How to repair and prevent carpet damage ( declaw is NOT an option)

[melesine]

When we moved into this house it already had damage by one of the bedroom doors. Now one of my cats has made it even worse. He hates closed doors but this door just can't be left open all the time the way he wishes it would. He is still a kitten, at most a year old, I'm exactly sure as he just showed up one day. 

So I want to repair the damage, which I think I could probably do by putting a carpet patch in?? But I also need to prevent it from happening again. Preferably something that protects the carpet but also allows us to walk without issue. I'm thinking maybe a bathroom mat, or plastic office chair floor protector. 

Any other ideas? The biggest problem would be I need to reasonably stay in place and not be able to be pulled out by the cats when the door is closed. 

 

[di and bob]

I think the office chair floor protector would be ideal, but I think they are a little pricey. Those soft plastic 'runners' would work too, if she insists, you could always turn it over so it's spikey side is up for a while, they hate that! But just don't forget and walk on it with your bare feet! I really wonder if he would continue to dig if there wasn't already damage there. Once it's repaired he might not. If he contiues to pull things up you could always 'tack' something down with small nails, it would be invisible in the carpet fibers. Good luck! Don't give up!

 

[melesine]

I hadn't thought that he might quit once it's repaired. I've debated cutting the strings that are hanging out because I'm not sure they are attracting him. 

 

[raintyger]

My kitty used to claw the furniture. We had a 20+ year old sofa that we didn't care about, but when we replaced it we needed a solution. I got an Alpine Scratcher, the scratcher that is made of cardboard and is a ramp. She is in love with it and has forgotten about the furniture. So possibly providing an alternative that he is more interested in is the solution. If you get an Alpine Scratcher, do not simply buy the horizontal cardboard. Some cats prefer upright or inclined scratching. If you get the ramp, you can take out the scratcher part and use it horizontally, but that way you have two preferences covered. I know a few people who didn't want to spend the money on the ramp and say their cat doesn't use the scratcher.

Here is the product. It is also available at retail pet stores, for about $15-$17.

 

 

[tammyp]

Yep to all the solutions!  And go both routes rather than just one - repair & protect the current area so it's not so enticing (for sure that bit of damage was attractive!  I had a coat with a loose thread and a fractionally open wardrobe door...bad news! ) AND get some attractive scratching options.

You could even get a piece of carpet that's a bit frayed and give it too him as 'his'.  Make sure there aren't any frayed carpet bits that are part of your house though (repair and protect is imperative).  But even if there are, you can redirect him to 'his' piece.  I find that a very powerful training tool - give them what they want, in a way that is acceptable to you, then redirect to 'theirs' so they leave 'yours' alone!

Sorry I don't have ideas about what you can do to the carpet to repair it and protect it.  I only came up with some stick-on plastic covering (that you can peel off when you leave with no further damage), but that in itself might be 'attractive' to try and rip off if it is not really stuck down well.

 

[melesine]

My kitty used to claw the furniture. We had a 20+ year old sofa that we didn't care about, but when we replaced it we needed a solution. I got an Alpine Scratcher, the scratcher that is made of cardboard and is a ramp. She is in love with it and has forgotten about the furniture. So possibly providing an alternative that he is more interested in is the solution. If you get an Alpine Scratcher, do not simply buy the horizontal cardboard. Some cats prefer upright or inclined scratching. If you get the ramp, you can take out the scratcher part and use it horizontally, but that way you have two preferences covered. I know a few people who didn't want to spend the money on the ramp and say their cat doesn't use the scratcher.

Here is the product. It is also available at retail pet stores, for about $15-$17.

 

He has more than one scratching post, both horizontal and verticals ones, and he uses them. This is not about normal cat scratching. He wants in or out of the room, so he is scratching at the carpet by the door. He just doesn't like closed doors. 

 

[Willowy]

Yeah, my mom's cats did that too and it made my dad nuts (OK, my cats do it, too, but I don't live with anyone who it will annoy! ). First they tried the soft plastic runners, but they bunch up easily. Then they got a new office chair floor protector so my dad made something out of the old one. It works WAY better than the plastic runner. But that kind of plastic is really hard to cut. They aren't cheap but you could probably make 3 under-door pieces out of one floor protector so that's not too bad.