My 6 month old kitten keeps scratchin the furniture?

Question

Any idea's how to stop her - we have a scratch post

Answer 1

In addition to pepper try Saying NO sharply. Worked on my Stimpy. Also try [e-mail] . Free advice from a staff of vets.

Answer 2

There are several things you can do.
1 Put pepper on or near the area she scratches.
2 put a Citrinella candle (unlit) near the furniture.
3 Spray one of the Cat deterent sprays from the pet-shop on (making sure it is suitable for furniture)
4 Keep a spray bottle filled with plain water handy and if she starts to scratch give her a quick squirt. (Ideal for teaching her not to go on shelves or try to climb curtains to)
With all the above when she starts getting ready to scratch at something other than her post. Say NO in a firm tone of voice, pick her up and take her to the scratching post. Place her paws on it and make a fuss of her.
Tie a catnip toy to the top of the post with string and it will encourage her to go there more too.
Cats can be trained to a certain extent as you would a dog it just takes longer and you need to be very consistent.i.e. if scratching one piece of furniture is wrong, scratching all furniture is.
Good luck I'm sure you will succeed!

Answer 3

She might not like her post - different cats prefer different types of posts. You may need to buy or build a few different ones to find the kind she prefers to use. Some cats prefer horizontal scratchers, some vertical - most cats like sisal, some like cardboard scratchers, etc. You can even try finding a nice log with the bark still on it - check it for bugs before you bring it inside for her to scratch on. Soft, plush carpet posts usually aren't very appealing to cats. They usually prefer rough surfaces they can really sink their claws into.

Make sure her post is very sturdy - a lot of the posts available in stores will wobble when the cat leans into them or jumps on them, which will make the cat find something else to scratch on. The post also needs to be tall enough for her to stretch out completely and really dig into it.

Put the posts near where she spends most of her time, so she'll be more inclined to use them - if she's in the living room and has to go into another room to use her post, odds are that she'll just use the couch instead. Cats usually like to scratch when they wake up from a nap, after they've used their litterbox, and after they've eaten, so try to locate the posts near where she does those things.

You can protect your furniture while she's adjusting by trimming the sharp tips off of her claws - see the link below for instructions. Double-sided sticky tape on the parts of the furniture where she scratches should also help teach her to leave those spots alone.

If she's really messing up your furniture, you can try putting softpaws nail caps on her claws to protect the furniture from her while she's being retrained. I've used them before & they really worked well.

Answer 4

Hi,
There is a hormone spray called Felliway which is really good, it calms the cat as it is the same hormone that a mother cat gives off while nursing kittens. It is suppose to help cats scratching!
Also put some sticky back plastic on the area of the sofa/carpet you want to protect. This will make the area really unattractive for your cat to scratch. My cats were horrified when we did this but it works a treat.
Good luck!

Answer 5

Get kitty a scratching post big enough to stretch out on. You can make one easily by putting 2.. 2 x 4's together and stapling some carpet on it. The carpet can be color coordinated. Smear some catnip on it and show it to her. The problem should be solved, but keep that spray bottle handy for a bit.

Answer 6

This may have been said but if you get a squirt bottle and fill it with water and squirt them when the scratch, eventually they'll stop. It worked with my three 6-month old kittens.

Answer 7

Hi there...consider trimming your kitten's nails to blunt the sharp ends http://www.felinevideos.vet.cornell.edu/trimming_claws/index.shtml then strategically place scratching posts nearby the locations that the kitten preferred to claw and rub some catnip on the posts if she is attracted to catnip on the posts. Finally, consider using double sided sticky tape on areas where she claws as cats dislike having their paws stuck to tape and soon learn to avoid areas which are unpleasant.

Answer 8

well she is 6 months old I would say its time to dewclaw her its the best way but, may not be right for you buy her a nice scratching post there is also plastic caps you could put on her paws the have them at petsmart good luck in whatever you decide.

Answer 9

Put double sided tape on the surfaces you don't want her to scratch. Cats hate anything sticky on their paws. The spray bottle also works but obviously you have to catch her in the act not so good when you are away.
Good luck!

Answer 10

You just have to keep moving her to the scratch post everytime she does it, and scold her when she does it on the furniture. She will quickly learn.