Scratching issues, (running out of options)

[kdogtn]

I'll start this thread off by saying that in no way do I want to have to de-claw my cat. He tends to try to escape from time to time and I want him to be able to defend himself if he get out. Also I know that there are so many health problems related to declawing that it's really not an option I want to visit.

But....

I have tried almost everything. I have sprayed the lemon sent repellent on the furniture he chooses and he will stop him for maby half of the day but he tends to build up a tolerance to it. I have 4 different scratching alternatives but he wants nothing to do with them. I have a corner mounted scratching device I have placed on my bar that he snuffed really fast. I have two scratching poles that are made of two different types of material that he loves to lay on but no nail action. I have a horizontal piece of cardboard that I bought that he tends to nap on from time to time and one that is on about a 20 degree angle that he uses as a springboard to jump on top of the counter. When I catch him lifting up the carpet I normally pick him up and put him on one of the posts or boards and play with him a little but he runs back over to what he's not suppose to be using to sharpen his claws.

I purchased some nail clippers from petsmart and have been trying to keep his nails trimmed but he protests this every chance he gets. I tried just putting him on my lap and trimming but my arms look like I am trying to hurt myself when I'm done. I used a towel by wrapphing him up and exposing one paw at a time but the sounds he makes when I'm doing it almost break my heart. You would think I was trying to murder him. I normally take off about 1/4 of the nail. I'm not going too high up as to make him bleed or hurt him but he really does not like it.

I'm running out of options here. On, he is one of the few selected cats that catnip has no effect on him. As a matter of fact, he prefers his non catnip toys over his catnip toys for some reason. I love my cat and do not want to hurt him in any way nore do I want to take away his only defense but my roomie is getting concered for the nice furniture he just bought.

Any help or suggestions is welcome. I'm not worried about cost or inconvience on my part. I will do whatever it takes to keep my little Dante happy....

 

[bonnie1965]

awww you are a sweet cat friend! First, don't worry about those pitiful sounds they make. You are not truly killing him, he just wants you to think that

If you can only clip one nail per day, that will work. Have you tried sneaking to do one while he is sleeping? That's how I get Seb - sometimes I get lucky and get 3 or four done before he figures it out.

Some cats just don't care for catnip. I have heard that honeysuckle and some other types of mint work like catnip on some cats. Hopefully someone here will clarify this.

Otherwise, all I can suggest is perseverence. When he is on the scratcher, even just sleeping, tell him what a wonderful cat he is. Use your "good boy" voice

Make it a happy spot to be in. Use your own nails on the scratcher to show him how neat it is.

If he has a favorite scratching spot, like the corner of the carpet, could you cover that area with a plastic mat of some type until he gets out of the habit? Do you have a scratching surface for him that is made from something similar to what he does like to scratch?

Not sure if any of this helps-more members will be along soon. Good luck. Keep us updated on how it all goes for you both. And, Welcome!

 

[kdogtn]

I have tried the sneak attack with the clippers but he goes from sleep to play mode in 3.4 seconds. When ever my cousin and I move around he is up and ready to play. We took up the carpet in one of the rooms and I litearlly kept the scraps and made one of the posts from the carpet he loves to lift up but no work. I placed the post in the middle of the room over the spot he normally goes after and he moves the post and hits the spot again. I have literally tried everything. As far as the couch he goes after, he likes one corner. I have tried to cover the corner and he finds a way to do it. Tonight my cousin called me to say that he got out the clippers to try and trim his front claws and Dante ran and hid under the couch until the clippers disappeared. Today I'm going to petsmart and buying the kitty jungle gym for him. I know it's like $200 but maby he will go after that one. He is a very very very spoiled animal I know but I really hate having to even consider the de-claw. I guess for now I'll have to put in ear plugs so I do not hear my baby boy cry while I trim his nails. I wish I could get it recorded for everyone to hear. It's like tiny little squeeks and whimpers...

 

[renovia]

please please please don't even consider declawing an alternative.Dsnte is just being a little kitty.

positive reinforcement is a great way to get cats to do what you want. Give him a treat (even just a piece of dry food (kibble)) when ever you see him near his post. It won't work over night, and you have to be consistent. Consider taking him to the vet to get his nails trimmed, then you can stay on top of it at home.

 

[missymotus]

Have you tried double sided tape, I think it's called Sticky Paws or something like that.

I agree with Renovia, you might be better off taking him to the vet for the first nail clipping. Once back at home just try doing one claw at a time and giving tons of praise and some treats.

Please don't even think about declawing him, it's illegal here so not an option yet we manage to keep cats.

 

[goldenkitty45]

Ok a few questions:

How TALL are the scratching posts you are using? Cats like large ones - minimum of 4 feet high and the multile level ones will get more use. Sounds like you have those short ones - maybe 2 feet tall from your description.

Have you tried sticky tape on the edges of the funiture? That seems to work the best. I know Petco and Petsmart carrys it (if you live in the states).

And for the nail clipping, you should play with his feet and toes as you pet him so he's more used to being touched and doesn't pull away. If he's hard to control, it might work if you have 2 people do him - one to hold, one to clip. And the one that is holding; if you use a neck/scruff hold on him, most times they will "freeze" and you can trim the nails quickly.

