CAT question!

[RedCherries05]

I have a boy cat about about sixteen months old who I just got a scratching post for. I've seen him scratch other things and he has really long nails that he's snagged on thing before so I know it has to be uncomfortable. Anyways I've had it nearly a week and he won't touch it. It seems like i've tried everything including demonstrations, does anyone have an tips for me or am I fighting a battle I've already lost? Thanks so much for reading!

 

[naamplao]

try dusting it with a little catnip

 

[courtneycakes]

Ah. I have two cats and they both do the same thing. Our couches look HORRIBLE from it. Anyway. Theres not much you really can do. They kinda just...scratch what they please. But as for the snagging. It doesn't hurt them. When their claws are growing, a muscle in their legs retracts which causes them to 'make biscuits.' It feels pretty good to them. Weird I know....

But if you'll go to your local Petsmart, they have this cardboard thing(forget what its called) that cats will scratch and it also keeps their claws from getting so sharp.

 

[RedCherries05]

Thank you both so much! That's some great information!

 

[Cathleen]

Have you clipped their nails? I know mine are due because I'm scratched up!

Catnip does help get them to notice and demonstration works for some. If you can catch them in the act on your furniture then bring them to the scratching post and 'help' them.

Those cardboard things are good too. But I clip their nails so they don't stick to the rug when they're trying to run -- there's nothing like a cat that gets stuck when trying to do 40mph down a hall.


edit: This is the cardboard thing.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...In=Cat&previousText=scratching+post&N=2023690

 

[PertPerth]

Cats are cats...but no matter what people say, you can definitely train them.
Each time your cat starts to scratch on the couch (don't get upset) pick him up and put him on the scratching post. Reward him with cuddles when he scratches on it.

Cats are also fussy creatures...buy another type of scratching post. He might not like the texture of that one. My cat liked the first one I bought him. He will not scratch the other two new ones I got him at all! (The old scratching post is looking scruffy so I wanted to replace it...Alas, Kitty says "no"!)

Catnip has not helped for my cat at all.

 

[LordHawk]

We had problems with the cats scratching the couch and when we got the new one we definitely didn't want them to ruin it. So everytime they started to sink their claws into it we'd get on them and give them a whack about the head. Didn't take long before they got the hint.

 

[Honeybee80]

There are a few things you can do to discourage the couch and any other place you don't want scratched.

1) blow up small balloons and tape them to the corners of the couch. If they pop one, they won't be coming back.

2) cats HATE tin foil. tape it over the corners.

3) cats hate anything that is sticky, you can use double sided tape on the corners as well. (both this and the tin foil are a great way to keep them off kitchen counters.)

As far as pushing towards the post.. once you make the couch unavailable, you could place the post near it.

Cat nip doesn't do a thing for my male kitty.

Another quick random tip.. if your kitty gets hair balls you can give them baby food (squash and pumpkin) It's high in fiber and will help with the gagging.

 

[Horus_rules]

Ah. I have two cats and they both do the same thing. Our couches look HORRIBLE from it. Anyway. Theres not much you really can do. They kinda just...scratch what they please. But as for the snagging. It doesn't hurt them. When their claws are growing, a muscle in their legs retracts which causes them to 'make biscuits.' It feels pretty good to them. Weird I know....

But if you'll go to your local Petsmart, they have this cardboard thing(forget what its called) that cats will scratch and it also keeps their claws from getting so sharp.

I have three and the newest one, a siamese, is the worst at clawing the couch. She is a very loving kitty though, so I forgive her. She loves to get right up into your neck and lick you. I know it is time for a quick nail trim when I hear her clcicking on the floors or when she is doing "mushy claws" on my neck.

One actually uses the scratching post and the siamese likes the new cocconut fiber rub.

BTW: I have to say thank you to your state for our Super Bowl Champion quarterback.
I will also be cheering for your Vols tonight. Bruce is a great coach, who started a small local university here in Indiana.


Thanks Honeybee for such great tips too.

