Rehoming is stressful for kitties, and there is no guarantee that the munchkin won't end up being one of the approximately 70% in shelters that are put to sleep, especially if relinquished because of destructive behavioral issues.
I agree but the OP seems incredibly stressed by the suggestions that have been made. It may be in the cats best interest to live in a new place.Originally Posted by Ducman69
Rehoming is stressful for kitties, and there is no guarantee that the munchkin won't end up being one of the approximately 70% in shelters that are put to sleep, especially if relinquished because of destructive behavioral issues.
I would consider that an absolute last resort before scratch prevention alternatives personally.
I have both him and his sister, they run around all the time, usually when I am trying to teach online and need quiet, and have plenty of toys, so I don't suspect that's it. When the vet wanted them on a diet and I was using a laser pointer with them, that didn't seem to make a difference either.
That's why I'm here looking for some sort of behavioral solution. I wouldn't give him away but Im getting to the point where I'm constantly pissed at him for doing this and I'm just stuck. I'm not threatening to put him in a shelter, but I'm sick of this crap, and I want the behavior to change rather than trying to spend the rest of my life having to pin him down to glue something on his feet every few days. I know that I can want all day and it doesn't change, but I'm definitely feeling less love for the cat every time I find a new pile of loose carpet shreds that increase the liklihood I'm going ot get charged hundreds of dollars on moving out.Originally Posted by Ducman69
Rehoming is stressful for kitties, and there is no guarantee that the munchkin won't end up being one of the approximately 70% in shelters that are put to sleep, especially if relinquished because of destructive behavioral issues.
I would consider that an absolute last resort before scratch prevention alternatives personally.
Yes, as I think I've mentioned a couple times I have them and the other cat uses it a ton and he has no interest in it. I have tried pretty much every "make something else available" alternative suggested by everyone; every material; horizontal, vertical; catnip, no-scratch spray, squirting with water, yelling "no" - nothing has been doing anything. If "just live with your cat destroying your carpet" is one of two answers, along with what I suspect is an impractical solution for me to be able to blue things on him, then I just get to suck it up and be angry and frustrated for the rest of his life and be held hostage by a cat who is very sweet but won't stop this crap.Originally Posted by Feralvr
Have you tried those corrugated cardboard floor box scratchers? They are cheap and most cats just love those. Some cats just like to scratch on the floor and the cardboard scratchers solve that problem. It is worth a try. And if your cat prefers that, I would get a few of them. All of my cats love to run around from one to the other to scratch. They even like to lay on them.
And, I tolerate this behavior, as annoying as it is, because i get that it's a cat being a cat and I can't imagine there's any way to "make them be quiet" because I want them to. But it's also not actually destructive, just annoying.
Oops, sorry, must have missed your post about the cardboard.
And I would feel the exact same way. I don't rent, but I work very hard to have nice things, and that would definitely stress any relationship. Unfortunately, from my experience you have taken just about every swing I have ever heard recommended for a behavioral/redirection solution considering the target is carpet.
This thread has gotten long and there have been so many suggestions so far. I doubt if your cat is stressed but have you tried the phermone diffusers like Feliway? Might settle the meezer down a bit and help alleviate the carpet clawing. I don't know about your cat but mine tend to claw in the same spots most of the time. You might also get one of those cheap carpet sample things and try to redirect the scratching to that. I'm not sure about that one; might encourage the carpet scratching even more but maybe someone really good at cat behavior can help with that.
Do they actually play with the toys though, or are the cats laying around all the time? If so, then boredom is the biggest culprit.
Outside is not an option. I live in an apartment; if I had a place that I had the ability to put in a fence etc I would have gotten rid of the carpet.
I don't think buying 700 square feet of carpet is a very realistic option for me. I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be negative, but I just can't do that. And, since he's about 6 already I don't see the "outgrowing" being very likely until he is so old he becomes infirm.
He has this too. I am pretty sure he is much more of a horizontal scratcher than a vertical scratcher. To follow up on some other things - I bought the Soft Paws, and there is no way in H I am going to be able to get him to sit still long enough to get them on him. He's already lost two when I tried to see how still he would sit, and I don't have anyone who will help me do this.
