Cat scratch fever.

So, my bengal cat, Sophia seems to have taken a liking to the corners of the walls at my new condo and keeps scratching them, leaving huge scratch marks and taking the paint off!

I clip her claws on a regular basis and she has a scratching post (among other things). She seems to like wood a lot (though the walls are just regular dry wall...) so I plan on building her a wooden scratching post.

Beyond that however, how can I stop her from scratching at my walls? I'm really getting irritated with her. I catch her in the act and always stop her from doing it, but she doesn't learn.

I've heard double-sided tape works ok. I don't have any furniture to really put in front of these spots because like I said, they're at the corners, and any furniture would block the hallways. I don't want to declaw her, but I can't have her destroying my place, either.

Any thoughts?

I would try the tape or they have sticky sheets you can get at the pet store. I would try to put something in the corners where she is scratching. Anything so she can't reach up and scratch the wall. But I would try the sheets. good luck. It's a never ending battle.

My male cat likes to scratch at the front and back doors mainly to get my attention. So, I purchased some cheap light window screens at a garage sale and place them up against the doors. This keeps him from scratching these doors. You could also tape cardboard onto the wall to deter him from scratching the wall. He also likes to scratch my furniture so I use a very easy solution.....I put blankets on the couches or place plastic around the edges. And when company comes over I take them off. Easy Peasy....no need for declawing. I would never do that to my cats for doing something that comes natural to them.

Are you giving your cat plenty of tall vertical scratching posts with surfaces similar to what he is scratching on the wall? Does your cat have kitty condos placed near windows so he can look out and keep from getting bored. You could also place several shelves on the wall at different heaights for him to climb on. You have to learn what type of surfaces your cat likes to scratch on and buy him something with the same surface so he will scratch on that instead of on the wall. And praise him like crazy when he uses the proper surface.

That cat scratching can be quite a problem sometimes, I know I actually wrote a book about how to stop it.

I've known cats that attack a fly or something on the wall and end up killing the fly or whatever and leave a spot on the wall, and from that point on they seem to go back to that spot and tear into the wall and really make it look bad.

One thing you might do for this that is really easy is take a few paper towels folded together and sprinkle some lemon or lemon/lime juice on it and tape it or thumb tack it to the wall where your cat likes to scratch.

You will need to provide a replacement place for your cat to do its scratching. Get a good post and teach her to use it instead of your condo.

For more information check out the link in my signature.

Good Luck!

Mm

PS you might have to sprinkle a little more juice on the towel in a couple of days as it dries and loses it smell. Do this until your cats consistently uses the post.

If declawing is an issue for you, you sould try and look into buying Soft Claws for your cat.

Its soft rubber caps that go over their nails to prevent damage to furniture

Move your scratching posts to the corners where she claws and redirect her to the scratch posts when you see her doing it. Or try putting a cat condo in the corners for a while. If you don't have these and can't afford them, get some of the cardboard turbo scratchers and place them in the corners. More often than not, if you give a cat an alternative and teach them to use it, you can avoid these types of problems.