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Scratching carpet and doorways

post #1 of 27
2/21/10 at 7:00pm
Thread Starter 
I really am at the end of my rope. I have been brought to the point of tears and I don't what to do. i have 10 cats. 8 have their claws, 2 do not (declawed before I actually knew what went into it, haven't done it since in 7 years). One of my cats will not stop scratching. He only scratches the carpet outside my bedroom door, and my bedroom door. There are scratches all over the door, and a 5 inch wide area where he's totally pulled off all the carpet. I have tried nail caps, double sided tape, foil, putting a scratcher on the doorknob, opening the door and squirting him with water, scat mat, the motion activated air spray stuff. NOTHING WORKS. He is not phased by any of it. And it's making me hate him. Really and truly. He's destroyed the carpet that I saved for 3 years to get. It's in turn destroyed the relationship I have with my cat. I really don't know what else to do. Help me.
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post #2 of 27
2/22/10 at 4:54am
If I read it right, you are in the bedroom and he is outside scratching away? Perhaps he just wants to go in and stay with you?
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post #3 of 27
2/22/10 at 8:41am
Thread Starter 
well he can't come in. I have the door shut to keep the dogs from roaming the house, and one of my cats lives exclusively in my bedroom because he does not get along with other cats. So there is no way that he can come in my bedroom.
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post #4 of 27
2/23/10 at 9:05am
Thread Starter 
really? No one has advice?
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post #5 of 27
2/23/10 at 10:56am
Have you tried taping aluminum foil on the side of the door that is being scratched? Cats hate foil. I have a couch that my cat would lay on the top of the back. This couch is fabric and she was slowing ruining it. I put foil all across the top of this couch and she hasn't bothered it since. Put it on where it will make a noise when he scratches and maybe he will be so spooked that he will leave it alone. Might not work but it's worth a try. Good luck.
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post #6 of 27
2/23/10 at 11:08am
Thread Starter 
Sorry I forgot to mention the foil. I did try the foil. He shredded it. He also shredded the double sided tape and chewed it off the ground. I clip his claws once a week, so they are very short and blunt, but he has still managed to totally shred and destroy a large chunk of carpet. I paid $1500 for this carpet and it was just installed last October. I really don't know what else to do. I put the nail caps on him several times. The longest he kept them on was 4 days, the shortest was 2 hours. I've done it and my vet has done it, so I know it was done correctly. He is not a cat that is spooked at all. I run the vacuum every night and literally have to push him out of the way so I can vacuum the spot he's laying in. Water doesn't phase him, he likes it. And he knows that I'm angry because every time I open the door to tell him to stop he runs away looking back at me and won't come near me.
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post #7 of 27
2/23/10 at 11:13am
The only thing left that I know of would be to declaw him also. I'm sure you would rather now do that but sometimes we don't have much of an choice.
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post #8 of 27
2/23/10 at 11:19am
Thread Starter 
yeah, I have been anti declaw since I declawed my first 2 cats almost 8 years ago. Didn't have any negative side effects from it, just don't like it. And I alsways harp on people that declawing is inhumane, etc etc and I will not adopt my fosters out to anyone who is planning on declawing...until my stuff that I worked my butt off for is being destroyed...and not just a scratch here or there, but the carpet is literally gone. I have leather furniture both upstairs and downstairs, and it does have scratches on it from where the cats take off across it, but I never dreamed of declawing for that, but this is getting out of hand. I'm going to have to pay the carpet people to come take a piece out of the spare bedroom closet and patch it.
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post #9 of 27
2/23/10 at 11:44am
He sounds bored and lonely. Does he have scratch poles and trees/condos? If he's trained to them maybe put one by the door, or lay a rug or carpet off cut over the area and let him have that for scratching

Do you play with him before shutting him out? A good hard hour long play session, then some food should tire him out.

Don't think anyone here will agree with declawing, it's illegal in my country.
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post #10 of 27
2/23/10 at 12:20pm
He sounds like my Bugsy… just a needy and lonely guy. Some cats are just higher maintenance then others. My two Tuxies are so easy to care for but when it comes to Bugsy I need to put forth a lot more effort.

I would play with and cuddle your cat until he has had enough before you enter your bedroom. When I get home from work I normally have to put in at least a good 20 min cuddling Bugsy or playing with him or he will meow constantly, scratch at the floors, walls, doors, vomit, get under my feet. He is a really high maintenance cat. I need to accommodate that though, I don’t really have a choice.

Also you can’t hate your cat for scratching, he is a cat, he doesn’t know that carpets actually cost money. I can understand being upset but hate? Maybe that’s why he’s freaking out. If you have 10 cats and a few dogs you absolutely have to expect something bad to happen to your house, it’s something you have to know when you have that many animals. That’s not their fault.

Good luck.
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post #11 of 27
2/23/10 at 12:20pm
Thread Starter 
No, I don't agree with declawing either, and I think it should be banned here as well. He does use scratching posts. I have put on on my doorknob, one on the floor, etc. Cardboard, sisal, carpet. I have 10 cats, who all get along wonderfully (except for the one who lives in my bedroom, hence the reason I have to keep the door shut). They have an 84 inch tall cat tree, a smaller one in the living room, and several condos, scratchers, little tents, etc downstairs as well. They get loads of interaction with me, as well as each other. Trust me, they don't want for anything. I probably have one of the happiest multi multi multi cat households around. I feed them at night, he gets wet food, as well as putting the dry food out, so I know he's not hungry when he does it. I wish I was a pet psychic, or that I could communicate with him that if he doesn't stop I'm going to strangle him
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post #12 of 27
2/23/10 at 12:23pm
Thread Starter 
Oh, and also, he is not a cuddly cat. He'll play sure, but he doesn't like to be petted, carried, held, nothing. He will curl up next to me, but the minute I go to scratch his head, off he goes, giving me a look like I ruined his nap. I do realize that with 3 dogs and 10 cats, that my house will not be perfect, but it has been up until this cat came along.
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post #13 of 27
2/23/10 at 1:16pm
If it were me, I would put down carpet over the carpet, so he physically could not get at it. Even a large piece of masonite. The same with the door. I would attatch a wood overlay or linoleum even to the door frame. Anything to protect it.

