Cat scratching behavior problem

B

Bufford

Gold Member
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Mar 13, 2006
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I just recently bought a new couch and a lazy boy chair. Jake, my orange 14 year old cat has had a history of ripping things up with his long claws. The worst of the clawing stopped shortly after the other cat died. This misbehavior was due to stress as the two cats did not like each other.

Okay, so 2 years went by with no problems, Jake just about stopped scratching -cold turkey.

Now I have new furniture, and I caught him again working on the couch. Should I start trimming his claws again? Claw trimming helps, but he hates it. I tried putting the chair he used to love sleeping and clawing on in the basement, but he doesn't use it anymore since it was moved a couple months ago. Would pouring catnip on that old chair work?

I am at a loss now, and need some help
 
It sounds like a territorial thing. There are some sprays that you can put on things to discourage cats from scratching them. I'm an advocate of declawing, but with a 14 year old cat, that's not really an option. I would combine a repellent spray with a water-squirt bottle, squirt the cat whenever he gets near the couch.

Or you could do what I always tell my sister to do with her cat- loop a zip-tie over the thing's head and cinch it down good and tight. The thing will stop thrashing around eventually, and then you can just toss it in the nearest dumpster. :D (I'm a dog person)
 
The sprays don't work from my experience.I use double sided tape.Tape it where they're scratching,they should stop.Also get or make them a couple decent scratching posts & put some catnip on them.

How come everytime someone has a problem with their cat,someone always suggests killing it?Tongue in cheek,kidding or not, it's just not funny.:thumbdn:
 
moonwilson said:
It sounds like a territorial thing. There are some sprays that you can put on things to discourage cats from scratching them.
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You don't have to go that far. You mark out your territory first. Just piss on the furniture, the cat will know it's yours, and will keep the hell away. Works for the wife as well.

Whoa! Just noticed that this is community. Ok, better go with Plan B. I'm pretty sure that you can buy some of those no-scratch sprays at the big pet supply stores....
 
JTR357 said:
How come everytime someone has a problem with their cat,someone always suggests killing it?Tongue in cheek,kidding or not, it's just not funny.:thumbdn:
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'tis a well-established fact that cats be witches' demon familiars!

Double-sided tape eh? Can it be removed after a certain interval?
 
A spray bottle with water is a good way to tell a pet that what they are doing is a no no.
 
I'd have to agree; new scratching posts would be the best bet, if he'll use them. In my experience, spray bottles just make them more determined to do what they're not supposed to when you ain't around. I have also had good luck with a rubber snake tied to some fishing line hidden just under the tempting furniture. Not only does it make the cats wary for a few days, it provides me with maniacal laughter when I jerk the line & they jump about 4 feet straight up. Also, an air blast horn works, but tends to repel wife as well as cats.
But my cats run the place; I've largely given up.
 
One thing that is guaranteed to work is declawing the front paws. You probably don't want to do this to a 14y old meow meow, and it is a rather brutal thing to do, but it does work. The "scratching" may continue, but with no fingernails there is no damage to anything.
 
Be glad your cat doesn't EDC...
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I was cat sitting for a friend just recently & kitty decided to scratch my
micro fiber love seat. I kicked his ass & put a little cat nip on his scratching
post. That got him to stop his scratching.
 
A wimp may resort to using a bag on a cat for such matters, but I do warn him about the big gun sometimes, and he gives me that revenge like evil stare. Then he probably dreams about being locked up in the furniture store for a night.

Oh well, I will try the double sided tape idea. I had some success with duct tape on the other lazy boy, but I learned not to leave the tape on too long or it gets stuck semi-permanently to the cloth.

Scratching posts didn't work well with the other cats, as they thought that they were a no-no to claw on. Placing sheets on furniture when nobody is home works well too.
 
Set your furniture on-fire. Most cats are smart-enough to stay away from flames.:D.:D.

Sorry, but there really isn't a foolproof way to keep a cat from scratching on whatever the cats feels a need to scratch on...I know this from MANY years of having cats allowing me to live with them in "my place".
 
I had a couple numb skulls that would scratch up my stuff. In combination with others suggestions, I would suggest Soft Paws. They are little plastic caps that you glue onto the cats nails, they stay in place for about a month. I had a tenacious little Maine Coon, he would get quite grumpy when I was putting them on him, but it was doable... with two people. I just had to make sure I held him long enough for the glue to dry.:D
http://www.softpaws.com/
 
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GregS said:
I had a couple numb skulls that would scratch up my stuff. In combination with others suggestions, I would suggest Soft Paws. They are little plastic caps that you glue onto the cats nails, they stay in place for about a month. I had a tenacious little Maine Coon, he would get quite grumpy when I was putting them on him, but it was doable... with two people. I just had to make sure I held him long enough for the glue to dry.:D
Click to expand...

Sounds like a perilous task, Greg. My Maine Coon would gut me if I tried that. :(
 
You might find some success in either claw trimming or applying soft paws by wrapping the cat in a towel first (like a hot dog). It makes it harder for them to kick with the rear claws, and they have a hard time maneuvering their front claws. Wrap them up so their paws can be accessed and so their head is sticking out. It will take a good sized towel. The cat won't like it, but you have the momentary joy of winning.
While it is too late for your recent purchase, I found that cats don't get much joy out of scratching leather furniture (or fake leather either I suppose). While the leather may get scratched somewhat by daily cat antics of running crazily about the house, they won't use it as a scratching post.
all da best,
rats...
 
You might try setting up one of those plug in room deodorizers filled with a citrus scent by the chair. Cats generally don't like citrus.

If you decide to trim the cat's claws you might try the approach I used on my small dog. It takes two technicians at the vet's to trim 7-pound Ricki's nails. I cut neck and leg holes through an old towel, wrapped him up and taped him to a chair. I kept adding to the tape as necessary. It should work on a cat as well:
 

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