How do i get my cat to stop clawing everything in sight and not to kill the poor furniture?

Question

She just tears into it really hard. Like she's trying to scratch everything out of her. She'll walk up to something, stick her claws into and drag her paws all the way down something. She doesn't kneed too much. She kills furniture, teddy bears, carpet, cement, anything. Is there anything weird or wrong with the way she's clawing. I have raised cats to kittens and i have never seen anything like this before. I tried asking a vet but he was too busy to talk to me. Why isn't she usually scratching like a normal cat??

Answer 1

I consider myself a bit of an expert on cats since I have so many and have had many over the years. I also socialize cats beffore they're rehomed so that when they are adopted, they will be well-behaved.
The first thing I do with any cat is put them in a small room, (usually the bathroom), with their potty, water, food and a scratch pads (usually rubber tiles). There they stay until they get used to using the potty and the scratch pad. If the cat looks like he doesn't know what the scratch pad is for, I take his paws and make a scratching motion with them. They usually get the hang of it. I of course visit the cat frequently to make sure he understands he's loved. I usually leave him there for a day. I then expand the area he can explore, for example the kitchen. He will have a run of the kitchen but make sure he's scratching only where he's supposed to. If he's being good, then after a few days I let him into the other rooms. If the house is big, I would suggest getting several scratching pads (they're really cheap) and put them in different rooms so that when he gets the urge, there's always a pad. I also clip the tips of his claws with a simple nail clipper about every ten days. If he reaches for something else to scratch, I say 'NO' firmly, pick him up and put him on the scrach pad.
In your case, I think your cat needs retraining, so put him in a small room for a day, and start him off the way I recommended just as if he were a new cat. It will work. Cats are smart. Cats will only learn to fear you if you scream or hit, and that 's not the type of relationship one wants with a pet.
Please do not have your cat declawed as some people have suggested. Declawing is a barbaric practice that is like amputating the fingers at the first joint. It is outlawed in most countries as inhumane. Please check the following websites.
http://www.declawing.com/htmls/declawing.htm
http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/declawpics.html

Answer 2

Try buying your cat a scratching post. Buy a post that is similar to the material that she normally tries to sharpen her claws on. Try "tricking" your cat into using the scratching post. Try running a piece of yarn across it, and she will sink her claws into it. After a few play periods, she'll notice that this is a nice texture to start sharpening her claws on. As for the furniture, there's a spray that you can buy at petsmart for about 8 dollars or so. Spray it every day on the area that she always tries to scratch, and she'll eventually stop. Most people won't have to spray again once the cat has stopped scratching the furniture. I've never heard of a cat scratching teddy bears and cement. It's a bit odd, but every cat has their own unique personality. :) Good luck.

Answer 3

Please do not resort to de-clawing your cat...it is a PERMANENT solution to a TEMPORARY problem. It is very mutilating to the cats, as they remove everything from the knuckle down. It us painful and takes a while to heal. It can GREATLY change the personality of the cat. In addition, if you cat (god forbid) ever got out of the house it would have no means of defense.


A wonderful alternative is called Soft Paws. They are soft plastic caps that are applied to the nail with adhesive. They last between 1-6 months per application and new nails can be put on as needed. They are relatively inexpensive ranging form $16-$25 for a 4-10 month supply. They are painless and safe to use on cats. I use them on my cats as well as my fosters from the humane society that I work at. They are amazing. All of my furniture is in tact, and I have yet to be scratched.

Try purchasing them as www.thecatandkittenstore.com

Hope I helped.

Answer 4

Scratching is more to mark their territory than to sharpen their claws. A hemp rope scratching post with catnip around it will help much more than a regular carpet scratching post. Double sided sticky tape on the furniture she is going to (temporarily). Since it is so pervasive and she is going after everything, you may be dealing with some psychological issues - separation from mother too soon, stress, etc. Anti-anxiety meds for cats are available as generics and are relatively inexpensive

Answer 5

At pet stores there are deterrent sprays. They keep the cat away from things you don't want them to claw. If you want to keep the cat and not have her declawed (that's cruel) call another vet I always have an emergency vet number on hand for things that I can't get answered at normal hours. or if they aren't available

Answer 6

We bought nail caps, soft paws, for our 11 year old, grouchy old lady, cat. She's adjusted to them quite well. Even though she isn't very social, I can pick her up after a nap and get her nails done all in 1 sitting. Takes about 5 minutes. You have to redo them as they fall off, every 6-8 weeks. We bought a new house and thought she was too old to get declawed, or to retrain. The softpaws have been her saving grace (cause she'd be the one out the door).

Answer 7

I WOULD SAY SHE IS SHOWING DOMINANCE NOT ONLY OVER THE OBJECT SHE IS SCRATCHING AT THE TIME BUT TO EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING. TRY PLACING PIECES OF FOIL ONTO THE EDGES OF YOUR FURNITURE WHERE SHE SCRATCHES, JUST TAPE IT RIGHT ONTO THE AREA - THEY HATE FOIL. OR YOU CAN ALSO USE DOUBLE SIDED TAPE THEY REALLY HATE THAT ON THEIR PAWS. I WOULD ALSO GET A WATER BOTTLE WITH A STREAM DIAL - AND SQUIRT HER GOOD JUST AS SHE GOES TO SCRATCH - THIS WILL SHOW HER IT IS UNAACEPTABLE BEHAVIOR(BUT ONLY IF YOU CATCH HER RIGHT IN THE ACT - NOT BEFORE OR AFTER) . THEN INTRODUCE HER TO A CAT TREE - THEY MAY COST A LOT BUT IN THOUGHTS OF THE REST OF YOUR FURNITURE - IT IS SOOOOOOOOOO WORTH IT.
BY THE WAY - TRY CALLING AROUND TO ANOTHER VET - IT SEEMS LIKE YOUR PRESENT ONE ISNT IN THE BUSINESS FOR THE RIGHT REASONS - A GOOD ONE WILL TALK TO YOU AND WANT TO HELP IN ANY WAY THAT THEY CAN.

Answer 8

Don't de-claw her, that is cruel. I had the same problem with my cat. I know this sounds weird but buy her a scratching post. Then every time she tries to claw the furniture use a spray bottle to spray her. When she uses the scratching post let her. Trust me they learn quick because they don't like getting sprayed.

Answer 9

My cat does that too. It's frustrating. I bought him a scratching post/kitty condo and he uses that now. It takes work though. When she's tearing up something she shouldn't be, tap her on the nose and sternly say "NO". Then put her in front of her scratching post. They say cats can't be trained, but mine has sure learned to leave my furniture alone! Good luck!

Answer 10

Trim her nails with your little nail clippers (carefully), and look into getting her spayed?

Also provide more exciting toys. Little jingle bells,curled up twist-ties, a cardboard box.

I have two cats that act like real jerks any time my neighbor's cat is in heat. They tear each other's hair out and climb the walls. And they ARE fixed.

Some cats are just more wild. Maybe your girl will grow out of it.

Also, I heard that you could sprinkle cayenne pepper on things that you want them to stay away from. I haven't tried it, but you never know.