stopping scratching?

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Carlene - 21 Apr 2004 17:19 GMT

My 9 month old kitty will not stop scratching our furniture! He has ripped
apart the seams on one couch and is working on another.

He knows he is not supposed to do this. If he's doing it, and I walk towards
him, he bolts...but then he'll come back a few minutes later and start at it
again.

He has TWO scratching posts, but he won't use them.

I keep his nails trimmed.

We tried "soft paws" but he just chewed at his nails until they fell off.

He also keeps climbing up on the kitchen table (another big NO NO) and
again, when he sees me, he jumps down.

Short of getting rid of him, does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks.

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Victor Martinez - 21 Apr 2004 17:33 GMT

> He has TWO scratching posts, but he won't use them.

Are they both the same? Some cats prefer some materials over others for
scratching. Purchase a couple more made of different material (ours love
sissal rope) and see if he likes them. Rubbing catnip in them helps.
Also, buy a bottle of Feliway and spray your couch with it. It's worked
for a lot of folks.

> He also keeps climbing up on the kitchen table (another big NO NO) and
> again, when he sees me, he jumps down.

You can try a Scat Mat (google is your friend), I've heard it works.
They also sell motion-sensor-activated noise makers precisely for this
purpose.

With cats it takes persistence to train them. It will take time, but it
is doable. We have seven indoor-only cats and they don't scratch our
stuff, they have their stuff for that.

Good luck.

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Carlene - 21 Apr 2004 17:56 GMT

> > He has TWO scratching posts, but he won't use them.
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Also, buy a bottle of Feliway and spray your couch with it. It's worked
> for a lot of folks.

They are two different posts...one is covered in a carpet like material, the
other is made of cardboard fibres.

I'll look into Feliway.

> > He also keeps climbing up on the kitchen table (another big NO NO) and
> > again, when he sees me, he jumps down.
>
> You can try a Scat Mat (google is your friend), I've heard it works.
> They also sell motion-sensor-activated noise makers precisely for this
> purpose.

Google *is* my friend. I'll look into the ScatMat as well.

> With cats it takes persistence to train them. It will take time, but it
> is doable. We have seven indoor-only cats and they don't scratch our
> stuff, they have their stuff for that.
>
> Good luck.

Thanks!

Carlene

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Mmhsb - 22 Apr 2004 01:42 GMT

> > > He has TWO scratching posts, but he won't use them.
> >
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
>
> Carlene

satans going to get you!! You are Mars Projects friend, you are fooling no one!!
get a life Carlene or should I say Blondie? Mari

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Judy - 22 Apr 2004 04:52 GMT

> My 9 month old kitty will not stop scratching our furniture! He has ripped
> apart the seams on one couch and is working on another.
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>
> Thanks.

What have you done to deter the furniture scratching and table climbing?

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Carlene - 23 Apr 2004 17:11 GMT

> > My 9 month old kitty will not stop scratching our furniture! He has ripped
> > apart the seams on one couch and is working on another.
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
> What have you done to deter the furniture scratching and table climbing?

Thanks for asking, but wasn't that my question? I'm asking all of you
seasoned cat owners what the best deterrents are.

For the record, our vet suggested the water gun technique. Oscar does not
seem to care if he gets blasted with water.

We have tried removing him from the situation--a kitty time out if you
will--and we were using our laundry room. Turns out Oscar likes the laundry
room. He just goes to sleep if we put him in there.

C

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soft - 23 Apr 2004 20:43 GMT

>> > My 9 month old kitty will not stop scratching our furniture! He has
>ripped
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>>
>> What have you done to deter the furniture scratching and table climbing?

double sided tape ---- mine hate tape
I put scratch post in front of the object they want to scratch
also feliway -- It is expensive but does help
Karryl

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