cat scratching

gregg1

tina68 wrote:

I can do the other cat no problem, he's so laid back when i do his i have to check he's still breathing..i am beginning to wonder if she has sensitive paws and thats why she won't use her post

that could be the reason - maybe at some point the vet cut a bit too far down (our vet did this once and the claw bled and was sore for ages).

Maybe in this case it may be money well spent to have those thingys fitted - like you say its cheaper than re-decorating. good luck

tina68

gregg1 wrote:

that could be the reason - maybe at some point the vet cut a bit too far down (our vet did this once and the claw bled and was sore for ages).

Maybe in this case it may be money well spent to have those thingys fitted - like you say its cheaper than re-decorating. good luck

Thanx, also my mum suffers a condition iin her right leg as the result of having had cancer and radiotherapy so it would be good to have them so she doesn't land in Mums lap and claw her leg, that would be terrible as she may end up in hospital. happened b4 when she got cut by a branch ended up on a drip of some kind for a while...
Tina x

Julie84

Clipping claws definitely works - I do it for my two inddor only boys but it needs to be done regularly (once a week) as they wil sharpen them up again. It can be daunting but just clipping the end off is all that is needed and don't focus on trying to do all the nails at once. One or two at a time to start with is fine. If your cat will allow it's claws to be clipped there is no reason why he or she would need to be sedated for Soft Paws to be applied though (using the same one or two at a time basis). I would be very concerned by a vet willing to sedate a cat regularly to apply them.

Double sided sticky tape works wonders but does look a bit naff - cats will only scratch something they can get their claws into though. If you can put up with sticky backed plastic all over your house for a couple of months than try it - scratching also tends to be habit forming (as well as scent marking territory and exercise claws) and an inability to perform this (while there is sticky plastic around) may be enough to break the habit and stop it from reoccuring once everything is removed.

Also try and encourage lots of positive use of the designated scratching areas. Spraying/lacing with catnip and lots of positive reinforcement when kitty scratches where you want her to.

Clicker training may be worth a try but takes quite a lot of persistance and some cats just don't seem to get the idea. I have had some success with clicker training (with one cat) but it was building new behaviours rather than stopping established ones. The other cat refused to be 'taught' but watched the other cat and copied (made my job easier in fact! lol)

Good luck, I hope you find something that works for you.

System

Another suggestion. As you know cats scratching is not only to sharpen claws it is also a territory thing. If you have cat scratcing posts are they sturdy enough? When a cat scratches a pole it needs to be sturdy. If the poles you have move or tip over when they use they use, they will look for something more sturdy, i.e. a wall or even sofa. Have you thought about placing a scratch pole where the cat scratches the wall? Have you got any cat scratching poles. The pole at this link which is £89.00 on the compny website is only £34 (including VAT)in costco. Hope some of this helps.

Lenny

Prudent

I had a cat who scartched the walls a lot and wouldn't use a scratch post. I couldn't find a solution. I saw a pretty coir doormat on holiday. It was really for outdoor use, but I liked the design so much I used it just inside the front door in the hall. The cat started scratching the mat and the problem with the walls disappeared.