I did my future daughter-in-law's cat that way. The front were fine, but then she started to wiggle and complain too much for me to do the back quickly. So I had her scruff the cat and I finished the back nails. She was amazed how that little trick worked on keeping the cat still

 

[rirunyan]

We have one little girl kitty who loves to claw my rugs, and she is the roughest one to clip the nails of. What has worked is one of us holding her and covering her face with our hand, while the other person trims the nails. My hubby had heard that covering their face, sedates them, and it seems to work pretty well.

One other option is Soft Paws. They are nail caps that you glue on. Now they are tough to put on as you have to trim the nail first and then glue the thing on. You can even buy colored ones online, which are nice because if they pull one off, you will see it is missing and replace it. You can get cool black or blue ones for Dante, and he will be a styling cat!!! I would suggest two people working together to do this, as you will need to either hold him by the scruff of the neck, or wrap him in a towel and cover his face and do one paw at a time. If all else fails, take him to the vet. They trim nails and maybe can help putting the softpaws on him.

By the way, we are neighbors. I live in White House.

Hope this helps. Rebecca

 

[momofmany]

I'll second Soft Paws, but they could be a little bit tricky if she doesn't like for you to touch her paws.

Doesn't like catnip, eh? That makes it a bit trickier as I was going to suggest rubbing catnip all over the scratchposts. Make sure the posts are tall enough for Dante to stretch fully out on and put them close to the scratch places. If catnip doesn't work, you might try to crush some treats and rub those on the posts. Anything to lure Dante to those posts.

I have used double sided tape with some success. I have resorted to watching them around the clock and redirect them the moment they hit the wrong spot, then reward them with treats when they do it right. It sounds like you will need to try a combination of things to be fully successful.

 

[lmunsie]

I agree with what everyone else has said but I have to say the double sided tape worked wonders for my old cats to stop them scratching the furniture!!!!!!! And my siamese gets one - two toes clipped a day. haha......whatever works I guess......

 

[ronit]

My youngest is a little devil and scratches in order of preference
1-matress box (it must have something inside that drives him crazy)
2-rug / carpet
3-chairs

I've tried spraying water, making noise with newspaper... nothing helps... so i gave up...

they do not sell scratching posts in my area and shipping would raise the cost to triple ... i think he would have loved one...

The truth is that as long as i am playing with him he is not scratching furniture... i also bought him a tunnel and he spends lots of time there scaring the other cats by jumping out of the tunnel...

I think you just need to find the right game for him to keep him away from scratching..


Good Luck !

 

[ldg]

I agree - pay someone else to clip his claws until you can do it on your own. Our groomer at the vet charges $8 to clip claws. There are usually other grooming options where you can take kitty to get his claws clipped. Something to consider in the short term. In the long term, you've got to get him conditioned to it, and like Bonnie, we've found that doing it one claw at a time with the favorite treat ready to roll when they wake up and freak is the way to go. Gotta go for one a day, when they're sleeping. Gotta be quick. We have several kitties that would wake up in 3.4 seconds flat, but the claw was popped out by then, snipped as they're starting to swing up, and then a treat put down - all was forgotten. Each day it got easier. Then we could do two. Then three. It took MONTHS to get there. Five years later, I've still got one kitty I can only do one paw at a time. But we got there one day at a time, literally.

Given that he pulls up the carpet and pushed the post aside, he obviously likes to horizontally scratch! Purchase some auto mats or those kind of foam kitchen mats - scatter them around, but if he's been scratching in just a few places, definitely put them there. Cats like to scratch on lots of things - we bought a scratcher mat that had sisal on one side and a black hard foamy stuff for backing. They didn't use the sisal side, but when we turned it over, they loved it. Give him different places and different option.

Ours do use the trees. We have lots of them. When scratching on the back and front arms of the couch, we bought four tall scratchers. We covered the back of the couch with aluminum foil using double-sided tape to hold it in place, and we did the same with the front arms of the couch. We then put two scratchers right in front of the arms, and two in back of the couch. When they were using them, we slowly moved them to where we want them. One we've left at one corner at the back of the couch. Also, when we bought new furniture (we moved, it wasn't because of the cats), we bought a couch with microfiber as the material. Claws can't penetrate the tight weave, so now we don't care if they scratch on the couch.

Also, cats do love to scratch when they wake up and stretch. If you can place both vertical and horizontal scratching pads, rugs/mats near where he sleeps, this may help stop his desire to scratch in other inappropriate places.

Also, and this is a far-fetched idea, but better than declawing - while the lemon scent hasn't deterred him, maybe bitter apple will. This is used to prevent cats from chewing on things, but if none of the above works, maybe it's worth a try. The trouble is, bitter apple doesn't always work to prevent chewing on things in and of itself - but spraying a little bit in kitty's mouth stops it cold. I don't know if this will work for scratching - but if you spray a little in his mouth (and he will hate you for a while for this!) - maybe that sense will be associated with that scent, and that may act as a scratching deterrent.

Hope you find a combination of things that work - and thank you for wanting to try!

