Ruining my door surrounds

I have had Tootsie for about 1 year now.

She has my door surrounds ruined due to her scratching them.

I know cats have to do this as it is only natural to keep their claws sharp and get rid of the outer sheathes.

I got a scratch post when I got her, played with the toys on it with her and encouraged her to use it but she was having none of it.

I got her from a cat shelter, she is a tortoise shell and a real cutie but what can I do to stop her scratching at my door surrounds, doors and most recently the wallpaper in the bedroom her litter tray is in.
I cannot keep decorating and getting new doors and surrounds.

She is a housecat, never been out, I work fulltime and when I see or hear her scratching I clap my hands and tell her no!!!

Sometimes she stops scratching straight away, other times I have to get up and move towards her, then she stops.

Please can anyone give me advice.

Thanx

Caz

Hi Caz. Ive also got a 'tortie' who is a housecat as well.

I have to keep a constant eye on Rosie as she does the same,but what i do when i catch her stretching up the door frame with her claws, is to give a firm "NO"!.

She always gives me a ' meow ' back as if to say "NO", but it works!!

Susan

How tall is the scratching post? If it is too short, that would explain why she is choosing your door surrounds instead of the post. Cats scratch not only to sharpen their claws, but also to stretch their back and other muscles. So if the post isn't tall enough for her to stretch, she'll find something else that suits her needs.

In addition to a tall scratching post, have you tried the cardboard type that lay on the floor? My two cats LOVE these! Mine are kind of like these only they lay flat on the floor (without the toy inside).

Moving this to Behavior where our experts can help you.

Is the scratching post wrapped with sisal or carpet? I have a sisal post and my boys use it to rub their bodies on, but not to scratch. I bought a carpet wrapped post and they love it!

Try rubbing the post with catnip. That will attract Tootsie. Another thing to try is to bring in a branch from outside. It sounds like she likes the wood feel under her claws. Make sure the branch is clean, and well supported.

In addition to the above suggestions, you want to make the door surrounds unattractive to her. Tape sheets of aluminum foil to the frames where she scratches or cover the frames with double sided tape. Then, place a very tall scratching post right next to the door frame so she will turn to the post rather than the frame when she wants to stretch and scratch.

Like Heidi, I have found that the cheap cardboard scratching pads work wonders in situations like this!

Also click here for a thread full of great ideas on how to stop scratching.

Hi,

I have to agree with the suggestion of the cardboard type of scratchers. Although we are fairly new cat owners, this is one area where we have been very lucky. Both of my kitties love the cardboard scratchers. We have several in the house. We have one close to the food area, which is the one they use most. It is a cardboard one that is at an incline. We also have a Turbo Scratcher that is in the living area. Great scratcher but also great fun. They never tire of it. You can get these, I'm sure, at just about any pet store. My cats love them! Also, because they do love to stretch, I have an old stool that I covered with a piece of nubby upholstery material and as soon as they get up, they go to that, dig in and have a nice long stretch. I initially rubbed them all with catnip but now that they know their scratching areas I don't seem to need that. It seems to be that the key things are to have more than one and at different heights, to have good scratching material, which others have recommended, and to have them in key areas. Each of our scratchers are right where they walk all the time. They aren't pretty but my cats are happy and so is my furniture. :-) Good luck to you.