Advice on stopping stroppy cat cub scratching a door

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Amanda Jones - 09 Oct 2004 13:59 GMT

Quite often (and increasingly), when we are in a room with the cat
cubs shut out, Elijah scratches at the door until he's let in. Calling,
"Elijah! NO!" used to work for a few minutes, now it works for a second or
two. He never does it while there's anyone on the other side to tell him
off.

Any ideas about stopping him? OR do we have to shut them in another room
at night and any time we want to shut them out? My boyfriend says it's
driving him mad. My mother merely said darkly that if I found something
that worked, she'd be delighted to hear about it too!

Amanda

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Amy Gray - 09 Oct 2004 15:42 GMT

>Quite often (and increasingly), when we are in a room with the cat
>cubs shut out, Elijah scratches at the door until he's let in. Calling,
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>driving him mad. My mother merely said darkly that if I found something
>that worked, she'd be delighted to hear about it too!

You mention cat cubs. Does that mean Elijah has several cats to keep
him company?

The cat scratches at the door to get you to open it. He wants to be
with you. Some cats hate to be alone.

Maybe it is time to let the cat in and get rid of the boyfriend.

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Rhonda - 09 Oct 2004 16:32 GMT

Hi Amanda,

That's a tough one. The cats want to be with you and can't understand
why the door is shut. We have had trouble in the past with shut doors,
even when we were on the side with the cats! One constantly wanted down
into the cellar; that guy even clawed a hole in the carpet.

If it is a door that has to be shut, maybe you can put a baby gate up in
front of the door. That may protect the door itself.

Good luck,

Rhonda

> Quite often (and increasingly), when we are in a room with the cat
> cubs shut out, Elijah scratches at the door until he's let in. Calling,
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> Amanda

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MaryL - 09 Oct 2004 18:12 GMT

> Quite often (and increasingly), when we are in a room with the cat
> cubs shut out, Elijah scratches at the door until he's let in. Calling,
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> Amanda

Holly will scratch at one door if I am working in the utility room. Other
than that, she always uses a scratching post -- but she hates it when she
knows I am in another room and can't get to me. I lock the cats out of the
utility room for their own protection because that provides a "buffer"
(second set of doors) between the house and garage, and it ensures that they
could not accidentally be let into the garage and all the dangers that it
holds! So, I had a problem with a doorframe and wallpaper beside it that
were becoming badly scratched. Solution: I repapered the small area of
damaged wallpaper and mounted a narrow piece of clear lucite there (mounted
with tiny gold screws). It is barely noticeable. As for the doorframe, I
simply use some Old English furniture polish from time to time to hide the
scars. You might be able to place some lucite on the doorframe itself (or
the door, if that is where Elijah is scratching). The lucite provides a
very slick, smooth surface that prevents scratching (and no resulting
noise). Be sure that the cut edges are smooth and do not have any sharp
points that could injure your cat.

MaryL

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