[-dustin]

girlfriend and i have 2 cats and lots of mucked up stuff. how do those of you with cats (clawed still) manage to keep your stuff looking nice?

we got a new couch and had to put sticky **** on each corner to keep the cats from scratching it. a leather chair we have has been scratched to hell from the cats playing on it...scratched, small tears. and just now, i noticed one of them has been using the speaker covers, on some floor speakers i just got, as a scratching post. my comforter and my girlfriend's comforter are both torn, each just a year old. a pair of my headphones were chewed in half, and most annoyingly, one of them likes to drag my dirty socks and boxers from my room into the livingroom and chew on them. i thought dogs chewed on stuff?

 

[narlus]

my cat is lazy as hell...the only mess she makes is the constant fur shedding...

 

[binary visions]

I don't know about the chewing, but the #1 cause of a cat scratching stuff up is lack of appropriate and accessible scratching surfaces.

My cat has never, and I mean never scratched up any of my belongings - not my furniture, clothes or anything else. I have made sure that his entire life he has had appropriate scratching surfaces, in areas where we lived (not stuck away in a closet somewhere where he has to find them).

Google this subject, there are thousands of pages devoted to this subject. Almost all cats can be trained to scratch only specific areas.

I don't know about the chewing thing, never experienced that, myself. Maybe they need some toys to chew on - try catnip rubbed or filled toys to encourage them to use the toys over your clothes.

 

[-dustin]

oddly, these cats shed very, very little.

 

[-dustin]

I don't know about the chewing, but the #1 cause of a cat scratching stuff up is lack of appropriate and accessible scratching surfaces.

My cat has never, and I mean never scratched up any of my belongings - not my furniture, clothes or anything else. I have made sure that his entire life he has had appropriate scratching surfaces, in areas where we lived (not stuck away in a closet somewhere where he has to find them).

Google this subject, there are thousands of pages devoted to this subject. Almost all cats can be trained to scratch only specific areas.

I don't know about the chewing thing, never experienced that, myself. Maybe they need some toys to chew on - try catnip rubbed or filled toys to encourage them to use the toys over your clothes.

one of them uses the scratching post we have. that's all i've seen her scratch, actually. the other one doesn't and never has. we've tried 3 different types of posts/ surfaces, with no luck. they have all been placed in the living room, where the cats spend 90% of their play time.

we have also tried catnip with no luck. one is now immune to the squirt bottle treatment. she just turns her head and waits for us to stop or walk away.

we have also tried SoftPaws, which work as long as the cats don't pull them off...so about 4 days at max.

 

[splat]

my cat is lazy as hell...the only mess she makes is the constant fur shedding...

the shedding can be taken care of with a couple of coats of Varnish

 

[PatBranch]

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://home.ucwphilly.rr.com/emeric/Ophelia%20Cat%20scratcher.jpg&imgrefurl=http://home.ucwphilly.rr.com/emeric/prep_for_new_kitten.htm&h=960&w=1280&sz=194&tbnid=FTichHLmeuGCuM:&tbnh=112&tbnw=150&hl=en&start=8&prev=/images?q=cat+scratcher&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&sa=G

Try one of those. We have one for our cat. I think it comes with catnip. They come in a few sizes.

 

[binary visions]

one of them uses the scratching post we have. that's all i've seen her scratch, actually. the other one doesn't and never has. we've tried 3 different types of posts/ surfaces, with no luck. they have all been placed in the living room, where the cats spend 90% of their play time.

we have also tried catnip with no luck. one is now immune to the squirt bottle treatment. she just turns her head and waits for us to stop or walk away.

we have also tried SoftPaws, which work as long as the cats don't pull them off...so about 4 days at max.

Ouch.

Just out of curiosity, have you tried both placing the poles in highly accessible areas, and combining that with whatever discouragement methods you use on the sofas (sticky tape, spray, whatever)?

If you want to keep a cat out of a room/area, I just bought something called "Catscram", it's a motion sensor attached to an ultrasonic sound generator. My cat seems to really dislike it. He runs away if you approach him with it, and he stuck his paw in front of it once or twice before deciding he hated it and now won't go near it.

