Help!

PixieDust

You can snip the ends off her claws with claw-clippers, but I think you would be hard pressed to find a vet in the UK who would de-claw (and rightfully so).

YOu can buy claw-guards (yes, really!!!)....but I think I'd rather my own skin stayed intact than try to attach plastic sheaths to any of my cats' claws

eminemfan001

Well after the disaster with trying her on a lead (2 sets of teeth marks and lots of scratches!) I don't fancy trying to clip her claws or cover them lol. Maybe they could use trimmed though I will ask at the vet when we get her checked up. Will try and get some orange oil tomorrow and proper cat nip. Thanks for all the suggestions. First time owning a cat so any advice is appreciated

Air_Cooled_75

I had this problem with mine, I used the sheets that used to be used on overhead projectors, yes, a bit old fashioned but it worked! I used to use drawing pins to put them up, I guess poly pockets for ring binders might work too??

scrappie_2

I had a similar problem - my cat took a liking to my newly waxed wood in the lounge!

I went out a bought 5 water pistols/ plant sprayers (only things I could find). I kept them lying about the house, every time she went for the wood she got a shot of water.

I also then picked her up and put her on her scratching post. If she then scratched the post she got a treat. Took her three days to realise the post was a much better offering than the wood work! HTH

SnowyOwl_2

AFAIK declawing is illegal in this country, so it's unlikely you will find a vet to do it. It involves cutting the ends of a cat's toes off. If a similar operation were performed on a human it would mean amputation of the fingers at the joint below the nail. I think you maybe don't mean to go down that route, you seem too kind to consider doing something like that to your cat for the sake of some wallpaper.

Scrappie's suggestion of making the scratching post a very rewarding place to scratch her claws is probably the most sensible. Cats do twig on quickly what gets them a lovely Dreamie treat.

My old cat Tabitha, when she wanted my attention, used to go up the sofa and put her paw on it with her claws outstretched. Cue me jumping up and down. She never actually plucked any fibres from it.

farfromhome

A friend of mine had exactly the same problem when she moved with her 2 cats to rented accommodation which was wallpapered throughout. For some reason, the cats only clawed the wallpaper in the hall but used the scratch posts dotted around the other rooms. My friend bought a large piece of perspex/plastic from a builder's merchant, about waist-high, and fixed it to the wall with some very small screws. This solved the problem until they moved and redecorated the hall.

Similarly, we had 2 cats of our own who decided that one of the sofa ends was perfect for scratching. We put a scratch post in front and every time they tried to get to the sofa, we kindly but firmly moved them over to the scratch post. The problem was solved within a couple of days. Using cat nip on the scratch posts definitely helps.

Sorry, I have never liked the idea of using a water pistol against my own cats (I suppose there are occasions when it might be necessary) and declawing is horrendous. It is an amputation and if the declawed cat got outside, she/he would not have any means of defending her/himself against other cats or dogs and would not be able to get up a tree to escape either. I am glad this is banned here in the UK.

heartbreak_star

Clove oil dabbed on the wall is a good deterrent, and I agree with reward-training the scratching post.

Good luck

HBS x