Laurie

 

[ldg]

Please do remember - no matter how frustrated you get in this process - declawing won't necessarily solve the problem. It will stop damage from scratching, but it often starts other problems, including biting and peeing out of the box. 85% of cats given up to shelters for behavioral problems are cats that were declawed.

Laurie

 

[salsanchips]

In my limited experience (Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve only had my cats for 3 months), hereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s what worked for me:

1.)\tBe tolerant. If they have a particular area rug or something that they like to scratch, and itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not expensive and expendable, just let them do it. I have a couple of rugs I let them scratch on to their hearts content (I think of them as sacrificial rugs).
2.)\tBe consistent. If they scratch on something completely inappropriate (like, in my case, my $5K Italian leather living room set), yell “NO!†and squirt them with a water bottle. I gave my male cat Wingnut a good soaking once or twice and he got the idea pretty quick.
3.)\tSticky tape. It works, but it is a PAIN to get off when you want to remove it (WD-40 helps).

Be patient (and yes, de-clawing is a complete non-option).

 

[sakura]

I haven't read this thread yet but I wanted to say that if trimming your cat's claws is difficult for you, you can find a vet or groomer that will do it for you. There is a place by me that charges $6 for it and they do SUCH a better job than I do. I can only get 1-2 claws at a time with Chloe before she gets fussy. When her claws are nice and trimmed, it makes such a difference.

Anywhere that trims claws would also probably help you with applying Soft Paws.

I also don't know if anyone has suggested Feliway diffusers, but I've read that they can help with at least territorial scratching.

Also, cats have preferences for scratching surfaces. Chloe is not intersted at all in cardboard scratchers, but she loves sisal. I have a horizontal sisal one, a short sisal post, and I have a very very tall sisal post on the way in the mail.

 

[littleraven7726]

I also wanted to suggest taking kitty to the vet to get the Soft Claws put on. Most vets will do that for you.

Placement of the scratching posts can also be an issue. Do you have them near the things you don't want him scratching? For example, we had issues with our (declawed by previous owners) cats "scratching" on my DH's tall speakers. It was driving him bonkers. We put scratching posts next to each speaker, and they started using the posts instead. So even when declawed, sometimes you need to train them to use a scratching post.

The scratching post height can be an issue too. A lot of cats don't like the short little Wal-Mart posts (my cats are weird, my big guy LOVES the Wal-Mart sisal post).

Ultimate Scratching Post, recommended by Cats International
The combination scratcher

How to build your own scratching post

 

[jellybella]

A couple of people have said it...height of the scratching posts, or alternatively horizonal options (we have both jute mats and carpet samples that I've left in a few spots) is really important. Remember, it has to be the better option --if they can't get a good stretch, they won't use it.

Location---the alternative has to be right there, where they want to scratch. There is also a communication component to this--they are marking their territory.

Nail clipping---Bella used to make terrible sounds and have to be "burrito-ed", now DH can hold her and I can clip. SHe still whines a little, but she's come to accept it as a fact of life. I make sure I have lots of little treats (a few pieces of kibble work) so it's not all bad...

Good luck! It sounds like you are a very caring pet owner -many would just go and get their cat declawed first.

 

[kdogtn]

An update:


Ok, I went to pet smart and bought $90 worth of stuff in my attempt to save Dante's knuckles... Here is what I bought. I got him a new little kitty jungle gym that has a load of toys on it. I got the spray stuff that is suppose to keep him away, as well as the spray to attract him to the new toy. I have sprayed down everything that he normally goes after and sprayed the happy stuff on all of his toys. I got the double sided tape that I have covered the couch with. I also got a new pair of nail clippers. My cousin and I wrapped him up in a blanket like a little burritto and clipped him down really good. Dante left me a little gift in the bathtub to let me know he was not happy with the current events. Later on while I was sleeping he came and slept on the pillow next to me purring his little behind off I guess telling me he forgives me.. hehehehe... Hopefully this will start a good trend... Wish me luck!!!!

 

[mrjonah]

Just reading up on this because our new older kitty is 'enjoying' the side of our couch too much.

How are things going with Dante now?

 

[audiocat]

Originally Posted by mrjonah

Just reading up on this because our new older kitty is 'enjoying' the side of our couch too much.

How are things going with Dante now?

If it's just a small area like the side of your couch you might try Feliway Spray. The spray cans are small, you have to use it once a day for a few weeks and it is expensive, but it was the only thing that stopped Forrest from clawing on my furniture.

I had tried everything from stickey tape to various other sprays and an embarassing number of pole-type scratchers - none of which stopped him from using the furniture.

If you start using the Feliway spray just make sure you have an alternative scratcher that your kitty seems to like that it can scratch on instead of your couch. Forrest now only uses his sisal floor mat and S-curve scratcher and never claws at the couch and chairs anymore.

 

[viridianqunayir]

It sounds like you are starting to get a handle on the clipping situation, but I'll suggest this anyway:

My little terror, Saturday, is very difficult to get a hold of once she catches glimps of clippers...the solution that worked for us is stealthily clipping her nails while she is asleep. It works about 90% of the time!