You can get those large pieces of heavy plastic that they use in offices where there are chairs that are on rollers. Like behind a desk.

I think you solution lies there. Making it physically impossible for him to connect with the surfaces you are protecting. It may not look the greatest, but it will stop him.
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post #14 of 27
2/23/10 at 1:42pm
Thread Starter 
lol my mom makes fun of me anyway with all the things I have in my house for the animals. She said she's never seen a house with so many baby gates, and no actual baby in the house. What's masonite?
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post #15 of 27
2/23/10 at 1:46pm
Thread Starter 
I also just ordered another large armarkat condo, should ship within 3 days. This cat will be the death of me (and my checkbook)
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post #16 of 27
2/23/10 at 2:28pm
Thread Starter 
I'm feeling really dumb right now, but would Feliway work at all in this situation? I never even thought about it. Even though it says it works mostly for vertical scratching, which he is doing on the door, would it help at all with the carpet scratching? I have an outlet very close to my door for the plug in and I can get the spray too for the door and carpet. Any thoughts?
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post #17 of 27
2/23/10 at 4:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kit E Cat View Post
I'm feeling really dumb right now, but would Feliway work at all in this situation? I never even thought about it. Even though it says it works mostly for vertical scratching, which he is doing on the door, would it help at all with the carpet scratching? I have an outlet very close to my door for the plug in and I can get the spray too for the door and carpet. Any thoughts?
It's worth a try. Feliway is supposed to work for inappropriate scratching.
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post #18 of 27
2/23/10 at 6:22pm
Thread Starter 
Well I bought the spray tonight. I'm pretty sure I have 2 diffusers laying around somewhere, so I held off on buying those until I check. So we shall see.
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post #19 of 27
2/23/10 at 6:35pm
Since he obviously likes to scratch there, have you tried putting something appropriate he can scratch on there? Perhaps put down sisal scratching mats or put a scratching post right alongside the doorway?
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post #20 of 27
2/23/10 at 7:48pm
Thread Starter 
I hung a scratching post on the doorknob, tried a sisal one and a cardboard one. I also put a carpet remnant there but throughout the day it would get dragged away from the door and he would just start scratching the carpet again. Even tried duck taping it to the ground. He chewed it off He's not right, I swear.
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post #21 of 27
2/23/10 at 7:54pm
Thread Starter 
I even bought this http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=3190637

And put it in my doorframe right over the spot he scratches the carpet, and left my bedroom door open. He knocked it over and by the end of the day my bedroom cat was getting too stressed out, so I aborted the plan. I do like this scratcher though. I ended up putting it on the corner of my footboard for my bedroom cat and he has demolished one side of the cardboard. You can take it out and turn it around and then buy a new one to replace it.
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post #22 of 27
2/24/10 at 12:07pm
I dont know if this was suggested because I was skimming thru but I have a carpet scratching cat and I just stapled down a door mat to the floor so he could scratch that and it wouldnt move. In my case I really dont care about the carpeting because its crappy anyways but where he was ripping it was right in front of the back door and we needed the carpeting to stay put to help block the bottom of the door. The stapled area rug is great and when I pull it up once a month to shampoo and sweep under it theres no damage left over from the staples. I just need to be extra careful to make sure I get all the old staples up because Im such a klutz Ill end up with one in my foot.
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post #23 of 27
2/24/10 at 2:26pm
My husband once covered below the door know with a sheet of plexiglass to keep our cats from scratching the door. It worked. Not much you can about the carpet now except buy an area rug and put over it. I would have done that to start with when the cat first started scratching there. What would happen if you let the cat in your room with you.
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post #24 of 27
2/24/10 at 3:04pm
Thread Starter 
I don't have a problem with him being in my room, but I have a cat who doesn't get along with other cats, who lives in my room permanently. If he's around the other cats he starts freaking out and loses hair and hyperventilates. Seriously. I put him on prozac for about a year and it calmed him down but he stopped grooming and was a little listless, so I made the decision to just let him live in my room by himself, with me and the dogs for company at night. And he's a totally different cat. He's sleek and shiny and purrs and is constantly rolling over every time he sees me. So I do it for him.
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post #25 of 27
2/25/10 at 1:03pm
Thread Starter 
2 nights with no scratching, and I know he's not scratching while I'm not there because theres no pulled up pieces of carpet. So it looks like Feliway is working so far. New condo comes tomorrow, and I bought some spray catnip, so hopefully they'll love it.
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post #26 of 27
2/25/10 at 3:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kit E Cat View Post
2 nights with no scratching, and I know he's not scratching while I'm not there because theres no pulled up pieces of carpet. So it looks like Feliway is working so far. New condo comes tomorrow, and I bought some spray catnip, so hopefully they'll love it.
glad to hear this
continued vibes for you
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post #27 of 27
2/25/10 at 8:16pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you! I'm hoping this works for the long haul.
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