How can I get my Maine Coon to stop scratching everything. We have scratching posts and plenty of pads to use

Question

We have tried the sprays that they sell in stores and we also have tried squirting her with water. but she comes back for more.

i have trimmed her nails , I have two other cats but they use the scratching posts i have up right ones ,flat and the rope type . she especially like to do it in front of me when i come home. i put carpet around my kitchen table legs.

Answer 1

Good luck in trying to get your Maine Coon to do anything you want her to, I have never been able to get mine to! She has a mind of her own, and when I say NO! she looks at me with a very defiant face, and goes ahead and does what she pleases. All my Maine Coons have been the same, so either I am doing something wrong, or they are just different. I have had over 50 cats, and currently have 13, and let me tell you, none of the" non" Maine Coons have ever been so naughty! W built a very big "Cat Tower" for her, with sisal rope around the uprights, and with a few carpeted platforms for her to jump on. We hung a few fluffy toys from it, and she loves it, and has stopped scratching my furniture. (although it hasn't done much to make her take any more notice of NO!) Sometimes she has an absolute "Cat Attack", and really charges up it, and starts ripping the carpets to shreds! It is easy to replace the carpets, and a LOT cheaper than replacing furniture. I really hope you can get yours stop. A bit of naughty behaviour is what makes them so applealing though!

Answer 2

When was the last time her claws were trimmed?

Try rubbing catnip on the scratching posts.

Since sprays and squirting water don't work, it's best to discontinue doing that.

Try gently taking her over to her scratching post and while you are speaking kindly to her, hold her front paws gently and let her make scratching motions on the scratching post while you are holding her paws -- speak nicely to her, praise her when she does this. THEN give her a treat (even if it's just couple of pieces of dry cat food) -- you will be associating PLEASURE (food, gentle voices, praise) with the scratching posts.

Answer 3

When using water to squirt a cat, put some lemon juice in with it. Not a lot, just to give it a bitter taste. That way she knows, "HEY, I don't like THIS stuff!"

There are also sprays available which are for "calming" cats, which are like ferramones. You can use these sprays to encourage the cat to scratch where you want it to, especially if the catnip trick does not work.

Answer 4

First, thank you so much for not declawing your cat. This is a part of what they are. They come with claws and toes just like you have fingers and toes. Declawing is amputation, so bravo to you for choosing to train your cat instead of taking the easy way out for you but very painful way for your cat that could cause a lifetime of suffering.

Start by spraying your cat's favorite furniture that it likes to scratch with a nice spray of your favorite perfume to cover your cat's scent. Then cover that with double tape so that when your cat comes back to scratch, the tape will hopefully discourage a return to scratching there.

Most Maine Coons don't mind having a little water on them. In fact, some rather like it. Try adding a very small touch of vinegar to the water. All cats hate vinegar. Don't use more than just a very small amount so you don't make your kitty sick.

If you catch your cat in the process of scratching, say no, bad kitty, and then take your cat to a scratcher and put your cats paws on the scratcher and do scratching motions while saying oh, what a good kitty.

If your cat goes back to the furniture, squirt it with the vinegar water. Put your cat in the bathroom (make sure the toilet seat is down and there is nothing sharp and shut the door while saying bad kitty so that your cat knows that it did wrong and is therefore removed from the family. 5 minutes later, let your cat out and repeat bad kitty and ignore it. Never let your cat receive positive reinforcement for bad behavior.

Make sure that the scratching posts you have are upright ones where your cat can get a good stretch in while scratching. The carpeted ones with the rope around them are great to give them a choice of surfaces. You might also want to bring in a nice tree limb and mount in on an angle. Make sure that all scratchers have a lot of catnip to start out. Once your cat marks it with the scent of its pads, you won't want to cover it up. Hopefully your kitty will keep going back to shred it on a regular basis. Much positive reinforcement will help. Every time your cat uses the scratcher, let your cat know what a good kitty it is so that it does it for praise. Lots of pets and stroke while it's at the scratcher are a good thing too.

Place your cat's favorite scratchers near the furniture that it would normally go to. This will help your cat to make the right decision to keep you happy and get pets and praises rather than squirts and being sent to the bathroom with no attention.

Is it possible that your cat is jealous of the other cats and is marking the areas that you go to as if saying to the other cats that it's not sharing you - marking the territory (you) rather than sharpening? If you think this might be happening, then you need to give your cat a lot more attention and good kitty talks to reinforce your love to your cat.

If none of the above work, try growling with the deepest growl you can when your cat is caught scratching your furniture. This is the sound that their momma would make when unhappy with their behavior. Just say a firm no and then growl so that your cat knows you mean business. This can only be done at the same time as the incident is happening so that your cat will associate bad behavior with your growl rather than thinking you will eat it our something. It's a better effect when a man growls. Ours will stop midtrack from what they were doing and cower. Just don't do it all the time.

And finally, maybe your cat is doing this out of boredom or just to get your attention - good or bad. Make sure that your cat has lots of positive reinforcement for good behavior. If your cat is scratching a scratching post, make a really big deal out of it by going to your cat and praising with oh what a good kitty you are. You're momma's good baby. What a good kitty. Lots of pets and love at the scratching post will be the best way to win this war.

Most importantly, Maine Coons love to be outside, so you need to provide as much of an outdoor atmosphere as you can. Their desire to go outside and be in the wild is much more desired than with most breeds. They need to feel that they're in the wilderness to some degree.

Provide your cat with a window with fresh air where it can see the birds and smell the scents in nature. Give it plenty of things like grass and catnip to munch on when it wants. Maine Coons are a little closer to their untamed family, so help your cat to be happy by providing as much of this as possible with many toy mice and things it can become a hunter with. Feathers on a stick are great fun.

Answer 5

Petco and probably most pet stores sell a product you can place on those areas your cat likes to scratch to protect them.

Answer 6

You need to trim her nails a little and get them to be a little less sharp and then they won't bother her so badly!

Answer 7

Have you tried putting some cat nip on the scatching posts?