 

[Horus_rules]

We had problems with the cats scratching the couch and when we got the new one we definitely didn't want them to ruin it. So everytime they started to sink their claws into it we'd get on them and give them a whack about the head. Didn't take long before they got the hint.

Loud noises or a squirt bottle work too and you do not have to worry about your neighbors calling the ASPCA!

 

[BluePoet]

It seems like i've tried everything including demonstrations,

Details please.

Declawing?

 

[FurryFury]

I would never hit an animal.

Cat's can be trained but ONLY if you get your ass up each and every time an infraction occurs and make it happen. It's sort of the same with kids too. LOL.

Redirecting the cat to the scratching post can help.

Anti cat sprays don't seem to help for long and frankly I hate the scent of them more than the cats.

Double sided tape can help but the cats are not that stupid unless you cover the couch completely they will find a bare spot.

I would never declaw a cat because I've seen the operation when I was a vet tech. I've also seen the personality of the cat change in ways I wouldn't want to make happen. I do trim their claws for a number of reasons. It doesn't hurt them if done right and can help them.

I do have one cat who was front paws declawed by the bastards that had her before me. The same folks who didn't get her treated for ringworm and who literally threw her away into a Dixie dumpster. I often wonder how different her personality would be if she had been treated well or at least not cruelly.

I once used squirt guns on cats. The only way that works is if they think it's GOD pissing on them. If they catch the connection between, say the pumping of the water gun and the water it won't work. If they figure out and they will, that when you are gone or asleep it doesn't happen it also won't work.

Once a couch has cat scent from claws on it by another cat you can expect every single cat you have to "need" to scent mark it too. Slip covering won't help either.

Kittens are usually unaffected by cat nip. That attraction comes with maturity.

This is only from my experiences.

Fury

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Declawing?

Declawing is probably not an option with a cat 16 months old. As kittens it is a very simple thing. There is some blood, but the paws are bound and taped. The feet are healed in a couple days. Most importantly, the cat never misses the claws. They climb trees, hunt and everything else a clawed cat does, only using their toes rather than their nails.

Remember, when a cat is declawed, the actual surgery is to amputate the toes at the first knuckle. For kittens and older cats this is usually only done on the front feet. On a cat older than 6 or 8 months, this is both a big deal and a slow healing surgery.

Opposed to the common notion, the claws on the front feet of a cat are not a defensive or offensive weapon. They are used almost exclusively for clinging. The claws on the rear feet, however, are for both offense and defense. While the front feet cling to enemy or prey, the rear feet rake and do damage. At the same time they attack with their fangs. Just watch a cat fight and you'll see what I mean.

 

[CutieMouse]

Learn to trim your cat's claws. You need to be careful, because if you clip the cutilce it can get infected, but really... trimming their claws once a month, squirting with a water bottle *every* time they go to scratch something inappropriate, and providing alternative scratching spots, is all you can do.

 

[wordofvirtue]

I had some pretty good luck with a spray I got at Petco (or some such place). It was called "No Scratch" for cats. It doesn't have any odor that people can detect, but the cat really seemed put off by it. I think I only used it 3 or 4 times and the scratching stopped.

If all else fails and kitty lives indoors anyway, there is always declawing. I know some people have concerns about that. When we added a second cat to the household we finally gave in and had it done. The older cat was righteously pissed off for a couple of weeks but is none the worse for wear now. Bob just loves everyone all the time and didn't seem to notice much.

(Jenny, I didn't think you could have older cats declawed either, but the vet had no qualms at all about it. Wild Cat was 11 years old. We chose to have both cats declawed on all 4 paws due to waterbed concerns. Now they can both lounge around on the nice warm bed and seem very happy.)

 

[Cathleen]

Tinfoil didn't work for me, mine seemed to enjoy it actually. I have more than a couple of squirt guns hanging around but I have one cat that likes it so there goes that method for me. Crazy critters.

