Am i being mean to my old cat?

Question

ever since he was wee, he always pulled at the furniture and has torn a carpet and a three peice suite. I have tired everything to stop him from doing this. But it is really getting me down now. So much so that I have relegated him to the kitchen to sleep at night. he has warm bed which is out of any draft.

The thing is when I come down in the morning and I see his wee face looking through the glass kitchen door it pulls at my heart strings and I feel very guilty about leaving him on his own downstairs.

I have never encouraged him to sleep on my bed as I am asthamatic. What can I do?..please don't say get rid of him

Declawed I owuld have rather found him a new home than that. Good God! What next?

Thank you dee he has his cuddly bear. My husband thinks I am daft.

Answer 1

He'll be fine, stick to your guns, you know what cats are like.

Answer 2

Don't declaw him--that hurts.
try the Soft Paws, the nail caps. Some cats like them and some just pull them off but you won't know until you try.
Have you ever tried a scratch post or tree?
You can buy one at the big box pet stores or put "Cat tree" into your browser and up will come plans to make one of your own. All you need is some scrap lumber and carpet and a few nails.
I have a 5 foot tree and my cat doesn't even care about the stupid furniture any more. all she wants is her tree. Sleeps on it, scratches it watches birds from it.
I spray it with catnip mist now and then just to keep things interesting.

Answer 3

What we have done with our cats becuase they sometimes pull at the furniture is get some long sticky strips which we put on the corners of the sofas etc where they scratch and then when they touch is they don't enjoy it and stop.

It is natural that cats do that becuase something that they would do to sharpen their claws on trees etc outside. Does you cat go outside? If not you could have its claws removed - but I think its a bit cruel.

Mainly cats do that out of boredom so yuo could get a scratching post and introduced it to that and when the cat is scrathing other stuff squeal loudly and then praise when he's doing it in the right spot.

Answer 4

One solution to scratching that I'm told works is to apply sticky tape to all the surfaces of the furniture that the cat likes to scratch.

De-clawing is cruel to the cat, so you're right to be horrified at the thought of that.

There is a great book called 'Cat Confidential' which is all about cat behaviour and how to cure problems. I can't remember if it has anything about scratching (I've lent it to somebody) but it probably does, as it has most problems. It's also a great read, and very interesting.

But to answer your main question, I don't think it's really very mean to put the cat in the kitchen at night. Cats are pretty good at putting up with things, and so long as he still knows you love him it's fine.

Answer 5

i had classes in animal behavior in college and i was told you could use a citric smelling liquid (like lemon juice and water, or an orange or lemon smelling cleaner) to spray on the places where your cat is scratching. normally it's something we use when cats spray or repeatedly use the bathroom in some spots, but it could work for scratching too.

my cat would scratch furniture and stuff too, finally i trained her to "leave it" and she may try to scratch places she's not allowed to now, but as soon as i tell her to leave it, she stops. i also made (well, my dad made it) a small scratching post with leftover wood and carpet scraps. she loves it. at first i didn't know if she would even use it or know how, so i put some catnip on it and now, she uses it a lot! she also loves to scratch on one of those cardboard things you can get in pet stores. the one i got was just a narrow thing about 4-6 inches wide and maybe 1-1 1/2 foot long. it's just a cardboard "frame" with the edges of cardboard strips inside so that the edges face the top. with all of the cardboard strips pressed together, the edges of the cardboard make up the entire top surface of the whole scratching pad. that's not a good description, but i hope you know what i'm talking about anyway. the point was that mine came filled with catnip and my cat LOVES it. she streches and scratches it every time she wakes up from a nap.

try these things first, would be my suggestion. if none of these works, you could try applying those plastic claw tips. they wear out, so you have to replace them once in a while, but i've heard they're worth it and not expensive. i'm sure a groomer would put them on for you if you just can't manage it. i'm not an advocate of declawing cats, so this is my answer. i know there are similar options to the claw covers, just look around and do some digging online about "cat scratching."

keeping the nails trimmed also helps a lot! Ivy would have destroyed more furniture if i hadn't kept her nails trimmed. she can't get quite as good of a hold on stuff when she streches and scratches with trimmed nails. if you don't know how to do it yourself, it's not that hard. you could ask a groomer for advice. what i do though, is i just hold my cat on my lap or if she's sleeping on top of my computer monitor i just catch her there and press the top of her paw where her "finger" would be and the claw unsheathes. i use plain old nail clippers (toe nail clippers since the finger nail clippers are too small for her claws) and trim up as short as she'll let me or slightly before the "quick" or where the blood supply to the claw stops (it's the red or pink you can see through the nail). she doesn't like it much, but i try to do it quickly (i'm getting better at it and she gets a lot of praise when i'm done, treats too if she wants them).

also, i agree with the sticky tape ideas people said above.
hope this helps.

Answer 6

I think you are doing the very best you can for this little person, while trying to keep your home intact!! My cats have an old upholstered footstool that they rip to bits, and as they shredded my previous suite, I bought a leather one, and they dont even attempt to scratch that. They also have a go at the staircarpet sometimes, but its wool, and tough, so I dont mind. I'm sure he is fine downstairs; he's warm, fed, sheltered and loved, and thats what he needs!!! Bless you.

Answer 7

You could make one room a totally friendly family room. Don't have anything in it which he could destroy. A tiled floor and hard chairs, and inexpensive ones at that. Move everything else out, and spend family time there together.
One of my cats blew up my t.v. (twice) because, even though he was neutered, he sprayed the top. Difficult problem. He felt threatened by a new arrival. The first T.V,. was replaced, the second one my husband opened up and dried and salvaged, thank goodness!
It's not easy, but you still have to love them!

Answer 8

Not at all.I am sure you are the type of person who gives their cat lots of love and attention in many ways.It makes sense to relegate the cat to the kitchen at night .Stop feeling guilty.I think you are a great big softie at heart.How many people would tolerate their animals destroying their furniture?Accept the situation and carry on loving.I know.I have a three legged cat and for all his faults I wouldn't swap her for the world.

Answer 9

it's obvious u care about your cat very much. I can assure you that sleeping in the kitchen is not going to do him any harm. As long as he has more freedom during the day. Wild cats sleep in dens, there's a lot less room in there than your kitchen.

His face is probably against the galss in the morning cause he can't wait to say hi to his best friend. I doubt it is in protest to being locked in the kitchen. If he wasn't happy in there he'd let you know about it.

its nice to see someone showing so much concern for there furry friend.

Answer 10

I have struggled with a similar problem. I have put my cats in the bathroom at night, because they would wake me up constantly with scratching etc. When I moved I couldn't, but now they only choose to sleep in my bed when it is cold, so don't feel too bad. As long as he is warm he should be fine.

I know my cats like to snuggle with each other, could you get him a buddy? If you get a kitten he will hiss at it at first, but then it might actually get him to play and exercise and keep him in shape as he gets older. Good luck

Answer 11

First off, know that you are NOT being mean to your cat. "Mean" would be throwing him outside. I think you have found a great solution to a big problem. He has a warm bed to sleep in, and he will be fine in the kitchen. You sound like a very caring owner, and your cat is lucky.