how to get a cat to do stuff... that doesnt like catnip

My cat doesn't like catnip, so getting him to do things is hard. Every time I go to the pet store it seems like EVERY toy and scratching post involves using catnip to get their attention. He could care less. And to make matters worse, he has yet to even try eating any type of kitty treat I have bought for him.

He enjoys clawing our carpet, and every time I pick him up and set him on the scratching pad / scratching post he gives me this look like Then runs off. In fact the only thing he's learned it to not scratch when I'm looking. One theory I have is that the scratching pad I got is too small, is there such thing? I've already spent a good 50-60 dollars on toys, treats, and scratching pads. When I took everything home he enjoyed the boxes the most There's only one toy that he will consistantly play with, and it's because he gets a kick out of the bell inside of it.

Any ideas? How do you get a cat to do something that doesn't like treats / cat nip?

Mine beg for tiny pieces ('cause that's all I'll give them ) of string cheese, cheddar cheese, chicken, steak (just ran 2 calico theives off the counter and out of our dinner tonigh ). Mine don't like "cat treats" really either, and canned cat food is kinda messy as a training treat ...I have 2 that like cat nip, and 2 that don't, but they all like some kind of ''people food'' treat . Oh, and if you do a search, there are several threads here about how to discourage your cat from scratching on the wrong stuff when you're not around... Good luck!

honeysuckle works well for many non catnip responders

I have always found the home made toys work the best! A few that never let me down are the foil ball, reynolds aluminum foil crunched up into a jacks ball size, a card board box, shoe lace or waist tie from sweats or pajamas (Maia's favorite!), plastic cap from a bottle, just make sure anything you try is to big to swallow.........................

I think he's looking for something to rub on the scratching pad so it'll be attractive to the cat, but you can't really do that with food (or take the consequences). Any way to remove the regular carpet til he's used to having to use the pads routinely? Probably impractical! What about keeping his claws clipped regularly?

Instead of small scratching posts/pads try getting a large sisal door mat. My cats love scratching those. And as for catnip, mine sort of grew into it - none of them liked it at first, but now they are adult they all love it. They also love all sorts of toys that are not catnip - especially ones with feathers on.

You do not mention how old your cat is. Many cats like mine cared nothing for catnip until almost 8 months old. Also, my kitten never cared for the scratching posts at first and much preferred the cheap, corrugated carboard ones that just lay in the corner. He does like to have a good old scratch on the scratching post now as he leaves the litter box!

Have you tried using a feather or string toy on the scratching post? How big is the post - if its a short one, the only ones that use it are little kittens - the post has to be taller then the cat is tall when he stretches out - that's why I usually mention about a 4 foot cat tree or larger.

Most times if a kitten is allowed to stay with the mom and the mom uses the post, etc, the kittens will copy. If they don't get the chance to mimic it, its a lot harder to teach.

BTW Charlie's almost 5 months old now and responds to catnip - he's done so since we got him

I will def. have to give the honey suckle a try. He is 2 years old, I think =/ I adopted and the shelter said 2. Thanks for all the input guys!

Has anyone purchased the honeysuckle spray from that amazon dealer before? I'm nervous about giving my cat something from the internet =/

If you're nervous about it, try ordering from here:http://www.catniptoys.com/

The owner is one of the posters here on this site.