Unlike dog whistles and such which are supposedly "inaudible", you really can't hear this, and it's a very localized sound so it doesn't bother him or the neighbor's cats if it's set off and he's not next to it. I just stuck it in front of our bedroom door to keep him out of the bedroom.

Doesn't help your clawing problem, but if you want to keep them out of your bedroom or away from your clothes hamper...

 

[Potroast88]

Try cutting their front feet off.

 

[TreeSaw]

my cat is lazy as hell...the only mess she makes is the constant fur shedding...

That and I was adament about training him when he was very little (and he's de-clawed in the front).

 

[Echo]

I have extremely nice expensive furniture and a scratching post. My cat knows the difference.

 

[stinkyboy]

Have them spayed/neutered, declawed, clip the tails and drill some speed holes.

 

[binary visions]

I have extremely nice expensive furniture and a scratching post. My cat knows the difference.

I have crappy old sofas with slipcovers, wall-to-wall carpeting, an old La-Z-Boy, and a scratching post. The only thing the cat scratches is the scratching post.

Well, he tore up a small corner of the carpet near the bedroom when we first started locking him out at night, but he wasn't really scratching, he was trying to get into the bedroom. Now he doesn't go near the door, so it's no problem.

Do you allow your cat on the furniture?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Cats are smart. A few well placed beatings will teach the cats.

And remove the claws. I don't think the procedure is particularly expensive.

 

[binary visions]

Cats are smart. A few well placed beatings will teach the cats.

Beatings will not teach cats anything. It will teach them to be afraid of you. The only effective lessons for a cat occur immediately when the problem takes place and is most effective if they don't associate the lesson with you (i.e. squirt bottle, penny can, whatever).

And remove the claws. I don't think the procedure is particularly expensive.

It's not really expensive, but there are a lot of schools of thought on that subject. As young cats they're more resilliant but declawing an adult cat can often result in major behavioral changes, many times making them very anti-social and sometimes causing them to start chewing.

I'm not saying it's necessarily a horrible procedure, but it needs to be very carefully considered. This situation sounds like a good candidate for it - they're actually being physically destructive and lots of alternatives have been tried. Just make sure you read about the procedure first and understand what you're doing.

 

[Scarpa]

Have you tried putting scratching posts in front of the things they currently scratch?

We have 3 cats in a 2 br duplex and about 9 posts. Whenever they start scratching something they shouldn't, which is rare, we just move a post right to that spot.

I'm surprised the catnip doesn't work though, our cats love it.

 

[I Are Baboon]

We have several scratch pads like the one mtnbrider posted. They work GREAT. Our cats tore the hell out of an old couch we had. The still scratch a little, but the cardboard pads really cut back on it.

Also, on the parts of your furniture where the cats scracth, spray some citrus air freshener. Cats hate the smell of citrus. We do that and it works like a charm.

So between the scratch pads and the citrus spray, our one year old couch and loveseat have no visible scratch marks. Our old couch is in the garage awaiting its move to the dump.

 

[Ciaran]

Cats are smart. A few well placed beatings will teach the cats.

And remove the claws. I don't think the procedure is particularly expensive.

No, but it is particularly CRUEL. The human equivelent would be choping off your fingers right in front of the first knuckle. DO NOT DECLAW YOUR CAT. IT IS INHUMANE.

 

[Scarpa]

I'm not saying it's necessarily a horrible procedure, but it needs to be very carefully considered.

It is equivalent to cutting off the tips of your fingers at the first knuckle. Couple that with the psychological effect of removing something central to the instinctual behavior of all cats and I think you can consider it a horrible procedure.

 

[ThePriceSeliger]

We have three cats. Two of them are really lazy and just sleep. Our newest who is very young trys to climb curtins. We have a rug covering a table and he will try to sharpen his claws on it. He is declawed. We have nice stuff in the house, and nothing gets to torn up. The Christmas tree was attacked so many times.

