- Joined
- Jul 19, 2014
- Messages
- 6
- Purraise
- 2
Hello! I'm new to TheCatSite, but I'm not new to cats! I've been carry for, raising, and loving them for most of my life, including assisting two mothers give birth to litters of kittens. However, I'm in a bit of a stump at the moment, and it's not a particularly tricky stump, but I need advice simply because I'm running short on time.
My dad and I have owned our cat Izzy for a little over a year now. She's three years old, on the small side, incredibly affectionate, and a squeaker! She's a good, loving, short-haired, indoor cat. Absolutely gorgeous too, I'll see if I can post a picture?
Anyway, my dad, his new girlfriend, my sister, and I have moved into a new house. Him and his girlfriend decided to purchase a brand new furniture set worth thousands of dollars, which - much to my dad's girlfriend's dismay - Izzy has fallen in love with and has taken to clawing and scratching on the corners (I don't like the couches, I think they're itchy, but the cat LOVES them!).
Now, we permit Izzy to scratch in other areas of the house - an old floor rug in the dinning room, her cat tree (three tiers with a rope scratch post from Costco), and an old mattress hanging out in a currently empty bedroom (which will be thrown out when the baby is born). We've tried some of the usual tricks to get Izzy to stop scratching on the couches, such as a spray and covering the corners with tin foil, but the spray doesn't seem to affect her and the moment the tin foil is off, she zooms right for the couches!
I've taken to clipping her claws about once a month, and I associate it with fun times - cat treats before, after, and during; grooming with the brush (she loves to be petted and brushed!); and catnip in the cat tree - but it doesn't seem to be a long term solution. I've tried to get her to use her cat tree for scratching purposes, but she's not interested or doesn't like the texture of the rope. I've thought about getting her a cardboard scratching board, but I've had experiences with it before and it makes a HUGE mess (plus she's never shown an interest in boxes except for laying in them).
My dad girlfriend's says either Izzy gets declawed or kicked out of the house. D: I'll be taking Izzy with me when I move out - hopefully by September, October - but obviously the problem is NOW and I'm running short on ideas. I will fight tooth and nail to prevent her from being declawed, because I know it's a painful solution for a cat (I've owned a declawed cat before, he was never a happy kitty, but at least we didn't declaw him), but I'm afraid it's only a matter of time that Dad's girlfriend just schedules the surgery and takes Izzy while I'm at work or school.
I'm just asking for some advice as what I can do to get Izzy interested in scratching elsewhere, and NOT on the couches? She needs somewhere that she can stretch upwards. I've tried catnip to get her more into her cat tree, plus showing her that she can scratch the rope, but she's not interested in it and doesn't find it pleasant.
My dad and I have owned our cat Izzy for a little over a year now. She's three years old, on the small side, incredibly affectionate, and a squeaker! She's a good, loving, short-haired, indoor cat. Absolutely gorgeous too, I'll see if I can post a picture?
Anyway, my dad, his new girlfriend, my sister, and I have moved into a new house. Him and his girlfriend decided to purchase a brand new furniture set worth thousands of dollars, which - much to my dad's girlfriend's dismay - Izzy has fallen in love with and has taken to clawing and scratching on the corners (I don't like the couches, I think they're itchy, but the cat LOVES them!).
Now, we permit Izzy to scratch in other areas of the house - an old floor rug in the dinning room, her cat tree (three tiers with a rope scratch post from Costco), and an old mattress hanging out in a currently empty bedroom (which will be thrown out when the baby is born). We've tried some of the usual tricks to get Izzy to stop scratching on the couches, such as a spray and covering the corners with tin foil, but the spray doesn't seem to affect her and the moment the tin foil is off, she zooms right for the couches!
I've taken to clipping her claws about once a month, and I associate it with fun times - cat treats before, after, and during; grooming with the brush (she loves to be petted and brushed!); and catnip in the cat tree - but it doesn't seem to be a long term solution. I've tried to get her to use her cat tree for scratching purposes, but she's not interested or doesn't like the texture of the rope. I've thought about getting her a cardboard scratching board, but I've had experiences with it before and it makes a HUGE mess (plus she's never shown an interest in boxes except for laying in them).
My dad girlfriend's says either Izzy gets declawed or kicked out of the house. D: I'll be taking Izzy with me when I move out - hopefully by September, October - but obviously the problem is NOW and I'm running short on ideas. I will fight tooth and nail to prevent her from being declawed, because I know it's a painful solution for a cat (I've owned a declawed cat before, he was never a happy kitty, but at least we didn't declaw him), but I'm afraid it's only a matter of time that Dad's girlfriend just schedules the surgery and takes Izzy while I'm at work or school.
I'm just asking for some advice as what I can do to get Izzy interested in scratching elsewhere, and NOT on the couches? She needs somewhere that she can stretch upwards. I've tried catnip to get her more into her cat tree, plus showing her that she can scratch the rope, but she's not interested in it and doesn't find it pleasant.