How do I stop my cat from shredding everything (furniture, bags, doors etc.) in the house?

Answer 1

I am reading all these answers that say "declaw" - that should be your LAST resort. Declawing is the equivalent of cutting off your fingers to the first knuckle & your thumb to the 2nd knuckle - it is mutilating. If your cat gets outside, it has no defense or means of catching food. Don't think it can't happen to your cat - it happens all the time. Also,events sometimes occur in the future that can't be foreseen that could result in your pet being outside - a change of pet ownership, a fire, a tornado, a hurricane, a flood, etc. Get a pair of cat nail scissors at the pet store. The small ones w/a 1/2 circle cut in one blade work well. It takes about 1-2 minutes to trim all the nails once a week. First get your cat adjusted to you handling his paws. Learn to press the area between the big pad & the little toe pads in order to extend each claw. Look at the claw - if they are light colored you can see the "quick" - where the vein runs in the nail. It comes up to about the center of the curve on the nail. Don't cut into it or the nail will bleed. Cut past the curve, between the curve & the nail point. It is easies to do with two people, one to hold the cat (support his rear feet & scruff him by the back of the neck) & one to trim. If you catch him sleeping, you can also usually trim two or three toes before he wakes up. Also, a cat needs to scratch, even if their nails are trimmed (they will still do it even if they are declawed) it is how they remove the old, dead, outer layer of nail and it is also a social issue to cats as they leave the scent from their paws where they scratch. Scratch posts are mostly crappy - they tend to be short, lightweight & unstable so when a cat uses one, it just falls over & scares him. Thats why he likes your sofa, its tall, its sturdy & it doesn't move. So duplicate that - get a sisal wrapped board type of scratching item, like those usually hung on a doorknob, but mount it onto the wall with screws into the wall stud. Put it near their feeding area or near a door where you usually enter your home. Mount it high enough that the cat can stretch out full length. Scent the scratch board with catnip. Encourage him to use it by petting him there and leave him little treats there & praising him when he uses it. Use some double stick carpet tape over areas he likes to scratch a lot, to discourage returning to them. Also, fill a small spray bottle w/ water & give him a squirt when he scratches an inappropriate area. Also, note whether he prefers scratching horizontal or vertical surfaces - sometimes a scratchpost turned onto its side on the floor, or a short tree log on the floor is appreciated. It takes so little time to trim nails, please at least try that before considering declawing. Usually, as they become accustomed to it, it becomes easier to do.

Answer 2

Declawing should be the very last resort - how would you like someone to cut all your fingers off?

Be sure to provide him/her with a good, sturdy scratching post that is tall enough that he gets a good stretch in. I have one made with sisal, not carpet, because I think it is more attractive. The cats didn't know what to do with it at first, but when I scratched it myself, they started scratching too. I always praise them when I see them using it, as well, and that helps.

Cardboard scratchers are also good and inexpensive but I would use that as a secondary place to scratch.

Since your cat has already scratched some of your furniture you might need to use the special spray for detering them, to get rid of the scent left by their scratching. If that doesn't work, the sticky tape or aluminum foil will make it unpleasant enough for them to not want to scratch there, and you can eventually remove that when he has forgotten about the couch or bed or whatever :-)

Also, be sure to play with him/her! He might just have extra energy he needs to get out!

Answer 3

first: A day or two of you and the cat and a squirt bottle. The tough part is, EVERYONE in the house has to be prepared to use the squirt bottle.. or the cat will learn that it only happens when you are around.


Second: the scratching post. I've never had a cat who preferred the furniture to a scratching post. Put it in front of him and run your fingers over it as if you're scratching it, and watch him take to it. That's all it ever takes with my cats, and I have three cats now.

from Mrs.Boea

Answer 4

Bring your cat to the vet to get it declawed, which is a simple surgical procedure where they remove the cat's claws. If you think this is cruel or would rather go another route, there are caps that you can put on your cat's claws that stop them from tearing up things, but my aunt used them on her cat and they kept falling off.

Otherwise, you can just correct the behavior everytime she does it. Spray her with a spray bottle when you catch her scratching.

Answer 5

Get a squirt water bottle and spray the cat whenever you se her scratching and clawing, quickly she 'll learn. Sounds cruel, but more benign than declawing. Also get a scratch post.

Answer 6

Dear Asker,
Please see the links below to read about declawing and alternatives. I know that it's a lot of information, but please opt to be informed for the sake of your kitty. Thanks!

You people who are suggesting declawing should feel ashamed. Have you ever thought about growing up and not getting an animal if you don't want to be inconvenienced?


http://www.petstation.com/declaw.html
http://www.geocities.com/catcl/declaw.html
http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/html/declaw_law.html
http://domania.us/catique/declaw.html
http://www.declawhallofshame.com/wst_page5.html
http://www.pawproject.com/html/faqs.asp
http://www.declaw.org/
http://www.laperm.com/Helpful_Information/DoNotDeclaw.htm
http://www.ciara.de/declawing.html
http://www.softpaws.com/
http://amby.com/cat_site/
http://www.woodcox.net/declawing.html
http://www.catscratching.com/
http://community-2.webtv.net/zuzu22/stopdeclawtemporary/
http://www.vpl.com/product_home.php
http://www.paw-rescue.org/declaw_paper.html
http://www.de-clawing.com/
http://www.catclinicofnorman.com/site/view/65666_DeclawingandAlternatives.pml
http://www.phsspca.org/training/declawing.htm
http://www.spiritessence.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=declawingarationallook
http://www.goodcatswearblack.com/declawing/about_declawing.htm
http://www.cara-adopt.org/declaw.html
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/declaw.html
http://www.amby.com/cat_site/declaw.html
http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/declaw.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9352/declaw.html

Answer 7

You can invest in some Soft Claws, which are caps that cover the nails.

Then, teach your kitty to use a scratching post. Sprinkle some catnip on it and praise kitty and give him treats when he uses the post, when he's scratching where he's not suppose to tell him no firmly, pick him up, take him to the post and run his claws on it. When he uses it, more praise and treats.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Well if u want to be nice, feed the other cat but leave the food outside. Make sure your cats eat before u go to bed and put there food away.

Answer 9

Provide plenty of scratching posts.... get double sided tape (you can find something like that at pet stores) and put it on her favorite scratching places...

Answer 10

my cats always did that to my sofa and i got them a cat tree with cat nip on it then they just used that