better than having him shred the leather! :) They say after a couple weeks the cat will get used to them and you won't have to replace them so often.

We tried Sticky Paws on our chair and it wouldn't adhere and kept fall off - so I returned the product & won't buy again.

The website The Cat Site has lots of info on cat issues too.

Answer 5

The soft paws are glued to the cat's claw and cat's shed their claws so they will come off frequently. And then they can start clawing again. And there is no rule that they will just use the scratch posts, mine hate them! If it is a choice of putting them down, getting rid of them or having them declawed then I would choose the declawing. I work for a vet and we declaw almost weekly. I don't know what you have heard about it but it is better than being dumped into the streets to fend for themselves. And the sprays have to be applied daily for them to work. Good luck.

Answer 6

If you get scratching posts - don't get the ones covered in carpet - they don't last. Get the ones covered with sisal roping. My cats were like "eh, OK, whatever" with scratching posts, a couple used them, the rest, not.
All of mine love the corrugated cardboard scratching pads that you can buy for <$10 and come with catnip.
Mine used to claw furniture and the door frames. They have basically stopped that now - but we do go through about 2/month on the cardboard scratch pads (but then, I have 5 cats!)

Answer 7

Well, I am going thru the same thing right now. I have two 6 month old kittens. Way Cute! When we got them we made sure that they would NOT be declawed. So we placed blankets on the ends of the couchs for the times they just wouldnt settle down. We also scolded them for climbing or clawing. I would suggest buying nail clippers for cats. they are about 10.00 for a nail clipper and a file. they are WONDERFUL! you just clip off a little end on each fingernail, and buff it. they are super dull and they are still soft to the touch.

Answer 8

I just want to say PLEASE DO NOT listen to bcringler.
I had never heard of declawing a cat untill i came on Yahoo Answers. reason being its illegal in the UK and so it should be!!!

READ THIS. ITS THE TRUTH ABOUT DECLAWING!!!!!!

First, you should know that declawing is pretty much an American thing, it's something people do for their own convenience without realizing what actually happens to their beloved cat. In England declawing is termed "inhumane" and "unnecessary mutilation." I agree. In many European countries it is illegal. I applaud their attitude.

Before you make the decision to declaw your cat, there are some important facts you should know. Declawing is not like a manicure. It is serious surgery. Your cat's claw is not a toenail. It is actually closely adhered to the bone. So closely adhered that to remove the claw, the last bone of your the cat's claw has to be removed. Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes". When you envision that, it becomes clear why declawing is not a humane act. It is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery period. And remember that during the time of recuperation from the surgery your cat would still have to use its feet to walk, jump, and scratch in its litter box regardless of the pain it is experiencing. Wheelchairs and bedpans are not an option for a cat.

No cat lover would doubt that cats--whose senses are much keener than ours--suffer pain. They may, however, hide it better. Not only are they proud, they instinctively know that they are at risk when in a weakened position, and by nature will attempt to hide it. But make no mistake. This is not a surgery to be taken lightly.

Your cat's body is perfectly designed to give it the grace, agility and beauty that is unique to felines. Its claws are an important part of this design. Amputating the important part of their anatomy that contains the claws drastically alters the conformation of their feet. The cat is also deprived of its primary means of defense, leaving it prey to predators if it ever escapes to the outdoors.

I have also had people tell me that their cat's personality changed after being declawed. Although, the medical community does not recognize this as potential side effect.

Okay, so now you realize that declawing is too drastic a solution, but you're still concerned about keeping your household furnishings intact. Is there an acceptable solution? Happily, the answer is yes. A big, joyful, humane YES! Actually there are several. The following website "Cat Scratching Solutions" provides many solutions as well as and insight into the psychology of why cats scratch. You can teach your cat to use a scratching post (sisal posts are by far the best). You can trim the front claws. You can also employ aversion methods. One of the best solutions I've found is Soft Paws®.

Soft Paws are lightweight vinyl nail caps that you glue on the cat's front claws. They're great for households with small children and are extremely useful for people who are away from home all day and can't exercise the watchfulness necessary to train a cat to use a scratching post. Soft Paws® are easy to apply and last about four to six weeks. They come in clear or colors--which are really fun. Now that's a kitty manicure! The colored caps look spiffy on Tabby or Tom and have the added advantage of being more visible when one finally comes off. Then you simply replace it. You can find Soft Paws on the web

You need to remember, though, that the caps and nail trimming should only be used on indoor cats who will not be vunerable to the dangers of the outdoors.

Soft Claws & Soft Paws were developed by a Veterinarian and is acclaimed by many leading Vets and Pet Behaviourists including Vickey Hall. It is a best seller world wide selling 50 million caps in the U.S and Japan since 1989!!!

Eliminate Destructive Scratching!

Shields home furnishings from sharp claws
Safe, non toxic and easy to apply
Helps protect infants and the elderly with sensitive skin
Prevents Pets with skin conditions from injurying themselves
with hind claws
Great for outdoor cats living indoors temporarily
safe and effective for cats of all ages
One application lasts up to 6 weeks
A humane and painless alternative to declawing (Banned in Europe)
Doesnt affect nail extention or retraction

declawing IS VERY WRONG AND CRUEL. Please DO NOT do this!!!!.

Answer 9

Provide the cats with scratching posts and rub some cat nip into the posts to make them more "attractive" to your cats. If you find them clawing up your furniture, try putting two-sided tape on the furniture: cats hate the feel of anything sticky on their paws. The "soft paws" things work, but are expensive and have to be replaced often. Good for you for NOT wanting to declaw your cats; that's such a painful and inhumane thing to do to the animals.

Answer 10

You can try to start training them now. A couple of things I have used which have helped have been a water gun filled with ice water spray them when they scratch, it dosnt hurt them but certainly shocks them into stopping if only for a moment or sometimes only when you are not there. If they dont see you with the gun it often works as they dont know where the spray came from. The other thing is to use some essential oils on your furniture (check they dont stain first) cats are not fond of Lemon scents. Clove oil will work often too. Clove oil is great for putting dogs who scent mark indoors off too.
Good luck