Cat scratching furniture/carpet - at wits end!

Maz

Hi everyone, hope some of you lovely people can give me some suggestions here!

Rehomed my queen around 3 months ago from a local rescue centre. All good at first.

The (main) problem is her sharpening her claws on the arms of sofas and the edges of the stair treads. I've bought every conceivable type of scratching pad/post but she's just not interested. I've got Feliway plug-ins and have been using a deterrent spray on the areas she seems to favour.

The spray is quite effective initially but then she roars off and starts again on a previously ignored piece of furniture! I seem to spend my life gently chastising her, spraying cintronella and showing her how to use the scratching posts!

I've sort of accepted the fact that she's never going to go in the garden to toilet and that I will be forever housing a litter tray in the conservatory but I would quite like to re carpet and buy new sofas at some point, without them being destroyed by Ninja girl!

She actively dislikes other cats so is the sole pet, will venture into the garden for a sniff around and doesn't like cat flaps. She's approximately 4 years old and I have to admit that I've had thoughts of returning her to the rescue if I can't sort this out, I don't want to do this as she's a dear little thing when she's not ripping my furniture and carpets to shreds!

ANY advice welcome!

WibblyGirly

Our cat was scratching our wooden doors! We ended up going to a carpet store and getting some of those carpet samples and nailing them to the doors he likes most. Could you do that and encourage her onto those instead?

I just accept that our sofa is doomed on one side, it was cheap though so I don't mind him scratching ours.

Maz

WibblyGirly wrote: »

Our cat was scratching our wooden doors! We ended up going to a carpet store and getting some of those carpet samples and nailing them to the doors he likes most. Could you do that and encourage her onto those instead?

I just accept that our sofa is doomed on one side, it was cheap though so I don't mind him scratching ours.

That could work on the arms of the sofas, popping to the shops now so will pick a couple up!

usernameisvalid

Pop into Lidl. They have scratch pads that attach to furniture

My wee fella likes to lie on his side and pull himself along the bottom of the sofa, I've a thin floor mat there now sort of half up the base of the sofa

I also have cat nip spray that I douse his scratch posts in

helcat26

We yell Oi a lot which temporarily stops it.
She probably thinks it is her name

no1catman

We had a eight-and-a-half year old rescue (female calico) three years ago. She loved, scratching the bed, the lounge suite, and especially the stair/landing carpets. That was the most upsetting, as spent over a grand for them only a few months earlier.
The feliway helped a little, more effective was an indoor plant sprayer (makes a good water-pistol) - soon cured her of doing the bed, as nearby when it happens - didn't like the sudden arrival of water!
Over time the areas effected have reduced - the main problem now is the side of the step between the landing and the top of the stairs - takes delight in digging her claws into it - aarrrgh!
Gave up with the scratching post, completely ignored it.

Did see on youtube about Vick (10 uses of) the last mentioned lightly dabbing where you don't want you cat to scratch - it seems cats don't like the smell. Haven't tried it yet though.
The other thing they don't like is citrus - so maybe lightly grate the skin of an orange, then rub it over the area you want to protect.

My previous cat ripped holes in the net curtains, and one of my partner's cat after re-decoration with her teeth ripped strips of paper off!

SensibleSarah

Just a quick note that 3 months is no time at all in terms of her going to the loo outside. Cats feel at their most vulnerable when toileting so will only go where they feel safest. My cats all took months to stop using the tray indoors last time I moved house.

OldMotherTucker

SensibleSarah wrote: »

Just a quick note that 3 months is no time at all in terms of her going to the loo outside. Cats feel at their most vulnerable when toileting so will only go where they feel safest. My cats all took months to stop using the tray indoors last time I moved house.

I moved 3 months ago and my normally confident outdoorsy cats have barely ventured outside unless I'm out in the garden with them. Yesterday was alandmark day because one actually spent the day sleeping upstairs, away from me! Up til now, they've barely left my side!

All 3 have taken to clawing the ends of my new sofa so I have tucked 2 large fleeces arond the arms and over the back - it completely negates having a nice new sofa though as you can't see it!:rotfl:

All 3 tend to use clawing my furniture as a signal that they want fed/watered or a quick outside loo stop - they have me well trained!:rotfl:

And yes! I also find myself yelling 'Oi' quite often!!

Home Bargains sell the recycled cardboard scratchers with a sachet of catnit for less than 1.50GBP which proved very popular, not just with my cats. I ended up buying 3 more as Christmas presents for other cat-centric households.

I also have a water spray which I only have to hold up now to deter them from scratching!

Pop_Up_Pirate

If you provide a litter tray, that is where they will go as they are attracted to the smell.

Take the littler tray up, and she will go outside.

As for the scratching, squirt water at her every time she does it and she will soon stop.

McKneff

Kleneze do a spray called Scratch no more. It is citrus based but it stopped our cat in her yracks. Its expensive but it works . Look online