Cat Scratching Problem?

Question

I nee help!!! We have an 11 month old kitten who is constantly picking at the carpeting. We rent so we really need her to stop, but nothing we try seems to work. I will NOT get her declawed. We have a scratching post but she could care less about using it for what it's for. I need sugestions on how we can get her to stop picking at the carpeting. We also got new furniture last week, so far she is ok with it, but I'm just waiting for the day she starts to scratch at it.

Answer 1

Spray bottle with an adjustable nozzle to spray long distances. Works like a charm!!

Answer 2

I know this sounds terribly mean, but I promise Im not an animal abuser. It worked for me. Whenever it is clawing on something, spray it with a water sprayer(squirter). I just got an empty windex bottle, which I thoroughly cleaned out, and sprayed my cat whenever it sat on the kitchen table and begged for food. After about a month, it stopped doing it. I wouldn't reccomend doing it, however if the cat is too little because it might get sick or something, I dont know why. Something that I have for my cat is a box that lays flat on the ground used for cat scratching purposes, which you could probably get at a pet store. Its kind of annoying after a while, but it does take its mind off the carpet.

Hope these suggestions help you.

Answer 3

I had the exact same problem...the reason she isn't using the post is because she prefers scratching on the ground. I found this absolutely awsome toy. It's called the turbo scratcher. It's entertaining and my cat loves it!! The only adjustment that I made at first was to put a little bit of cat nip in the middle, and he's loved it ever since!! Don't try to get those cheap cardboard scratcher that just lay on the floor in a box, my cat hate them because he's always trying to use it and it moves towards him..

there's a link below so you know what your looking for

Good Luck, And I almost forgot...Kudos for not wanting to rip out your cats claws just cause they're an inconvenience to you!! I wish everyone would think about that before they got an animal tat has claws!!

Answer 4

Get her a carpet scratching post, since that seems to be what she likes, or a horizontal board with carpet on it. Put some catnip or cat-attract on it. You can keep her nails clipped to minimize the damage, use human toenail trimmers and cut just below where the nail gets thick-avoid the pink triangle in the claw, that's the quick and it'll bleed if you nick it. You don't have to cut a lot, just enough to dull it down. If you sneak up on her when she's sleeping, you can usually get one paw done before they're awake enough to fight it. Get yourself a spray bottle of water, or a can of compressed air (computer duster) to squirt/spray her with when you catch her clawing the rug. Also if it's in one or two spots, you can make the area unpleasant by applying tin foil, double sided tape, or a plastic carpet runner turned upside down so the little spikes are up. If her usual places aren't appealing anymore, maybe she'll use the post instead.

Answer 5

I agree about the declawing. We have had cats for almost 30 years and never had a one declawed. For furniture, you can get these clear double sided plastic strips to put on them that work great. For the carpeting, head to the pet store and see what they have. I know they make products to spray on things to keep cats away from them.

Answer 6

Disregard the people who say to get her declawed; I don't think they would appreciate it if I told them they should get the bones pulled out of the ends of their fingers.

If she's indoor only and will let you, trim her nails. Even if she goes outside, cats can usually defend themselves adequately as long as their rear claws are intact. I play with my cat's toes all the time so she's comfortable with it, and despite the fact that she's generally pretty spastic she's just fine with getting her nails trimmed [I wait until she's half asleep so she's mellow and doesn't think we're playing and she'll just lie in my lap and purr]. I clip her claws to just longer than the quick so they're blunter and I don't have to do it quite as frequently.

If your cat freaks out too much and you don't have the time or money to take her to the vet or groomer all the time to get them done, try nail caps. Her nails will still need to be clipped before application but there will be a lot more time in between. The ones I hear about the most are Soft Paws [http://www.softpaws.com/]. I haven't personally used them with my cats but have heard from other cat owners that they can be very effective. Good luck!

Answer 7

Put the scratching post closer to where your cat is scratching.

It might pay to get some carpet off cuts, and lay them over the current scratching area. (It worked for me)

A gentle tap on her paws will stop her scratching if she does it infront of you. Squirting her with a water bottle is a good idea if she continues to be persistant.

You can also tempt her to use the post by making her play with it (dangle a bit of string over the side of the post so she tries to catch it and claws the post - she shoulsd cotton onto it quickly.)

Another trick is to make sure the scratching post doesn't smell funny and new. Get her bedding material and rub the post with it so it smells like her.

I hope this helps you. Good luck.

Answer 8

The cat is attempting to get to the cat interior the reflect. they haven't any idea of reflections, and therefore she is attempting to achieve the different cat she sees (that should not be there! it really is her homestead!). now and again they get aggressive, and could pass to tremendous lengths, swatting on the intruder. in case your fiancee leaves the door somewhat open, the cat will likely pass interior to look at and discover the interloper. there is no longer something undesirable about this, basically cat habit. she might want to keep the cat from seeing its own mirrored image, meaning both banning the cat from the mattress room, or looking something she will put in the front of the reflect each evening, in uncomplicated words as a lot as cat-eye aspect, like a folding demonstrate that human beings use for his or her automobile windshields. sturdy success.

Answer 9

I have try many different ways to prevent my two cats from destroying the carpet and the furniture, so far I had succeeded at keeping them from the furniture by keeping them covered with a sheet..

There are products for pets to keep them off of furniture, you may want to try that to see it will help. they didn't work for me.

Answer 10

Get a deterrant you just spray it on the furniture and cats wont scratch there, because when cats scratch they are basically marking there territory and what the deterrent does is takes the scent away.