Cat suddenly digging at carpet -- Help!

Hi all -- Does anyone know how to make a cat stop digging at a carpet? My cat Chopper is about 15 months old. She is spayed but is not declawed. I must admit she has pretty much been as close to an angel as you could want in a cat thus far (no real problems), but suddenly she is digging at my carpet!!

She is digging right where the carpet meets the trim, only near door hinges. Its almost like she's digging to try to "get in" to a room. The catch is, all my doors are always open! She is ripping the carpet up from the where the carpet meets the wall. If she does much more there will be no turning back and the carpet will be ruined. The thing is, I RENT, so I cant just let it go. When I move out of here, my lanlord will make me pay for this (almost brand new) carpet if its all torn up.

Does anyone know how to make a cat stop digging at a carpet? I tried spraying citrus in the areas, and put cinnamon around the doors. (Cinnamon has worked when she chewed cords a little when she was a kitten.)

Help!

- Keith

Perhaps spraying some citrus spray (cats don't like citrus) in the areas where this occurs.
Or maybe she has finally grown into her name!

Some ideas.

Put some double-sided tape where she is scratching.

Get some of the cardboard scratchers and put these near where she wants to scratch. Catnip is a great attractant. Reward her with praise when she goes after the scratchers.

Try getting her used to having her paws handled and start trimming her claws so they aren't as destructive or look at Soft Paws/Soft Claws (which also require some nail trimming).

I'm bumping this thread because I am having the same exact problem and was wondering if there was anymore suggestions out there.

I have already tried double-sided tape and it doesn't work too well. My cat just tears away at it.

I was wondering if there is a bad-smelling product that I can put at the corners of the carpet that would repell her?

Does this happen in front of you, only when no one is around or both?

My cat mostly digs at the carpet when I'm gone. When I'm there and she does something naughty, she'll kind of creep to it because (in my opinion) she already knows she isn't supposed to be doing it. When I see her doing it, I simply have to give her a LOOK and she darts away.

She mostly either does this at night when I'm asleep or when I'm at work.

This is recommended a lot. Bitter Apple spray
I never tried it though but othere here have & it worked.

I have the same exact problem with my cat. I rent also and when I moved out of my apartment in June they didn't charge me for the damage because they said the carpet needed replacing anyways. So I was lucky that time.

I currently live in a new place and my cat will do that too and it's always around a door area. She doesn't like when she is locked inside a room and will dig to get out. Mostly I can't sleep with my bedroom door closed because she will want in. But if I close the door with her inside with me and she wants out she'll dig if she wants to do something else. So I just pretty much leave the door open all the time. The shredding isn't too bad right now and I'm able to cover up with throw rugs. It's all fine as long as she can get in/out of my room. My daughter keeps her bedroom door closed but she will only digs if I'm inside the room.

I too will try the citrus stuff or the bitter apple.

I've heard of Bitter Apple too, I'm going to buy a bottle for wires and stuff like that. But as for the carpet, Kitty digs at it, so the bitter apple wouldn't really work.

I think I'm going to have to resort to trying to place furniture all around the walls so there's no carpet edges showing...

*SIGH* I live my life around my cats, not the other way around...

Thanks all... Unfortunately...

1) I trim her nails about every 2 weeks.

2) My cat LOVES double sided tape. She'll play with any kind of tape for hours

3) She does hate citrus, but I sprayed some 100% natural citrus spray in the area and she still did it

4) I bought bitter apple last year and sprayed it on the bottom of my xmas tree (where she was biting) and she loved it! It started a new problem... she was licking the xmas tree. Weirdest thing Ive ever seen since everyone told me cats would hate it.

Shes very good about scratching her posts, etc. It just seems like theres something about that area she cant resist..

To confirm, she ONLY does it when Im at work. Not when Im here eating, sleeping, exercising, reading.... only when Im gone. Do you think this is an attention thing?

My resolution in the meantime is to but a box in the way so she cant get to the area. Needless to say, its not fun to have somethign sitting in front of my doors!

You can get one of those large, inexpensive welcome-type mats to place over the area where the cat is clawing. It protects the carpet and if the cat like sit enough to scratch on, it can be easily and inexpensively replaced.

UGH - I'm going through the same thing! I discovered a corner where it looks like one or both girls have been digging at it...and I found it because I caught her in the act. It looks like there's one other spot as well, in a different part of the house. Any new tips or suggestions? Like other members here have mentioned, I trim their nails, play with them, let them have free roam of the house, etc. My girls like tape too - they'd eat it if I let them have access to it - so that won't work.

Thanks - it's driving me nuts! This carpet isn't even 6 months old!

Have you guys just tried Soft Claws? Can't get easier then that!!

My cat never use to dig at the furniture or carpet now she won't stop she is ruining my carpet I have bare spots from her digging and spots that she has ripped completely away from the wall. She has 3 scratch posts plus a huge cat house that has built in scratch post all the way up,it
I'm at my wits end, n yes I keep the nails trimmed. I've tried all the sprays they recommend also, I've tried everything please HELP