How would help keep your cats to stop kneeding or clawing furniture or carpets?

Answer 1

DO NOT DE-CLAW (cruel and unusual punishment)

keep the cats claws clipped and get a scratching pole or this cardboard thing they sell it at all pet stores i think it has cat nip in it and the cats will love it.

sometimes though cats will kneed for different reasons, its a form of affection. Cats Kneed their mothers for milk and this may be unrelated to them scratching your furniture. Get the cat its own pillow or stuffed animal, again try some cat nip if they don't take to it immediately.

Answer 2

kneeding is a natual thing that starts when they are feeding from their mother. some cats seem to never out grow this. mostly when kneeding they do not have the claws out
clawing at the furniture. they need retrained.My cats gave up the furniture when I cut down a tree and brought in a fresh cut chunk from the trunk, they liked the smell I guess becasue they ignored the store bought post they had. If they like carpet get a carpet covered post and if they stay away from it add a little cat nip leaves and they will go to it and get use to it

Answer 3

You can stop inappropriate clawing, but not kneeding. Kneeding is what kittens do to their mother's belly to stimulate milk. It is what cats do when they are content (or scared) because it instills that feeling of safety and warmth. The best bet for kneeding is to put soft chenille or wool blankets on the furniture & spots they normally do this on. If you do not want them out all the time and they normally just follow you around, put a couple in drawers around the house to pull out when they jump up to be with you. Clawing can be resolved a number of ways - A water spray bottle to spray them when they are caught in the act. 2" double sided sticky tape on the side of the furniture for a couple of weeks really did the trick for mine. Also, provide them with acceptable alternatives (they are not so much 'sharpening' their claws as their are marking their territory with the scent glands in their paws, so it will continue even if you declawed them) - the best scratching posts are the ones with hemp rope on them - cats like the feel & texture. Also, there are cardboard sleeves at pet stores (the wider ones are better) that you put cat nip in that they also love the feel & texture of.

Answer 4

Kneading and clawing are instinctive behaviors, and you cannot make them stop. Getting them declawed will save your furniture and carpets from damage, but they will still claw and knead. Give them a scratching post and take them to it when you catch them clawing, rub their paws on it and put catnip on it, a scratching post gives them an outlet for this natural behavior. You can also trim cats' nails easily with human nail trimmers to save your furniture from harm, or get a product called Soft Paws, this is a plastic tip that glues on the nail so it won't do any damage. Soft Paws will need to be replaced as the nails grow.

Answer 5

If you give them lots of furniture of their own that's more fun to scratch, they won't be interested in your furniture. Many cats won't use a carpeted scratching post, but the cat trees with sisal (rope) covered posts leading to lofts of carpeted platforms for lounging are irresistible. Cats love to be in lofty or enclosed places and they'll usually stretch on the post before or after their snooze. You can also buy round plastic scratch pads that have round corrugated cardboard inserts. The replacements for these are cheap, and I've never had a cat that didn't use these regularly.
If you rub catnip into your posts, that will make them more attractive until they get used to them.

Squirting cats with water will only work while you're home. Your cats will avoid the area for fear of punishment, but if you're not around they have no reason not to scratch. The best option is redirection... give them lots of items then CAN scratch, and they won't need to scratch your furniture, and they'll lose interest.

Answer 6

the best way for a cat to use a scratching post effectively is to spray the post with Catnip and they will associate the post with feelings of pleasure. If they do detour and start on the furniture, you could try the water pistol (sounds cruel - but it works) or spraying some sort of citrus smelling fabric freshener on your carpets and furniture. They hate the smell of citrus. The real trick is to be consistent with punishments and rewards and to teach them from an early age. Pretty much the same way as children are rewarded for good behaviour and punished for being naughty. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

Kneading and clawing are actions that cats do by instinct. Even cats who have been declawed do both of these things.
Get them a scratching post, but make sure it is tall enough so they can stretch up while they scratch and you can even rub a little catnip on it to attract them to it.
There are toys that have a cardboard middle and a ball that circles the outside when they bat it around.
Make sure they have enough toys and you play with them - yarn and a ball or little mouse on the end is fun for you both, it also keeps them from being bored.
Give them a scratch under the chin for me. :0)

Answer 8

well spraying them with water will take alot of your energy and won't keep them from doing stuff when you aren't home.

Lot's of cats will just ignore a scratching post, you know how they are.

the stiky tape works pretty well, you can just use masking tape, but then your furniture still looks ugly.

Declawing is easy to do, plus you only have to do the front claws. Not only will your cat not scratch your furniture, it won't scratch you either. Now if your cat needs to catch mice for you, it will need its claws and you will have to pick another option.

Answer 9

Try all those other answers, but if they don't work then consider declawing. Research it and see what you think. It is a harsh surgery, but then again so is circumcision and that's completely unnecessary. Everyone else's answers are better than mine, but as a last result consider declawing. I have 2 kitties....... one came to me declawed and I picked up a stray last month that was intact in all ways. The landlord said the cat could only stay if it was declawed. We got him his shots, neuter, and declaw all done last Thursday. Picked him up that night and he was a little sleepy. He came around slowly on Friday and now, Saturday, he is back to normal.

Of course, it goes without saying that once you declaw a cat you have a lifelong commitment....... well, more so than normal. You've taken away their defenses and you have to make sure that your kitty will always be taken care of for the rest of it's life. So, that means making plans for your own demise.

Answer 10

Give them their place to scratch, sisal rope or burlap covered ,they don't seem to care for post covered with carpet (unless it on the back facing out). I got my 2 cats used to having their claws trimmed regularly when they were young. They never took to scratching on furniture ,preferring to use the scratching post. They are indoors cats only.Years ago I had a cat declawed and would never do it again, she torn out stitches and wound took forever to heal.