 

[Ast87]

My siamese was an avid rug scratcher...verbally telling her off and then placing her at the scratching post helped a lot. I started teaching her at a young age to use the post by actually putting her paws on the post and getting her to get her claws out...also, keeping their claws trim will help as the less claw there is, the less damage they can do.

 

[courtneycakes]

BTW: I have to say thank you to your state for our Super Bowl Champion quarterback.
I will also be cheering for your Vols tonight. Bruce is a great coach, who started a small local university here in Indiana.

AH! I know it. Gotta love Manning. My voice was gone after the Superbowl. So was everyone elses in Tennessee.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

(Jenny, I didn't think you could have older cats declawed either, but the vet had no qualms at all about it. Wild Cat was 11 years old. We chose to have both cats declawed on all 4 paws due to waterbed concerns. Now they can both lounge around on the nice warm bed and seem very happy.)

No. I didn't say you couldn't have an older cat declawed. I indicated it was a much bigger deal. It takes longer for the cat to recover and much longer for the cat to learn to no rely on his claws. That makes it a big deal.

As far as removing the claws on the back feet, that's just wrong. By doing that, you have removed the cats main defense. That leaves him/her vulnerable to other cats in the neigborhood.

I've never heard of a cat piercing a waterbed with his hind claws anyway. If you watch a cat clawing the couch or scratching post, they are using the front feet, not their back. Frankly, some Vets will do anything for a buck.

 

[RedCherries05]

My siamese was an avid rug scratcher...verbally telling her off and then placing her at the scratching post helped a lot. I started teaching her at a young age to use the post by actually putting her paws on the post and getting her to get her claws out...also, keeping their claws trim will help as the less claw there is, the less damage they can do.

See that's what I tried to do. Felt really silly, but I got on my hands and knees to, and placed his paws on there, and rubbed them. I tried moving the post to different locations thinking he might like some spots over others. I've got some great tips though, I'm not so worried about him pulling apart the sofa since I've trained him off that which is why I got him something to scratch in the first place, to shorten his nails. I think I'll have his vet show me how to trim them since I'm not putting him through a declawing! Thanks so much everyone. Great advice!

 

[BluePoet]

Remember, when a cat is declawed, the actual surgery is to amputate the toes at the first knuckle.

I've never had a cat declawed and didn't know it was that extreme.

 

[wickedlady31]

Cats

I have a boy cat about about sixteen months old who I just got a scratching post for. I've seen him scratch other things and he has really long nails that he's snagged on thing before so I know it has to be uncomfortable. Anyways I've had it nearly a week and he won't touch it. It seems like i've tried everything including demonstrations, does anyone have an tips for me or am I fighting a battle I've already lost? Thanks so much for reading!

Cats know about the post. It's almost like they purposely avoid the post. What I do, use a spray bottle. When ever I catch the little buggers scratching on my furniture, I use either a super soaker gun or a spray bottle...works!

 

[cutelilsub]

I vote for tin foil

I have had a few cats and, luckily, none have scratched on anything other than their scratching post...until I got a new female last May. She scratched the bejeezuz outta my couch just on one spot. Someone told me about the tin foil method so I tried it. It worked like a charm...thank goodness! She knew what she was doing wasn't right since she never did it in front of me and would run when I'd hear her scratching while I was in bed. Just getting out of bed made her quit! Then, after I put the tin foil on the spot that she scratched she went right to the scratching post and hasn't touched another area of furniture since...strange really, but very welcome. I guess each cat is different though, good luck!

 

[LordHawk]

Perhaps whack is to strong a word. Its more of a tap between the ears to let them know we're displeased. Much the way momma cat gives them. But it worked and they don't claw up the new couch and I don't have to worry about it anymore. Only problem now is keeping the two older ones out of my new kittens baby food.

 

[JMD77]

My cats are declawed, no personality changes afterwards. I just wanted to say not all cats dislike tape. Any sort of adhesive and my Bungee is right there licking. For some reason she also likes to lick photographs. She is a sweetheart.