How to break a kitten from climbing curtains?

Question

My kitten has destroyed just about all of the curtains in my house. How can I stop her from doing this?

The spray bottle thing won't work. She doesn't while I am sleeping. I have not actually caught her climbing them, but they don't break by theirselves. I've tried holding her up to them and giving her a little spanking doesn't work. I've even tried putting her in her room (the bathroom) and closing her in to for about 30 minutes.

Answer 1

do NOT listen to the person who said to declaw. do NOT declaw your cat! to get an idea of what that is, hold up your hand. Now, imagine that you had the tips of your fingers removed at the first knuckle from the top. Not a pretty thought, is it?

(shakes head) Now for some REAL advice.

There are products out there made for this sort of thing. Go to PetSmart or PetCo for the best stuff. You can get a spray to apply to the curtains, furniture, or whatever, and the cat doesnt like the smell. There are also sticky strips that you can put on the curtains, and the cat wont like them sticking to her paws, and wont scratch.

Make sure your cat does have something to scratch on though, such as a scratching post, or one of these:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3635641

my cat absolutely LOVES the latter, and uses it all the time. Even our 7 weeks old kitten LOVES it! it is made out of cardboard, and has catnip. You only have to sprinkle more dried catnip on it every once in a while. It has lasted us 5 months, and it is STILL going strong! Both of my cats ADORE it.

This is the link for the sticky strips:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441778491&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302025622&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023690&bmUID=1180641591987&itemNo=0&In=Cat&N=2025622&Ne=2

This is the link for an example of sray-on repellant:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441808090&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302025622&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023690&bmUID=1180641592194&itemNo=5&In=Cat&N=2025622&Ne=2

good luck!

Answer 2

The usual suggestion to help break bad habits for cats of any age is to get a small spray/squirt bottle and, when you see them doing what they're not supposed to do, squirt them with it. They'll eventually associate getting wet, which most cats dislike, with the activity.

A loud noise of some sort might also work if it's something that will scare the cat. Be sure you do it when you see your kitten climbing the curtain so that he's sure to associate the water/noise with the curtains. If you do it either before he's on them or after he's done climbing it wont work as well.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Clip her claws regularly and provide a scratching post.
Keep a spray bottle of clear water handy and whenever you see her starting to climb the curtains, spray her. It will take a few days (possibly as long as three weeks) but she will get the message.

Answer 4

I used to say, "Suzy! Get off those drapes!" ( They don't have a lining anymore.) I don't really know how to stop yours, but I think kittens climb curtains because they are small and the curtains will hold them safely. Such fun they have when they learn they can climb.

Answer 5

When you see them looking at you with realy intense eyses and you just know that they're going to pounce, sit down near them so they dont get the chance. If you dont catch it in time grab them and put them down with a firm NO and maybe give them a squirt. Sometimes they're looking to be held. One of our cats did that as a kitten and all he wanted was to be held so he could rub his face against us. Other times it was cause he knew I was cutting up meat that he wanted.

Answer 6

get a spray bottle and fill it with water and add a small amount maybe 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Say NO!!! and spray the cat. They hate it and will stop.

Answer 7

SNAP! my kitten did the same. get a spray bottle from like the pound shop.use warm water and fresh queezed lemon juice. mis it together and spray it on the curting we did that and now our kitty doesnt do it any more but if kitty carrys on fill a spray bottle with freezing cold water and when it does wrong spray the kitty good luck. it will learn ours did hehe

Answer 8

You can get this stuff called "sticky paws" at any pet store. It's strips of super-sticky double sided tape that you can put pretty much anywhere. Cats don't like the feel of it on their claws, so they start avoiding the area. It doesn't damage the fabric, and can be placed almost anywhere. Worked like a charm for my stubborn cat.

Answer 9

Spray bottle....they hate water. Everytime they start to climb...spray them. This should eventually stop the behaviour.

Answer 10

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure declawing is the only way. They can do it with a laser now, which is better for the cat. Some people will suggest sprays and such, but they really don't work. Sorry.