Cat scratching?

Question

Hi there.
My cat Abby has started to scratch the wooden furnature and i have tried all the usual triks like spraying her taping her paws and pepper.
The thing is my husband said that if she does not stop then she will have to go, bute i love her to bits and dont want to loose her :-((
So if anyone can help that would be great.

Thanks

Additional info.
1.She is an indoor cat that goes out twice a day
2. She has had the snip
3. She is a happy cat
4. She eats well

Sorry i forgot to mention she has a scratch tree.

Answer 1

you could try putting double sided sticky tape on the places being scratched.they hate the feel and it may be enough to break the habit.

Answer 2

I wouldn't have the cat declawed. I own two cats and had one of thems front paws declawed. After wards, I saw how he acted without them and I was very re-regretful. I have another cat that has lived here for 3 years and now all of a sudden started scratching the wooden furniture.

We found out that you can buy a ORANGE Citrus Smelling spray that can be sprayed on the furniture and does no damage. It seems to be working. We only spray it on the part that she was trying to claw.

Answer 3

Clawing posts are fantastic; every indoor cat should have one.

We trained our cat to use the post by taking her to the post, and pushing her feet against the scratching post in a scratching motion. She got the message in under a week, and now only claws her post… Unless she’s deliberately being naughty to get attention… when that happens we’ve found a sharp clap and a firm “No” work better than a spray bottle because she actually likes being squirted…

We have to replace the carpet on the clawing post about once a year, but if you talk to a carpet store manager, they’ll usually sell you off cuts for under $10.
If you do replace the carpet, always tack the old carpet over the new stuff. That way the cat’s scent, and ownership marks are still all over the post.

If she was a solely indoor cat, I’d suggest trimming her nails. But if you do this she won’t be able to defend herself (or climb to escape) when she’s outside.

Good luck :-)

Answer 4

Martha Stewart showed one time to make a scratching post yourself (it has to be tall enough), one time she used a piece of a tree with bark and screwed it to a square piece of wood on bottom, another time she took a tall round (large) wooden pole and stapled or nailed or glued somehow a carpet she wrapped around it and screwed it to a square wooden base, she doesn't believe in declawing and she says in the day she places sheets and covers all the furniture to keep them from scratching, i went and bought some cheap sheets and if you completely cover the chairs and furniture it does work, they don't like to scratch with the sheets, also try a water gun or pistol and squirt them if see doing anything bad, but then hide the pistol or squirter and whistle and look in the air (as if you don't know where it came from) cause the book said if they know it was you who squirted them may become afraid of you lol

and yes you can get a cat nail trimmer at wal-mart, trim maybe once a week (can use human nail clippers if careful, to not cut past clear of nail to the quick). that works a lot, i do trim my cats nails and really can't scratch "wood" furniture with trimmed nails.

in England declawing and ear cropping are considered mutilation and is illegal in England for such is considered inhumane, like cutting your fingers at first knuckle and they say it does psychologically affect the cat

Answer 5

You Could try investing in a scratch post for her as this is a very normal habbit for all cats.They have to sharpen their claws somehow and maybe even a trip to the vets now and again for a clip may help.You could do this yourself even but you have to be careful not to cut near the blood line.
There is not much else you can do about this as even my cats do it,it can be very annoying but a scratch post can help loads especially if you put catnip on it,she will love using it.Hope this can be of some help to you.

Answer 6

The reason she is scratching she is trying to change her claws they pull the top layer of to reveal the new claw.
my indoor cat had his own woven pouffee that he used to scratch and was told how good he was when scratching it and only it
you can buy scratch poles with rope on for a similar purpose.

Answer 7

Cut her nails or bring her to the vets or pet grooming place! This could help! You could get her declawed (not something I would do, because if she goes outside she won't be able to protect herself) Getting her declawed also depends on her age. If she is still young they will do it. But as the cat gets older the vets will not declaw the cats! Everytime she claws spray her with water. Every single time!!! Hopefully that will help. Also talk to your vet they might have some good ideas! Good Luck!!!

Answer 8

Spray orange juice on the things she likes to scratch.Cats hate citrus smells.

Don't get her declawed.It is cruel and illegal in many countries,including here in the UK,as it is mutilation and is painful.Declawed cats cannot climb or defend themselves so they are more vulnerable outside.

Answer 9

It is natural for cats to scratch. Try giving her something else to scratch. I have several items that the cats can scratch - one of their favorites is a "log" wrapped with heavy twine. Although you can purchase similar ones at a pet store, I made my own. Another favorite with two of the cats is corrugated cardboard - it makes a mess when they shred it, but it is easy to clean up and it keeps them occupied for hours. Although I have never had much luck with the carpet-covered scratching posts, many cats love those.

Give your cat rewards when she uses something appropriate to scratch and continue to "punish" her with a little spray of water when she uses your furniture.

Good luck!

Answer 10

If you don't have a scratching post, get one. If she doesn't use it, and still wants to scratch the furnature, get her declawed. Cats scratch by nature. It is the way they keep their claws clean and sharp and also keep them trimmed. She is not trying to be destructive or misbehaving. she is doing what cats do. the best thing to do would be have her declawed if your husband isn't willing to wait until she has had a chance to try to use a scratching post.