Cat clawing cannot be altered

simon07

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Hello,

Our newest cat will clawing cannot be deterred. She will claw anywhere on the couch, the rugs, and the carpet. We were not that concerned about her clawing the couches because they are heavy duty. But we rent, and have noticed she is pulling pieces of carpet all over the apartment. The carpet is pretty new and we have only had her three months now, so we are concerned about what the damage will be when we move out. We have gotten her all sort of scratching posts, ones you that are upright made of carpet that you can place right next to the couch where she scratches, but she won't even try it. We have sprayed the couch with bitter apple but that didn't do much either. I clip her claws every week, but am getting frustrated because we think she is doing it for the attention, even though we give her plenty. She knows she is not supposed to do it, but that doesn't matter. Please help so we do not have to declaw.
 

skimble

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Some things that I have tried with my kittens:

place a scratching post in front of the areas that are being scratched and gradually move post to a better location

put double sided tape (carpet tape) over area being scratched

tape aluminum foil to area

spray Feliway to scratched areas

place a sheet over furniture

I bought a cheap throw rug at Walmart and put on the carpet that was being scratched. They learned to only scratch throw rug. You can also get the clear plastic runner for carpet and place upside down with the pointy nubs sticking up. (Walmart)

All these are not attractive, but are there for a short time while learning to scratch an appropriate item.

That's what I have tried. Maybe others will suggest more options. Good luck.
 

denice

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Alice started clawing at the carpet and I got her a turbo scratcher. They are the ones with the replaceable cardbord in the middle and a ball that she can bat around a channel on the outside of the cardboard. I think the toy part of it attracted her to it and she could claw horizontally which at that time seemed to be her preference. Now that she has grown up she has started using the posts.
 

goldenkitty45

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Try the Soft Paws nail caps. At least with weekly clipping she's not as destructive.

Or get a piece of nice wood that she can use for a scratching post. Have your tried the sticky tape on the furniture/carpet?
 

zoethor2

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You say you've gotten the upright scratching posts -- I have known cats who simply won't use an upright scratching post, for whatever reason.

Our cats love those cardboard scratchers that you put flat on the floor -- it VERY much dissuaded them from scratching at the carpet. You can get them at Target, I know, as that's where I got mine. And they last a LONG time -- longer than you'd think to look at them. We've only replaced ours once in the past 9 months.
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by simon07

She knows she is not supposed to do it, but that doesn't matter.
But does she know what she is supposed to do? I've witnessed cats completely ignore a scratching post until someone taught them what they are for. With any new cat in my house, I'll watch them like a hawk and the instance that they start to claw something they are not supposed to, I give them a firm NO, carry them to the proper scratching material (post or turbo scratcher), place their paws on it and praise the heck out of them. If they don't get it at first, I'll run my fingers on the post as if I'm scratching it. Put some catnip spray on the scratcher if catnip attracts them. Give them treats whenever they use it. The longest it has taken me to retrain a cat has been 3 days. But you have to be totally consistent with them as you retrain them.

Good luck!
 

robertm

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Originally Posted by Zoethor2

Our cats love those cardboard scratchers that you put flat on the floor -- it VERY much dissuaded them from scratching at the carpet. You can get them at Target, I know, as that's where I got mine. And they last a LONG time -- longer than you'd think to look at them. We've only replaced ours once in the past 9 months.


Since she loves to scratch the rugs and carpets, my guess is that she would prefer a horizontal scratcher, not a vertical one.

Originally Posted by simon07

We have gotten her all sort of scratching posts, ones you that are upright made of carpet
Some cats prefer sisal rope, not carpet. Besides, if you're upset about her clawing at the carpet, you might be (inadvertently) sending her a mixed message by telling her that it's OK to scratch the "vertical" carpet but not the "horizontal" one.

I know her behavior is frustrating but please try offering her different materials to see if one or more do the trick. Cats have an intrinsic need to scratch; it's not a behavior that they can turn off. This is an anti-declawing site so you won't find many people publicly supporting that procedure...talk about something that "cannot be altered"!
 

forensic

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Hennessy much prefers the horizontal scratchers... in fact I usually just buy him the inserts and he'll bat them where he wants them and stand on them to scratch. He has the same material vertical and angled and doesn't use them nearly as much. Getting good catnip helps too.
 

goldenkitty45

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Also is the vertical scratching post less then 4 feet tall? If so, that's why the cat is not using it. Get a good tall treehouse with a variety of carpet, wood, and siscil rope.
 

cc12

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I offer up different kinds of scratching aids.
I put a cardboard one out, I have a tall sturdy post by Dr Foster Smith, they have a Sisel cat tree with a wood part and carpet at the bottom...When I see Mary, who is my wayward scratcher, by the couch I redirect her then give her a treat. Feliway spray works really well as a start.
Double sided tape is suppose to work but I never had to use it.
 

calico2222

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I would go and get a carpet reminent, either the little 2ft by 3ft binded sections, or just a a few feet cut off the reminent and make that HER carpet. Make sure it is close to the same texture as the carpet she is tearing up. Put catnip on it, and anytime she tries to scratch your carpet, put her on hers and praise her. Small carpet pieces are much easier to replace than the entire thing!
 
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