He needs his claws because he loves to hunt. He's presently cut off from the living room that contains the sofas, but I want to let him in there eventually..
2006-08-30 04:47:57 · 26 answers · asked by John F 3 in Pets ➔ Cats
He's nearly 10 years old btw, and I really can't bear the thought of de-clawing him. I'm told it's incredibly painful.
2006-08-30 04:54:48 · update #1
This link says it all!
Yay for Sticky Paws!
Excellent article on declawing; also cat posts & how to train your cat.
http://www.stevedalepetworld.com/images/stories/declawing.pdf
2006-08-30 04:53:13 · answer #1 · answered by Ragdoll Kitty 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't have leather sofas and do have five cats. I have inexpensive cotton quilts that I can throw over my couches. Also I think the Sticky Paws strips you can get at a pet store would work. Usually those things can come off in a few months. The quilts you can just fold up when you have company.
Most cats like to scratch on the surface of something they come in to contact with when they first enter a room. That area might also be a good place to put a small, sisal scratcher.
Hope this helps and regards to the happy hunter!
2006-08-30 11:57:05 · answer #2 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would put catnip on the scratching post and put the two sided tape at the bottom of your sofa. That should work. I bought my kitten a cat condo kind of thing and she hasnt touched the couch since, and I have not done anything to the couch to keep her off. The cat condo was pretreated with catnip.
2006-08-30 12:48:57 · answer #3 · answered by blakmajik 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
my husband's cat who is now 11 years old (and recently declawed) ONLY clawed leather furniture for the first 7 years. when he had to stay with us he decided to scratch other things. the thing to remember about leather is it's from an animal so hunting animals are all into it. i know there are sprays out there that can help, but i don't know what they will do to leather. it kept my sister's cat off her ethan allen furniture... dillute vinegar with water (1/3 v to 2/3 water) and spray should work, but i would check this also for how it reacts to leather.
be careful with catnip though, different cats react different ways, we have 3 cats; the youngest gets all kinds of energy, the middle gets kinda lazy, and the oldest becomes a butthead. so that won't always be what you want.
2006-08-30 11:58:23 · answer #4 · answered by Jenessa 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Put catnip on the scratching post. Has he scratched at the furniture before? If not & you show him the scratchpost, he should use that. My cats never touch the furniture since they have their post. But then again they stay inside all the time.
p.s. Don't get him declawed, it's basically amputation. Besides your kitty goes outside so you can't do that anyway.
2006-08-30 11:51:49 · answer #5 · answered by Steph 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When you have the cat in the room with you, keep a small squirt gun handy and if he goes to scratch, squirt him. My cats hated this and kept away. I have also used clear tape on the corners of the sofa to discourage clawing. Also provide few scratiching posts and put cat nip on them.
2006-08-30 11:54:09 · answer #6 · answered by saga127 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
you can't. The pads on his feet have scent glands. He's marking his territory and will always smell it in the couch and want to refresh it if he has scratched it before. The next cat you get will try to erase THIS cat's scent and scratch his own in.
De-claw or leave the room off limits.
Some one told me that cats hate the metal crinkly sound of aluminum foil so cover the sofa with foil. (I told them I was not one of the Jetsons and foil sofas was not an option.)
2006-08-30 11:52:13 · answer #7 · answered by splitshell 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Three suggestions.
It really helps if you can trim your cat's claws every 2 or 3 weeks.
In my experience, cats don't like to scratch on something smooth, they prefer fabric and carpets.
This item works for my cat, he loves it. It's a terribly expensive piece of cardboard, at $10, but worth it because it preserves furniture (and his claws).
Go to http://www.target.com
search super scratcher
2006-08-30 11:50:15 · answer #8 · answered by ? 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
He will always scratch given the chance. I keep my cats out the livingroom when I'm not there and keep an eye on them when they are in. If you catch him tell him NO. My cat's are 3 and still scratch wherever they can, my walls are down to the plaster now, but when I say NO they stop.
2006-08-30 11:52:25 · answer #9 · answered by koolkatt 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We bought our cat one of those 7 foot tall floor-to-ceiling cat trees that's treated with catnip from Wal*Mart. They're about $30 or less and totally worth it. Again, take his foot and scratch the new post with it to show him this is what you scratch, not furniture. If he scratches the furniture, lightly tap his behind and sternly say NO! Hope this helps!
2006-08-30 11:55:20 · answer #10 · answered by april22703 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