 

[I Are Baboon]

Beatings will not teach cats anything. It will teach them to be afraid of you. The only effective lessons for a cat occur immediately when the problem takes place and is most effective if they don't associate the lesson with you (i.e. squirt bottle, penny can, whatever).


It's not really expensive, but there are a lot of schools of thought on that subject. As young cats they're more resilliant but declawing an adult cat can often result in major behavioral changes, many times making them very anti-social and sometimes causing them to start chewing.

I'm not saying it's necessarily a horrible procedure, but it needs to be very carefully considered. This situation sounds like a good candidate for it - they're actually being physically destructive and lots of alternatives have been tried. Just make sure you read about the procedure first and understand what you're doing.

I agree, but Shuttles is just talking out of his ass.

My mother-in-law's cats were declawed and it changed their personalities. They are much more skittish now and don't let you touch their paws.

 

[surfinguru]

Couple key things brought up so far and a few more suggestions:

Ensure the scratching post is in a *social* area of the house.

Sounds dumb, but show the little buger how to use it! Take it over to the post and holding it's paws, emulate the motion, showing it that it's ok to scratch the post.

Didn't say how old they are or how high you bed is, but providing a step stool or something to help them get up on the bed goes a long way in preserving you $$ bedding. (Trust me on this one, I know...)

Lastly, to protect the rest of your house from claw damage, go to the pet store and buy some nail clippers and cut those suckers down to size. (I don't believe in de-clawing, it's mutilation in my opion.)

Good luck!

 

[binary visions]

No, but it is particularly CRUEL. The human equivelent would be choping off your fingers right in front of the first knuckle. DO NOT DECLAW YOUR CAT. IT IS INHUMANE.

Okay, let's not turn this into a discussion of declawing vs. not declawing, there's more information out there than anyone in here can provide and it won't be a pretty discussion. As I said, search Google on the subject, there are literally thousands of sites that discuss this.

Some vets suggest it's an okay alternative, some don't. Understand the procedure, think about it, and compare it to the alternatives. Sometimes it's hard to give away adult cats and if the alternative is giving them to a shelter where they might be put down in a week, well...

 

[SkaredShtles]

Sounds like killing the cat would be a better alternative to declawing......

 

[binary visions]

Sounds like killing the cat would be a better alternative to declawing......

I don't think anyone is suggesting that, but this is a hot-button topic and you might do well to not stir up some people on a subject that it sounds like you haven't done a lot of research on... People feel pretty strongly about it and you're liable to get your ass handed to you.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I don't think anyone is suggesting that, but this is a hot-button topic and you might do well to not stir up some people on a subject that it sounds like you haven't done a lot of research on... People feel pretty strongly about it and you're liable to get your ass handed to you.

I'd recommend rotisserie cat. But only the fat ones. No point in wasting a perfectly good cat.

 

[BMXman]

No, but it is particularly CRUEL. The human equivelent would be choping off your fingers right in front of the first knuckle. DO NOT DECLAW YOUR CAT. IT IS INHUMANE.

words of wisdom...declawing your cat is just stupid and inhumane. I have found when doing volunteer work at the SF SPCA that most people opted for the de-clawing of thier cat because they were too lazy to deal with their cat. If one can't be responsible enough to care completely for a pet don't get one.

I would suggest at least 2 different scratching posts ( we have 4) and if you do catch you cats scratching somewhere else I use to physically take my cat over to one of the posts and simulate the procedure.

My cats bit, chewed and scratched everywhere when I first got them 6 years ago but they were trained about 2 months later. It just takes patience....also like BV said there are tons of good books and articles out there. If you want I will even lend you the 3 books I have. They made a world of difference in how I interact with my pets...D

 

[Jeremy R]

We have (as I hang my head in shame) 4 cats. 3 of them never bothered anything, or broke anything in all the years we have had them.
Only one of these three has front claws, and he has a scratching post.
BUT, the 4th one, and ironically the only one that is considered mine,
is a freakin' trainwreck. He scratches the furniture, jumps from the ground onto the back of my shoulder for no reason except to scare me, scratches you in a purely random pattern, knocks over small tables and breaks glasses.
One time my fat neighbor came over wearing sweat pants and wanting to borrow sugar. As soon as she came through the door, the cat flew off the top of the couch, and jumped about 6 feet towards her and dug all 4 claws into her sweat pants and hung there.
She keeps plenty of sugar at home now.
That cat is the biggest pain in the azz I have ever met, but it is also my favorite one. Can't really explain it. He gets me.

