Clawing on walls and wood furniture

bab-ush-niik

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jan 17, 2006
Messages
574
Purraise
2
This is a new one. Bunny is clawing on hardwood furniture and walls. The walls are plaster. The only thing she's damaged is a leg on a pine desk that now has a few marks.

We've been trying to train her on sisal, but no go. Every time she scratches, we carry her to the sisal and go through the scratching motions. It's been several weeks.

I thought about just putting out a pine 2x4 for her, but I'm concerned about her getting splinters. Thoughts? She's never scratched anything even remotely soft. She really likes hard and smooth surfaces.
 

taterbug

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 10, 2006
Messages
2,583
Purraise
32
Location
hills of TN
I have a piece of cut firewood,bark and all, standing in the corner and my girls love it. They used to try to use my cabinet doors,until I brought the wood in.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

bab-ush-niik

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jan 17, 2006
Messages
574
Purraise
2
She's not a fan of catnip.
 

kitty24

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
May 8, 2007
Messages
18
Purraise
0
My cat is used to my old chair, so I kinda got used to it, it's fine until she does it with the new furniture.
 

littleraven7726

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 1, 2002
Messages
3,339
Purraise
12
Location
Next to the World's Largest 6-pack
Originally Posted by taterbug

I have a piece of cut firewood,bark and all, standing in the corner and my girls love it. They used to try to use my cabinet doors,until I brought the wood in.
a friend of mine had a cat who LOVED to scratch on wood. she was destroying the furniture until my friend did the same thing.
then kitty left the furniture alone.
 

whosamyhercules

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 24, 2007
Messages
388
Purraise
1
Location
Pa
Herc doesntn use his scratching post either he likes one specific wall downstairs in the bathroom thats off the kitchen. Its the only thing he scratches and we have tried pieces of wood or carpeting that area he scratches but he ripped the carpeting off the wall...
 

emmylou

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
May 2, 2006
Messages
960
Purraise
10
Not all cats like sisal. Some will only use carpeted scratching posts, and others do better with the cardboard scratchers. You should try all three.

Are you keeping her toenails clipped? They tend to scratch less when you do that.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

bab-ush-niik

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jan 17, 2006
Messages
574
Purraise
2
Her nails are clipped. She doesn't like carpet or cardboard or any type of fabric, just the wood. I'll try getting a log from our neighbors woodpile to see if I can train her on that.
 

jellybella

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
2,314
Purraise
3
Location
UPNY
I think you'll find that if she likes the log, you won't have to do much to disuade her from the furnature --she'll just go to the "best" place (hopefully the log--many cats enjoy scratching bark). Sometimes the scratching is a marking behavior, like my DH old cat that, being indoor/outdoor had a forest full of trees to scratch, preferred to scratch/mark the deck post


I would never advise letting the cats scratch "old" furnature if you can, because they won't understand when the new furnature comes in that it's off limits. We have some really crappy old furnature covered in sticky paws tape, a big sisal post, two cardboard scratchers and a log. I'm hoping this pays off when we finally get new furnature (if ever).
 
Top