 

[Ciaran]

Sounds like killing the cat would be a better alternative to declawing......

No one suggested that. (Don't be all or nothing.) I was talking to people who have cats. Sorry if I brought up a hot button issue.

I have three cats. I take the time to trim their claws every week. The only thing really messed up is the carpet in a couple of places, and one chair.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>
That cat is the biggest pain in the azz I have ever met, but it is also my favorite one. Can't really explain it. He gets me.

Sounds like a cool cat!

 

[SkaredShtles]

No one suggested that. (Don't be all or nothing.) I was talking to people who have cats. Sorry if I brought up a hot button issue.

Hot button issue. That's funny. Stir fried cat, maybe, but not declawing.

It's along the lines of circumcision - don't wring your hands because you've had your cat declawed. It's not the end of the world.

 

[binary visions]

Softpaws.

Reading comprehension ain't all there today, eh?

we have also tried SoftPaws, which work as long as the cats don't pull them off...so about 4 days at max.

 

[stinkyboy]

Softpaws.


http://www.softpaws.com/

Where the hell were these when I was married to the biatches with cats?

 

[BMXman]

Hot button issue. That's funny. Stir fried cat, maybe, but not declawing.

It's along the lines of circumcision - don't wring your hands because you've had your cat declawed. It's not the end of the world.

what!!....when one is circumsized they still have a penis...when de-clawing occurs they are no claws left...your comparison is completely off...D

 

[BMXman]

Like I'm gonna read every goddamn sentence in a 3 page thread?


*smack*


Anyway, you have to teach the cat not to chew the softpaws off. It takes a week or two.

Also, use plenty of the adhesive.

This, combined with a decent scratch post has saved our furniture. She sometimes goes for one of the old chairs, but the softpaws keep her from annihilating it.

hmm...I only count 2 pages...you must have your posts per thread count set at the lowest...D

 

[SkaredShtles]

what!!....when one is circumsized they still have a penis...when de-clawing occurs they are no claws left...your comparison is completely off...D

Ummmm.... they don't have all of it anymore. Do some research. Circumcision is considered by many to be male genital mutilation. And we're talking about a human vs. a cat here.

 

[PatBranch]

We have (as I hang me head in shame) 4 cats. 3 of them never bothered anything, or broke anything in all the years we have had them.
Only one of these three have front claws, and he has a scratching post.
BUT, the 4th one, and ironically the only one that is considered mine,
is a freakin' trainwreck. He scratches the furniture, jumps from the ground onto the back of my shoulder for no reason except to scare me, scratches you in a purely random pattern, knocks over small tables and breaks glasses.
One time my fat neighbor came over wearing sweat pants and wanting to borrow sugar. As soon as she came through the door, the cat flew off the top of the couch, and jumped about 6 feet towards her and dug all 4 claws into her sweat pants and hung there.
She keeps plenty of sugar at home now.
That cat is the biggest pain in the azz I have ever met, but it is also my favorite one. Can't really explain it. He gets me.

Thats really funny !

 

[ThePriceSeliger]

Just for reference.
The oldest, her name is LittleBittyTinny. She used to be reall small, then got big.

The middle her name is Molly.(Shes a bitch)

The youngest. His name is Otis, adopted in NY, and brought home.

 

[ThePriceSeliger]

If it was up to me, I WOULDNOT have them declawed, but I would have them neutered. Molly is my cat but still didn't have any say on that. It was all my moms deal.

 

[SkaredShtles]

If it was up to me, I WOULDNOT have them declawed,

That's because you don't pay for the furniture.