Kittens/cats? How to stop scratching? How to know if its a good cat? More questions inside?
Friday, August 13th, 2010 at
3:53 am
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Filed under: Cat Scratching Post
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You have to find a post or mat that they will scratch. Some are very particular. Our kitten (4 months old) used to scratch the chair (fabric) when she was smaller and our 1 1/2 yr old full grown cat seemed to like the carpet. However, because they liked to climb and play on stuff we broke down and bought a cat tree with three sisal wrapped posts. They LOVE it! The big cat scratches it religiously when he stretches on it and loves to scratch on the flat surfaces of it. The kitten climbs it, scratches on it, etc. She will still cling to the chair but gets squirted for it.
Our older cat (12 years) used to scratch our chair like there was no tomorrow. then I saw her scratching on the sisal mat that I have in front of my kitchen sink. I bought her a scratching mat and she loves that thing and prefers it to the chair now. I haven’t found any new evidence that she’s using the chair or couch anymore.
So you may need a little trial and error. Yes, catnip helps if you rub it on the surface of the post or mat.That’s what I did to attract all three to the cat tree.
You can also spray repellent on the sides of the furniture. Cats are smart. They’ll figure out where they’re allowed with some "gentle persuasion".
As a side note Feliway isn’t a deterrent. It’s a calming diffuser that is supposed to take away the urge to mark their territory, which is what clawing actually is. It works to an extent, but I used it more to help the various fosters that work their way through my house to acclimate to the other cats. It works very well for that!
Scratching posts work great for my kittens. The other thing you can buy which I have heard works very well is Feliway. It repels the cats from certain things you don’t want them near (i.e. furniture). The cat you like sounds to be older (not a kitten), so she probably won’t have as many issues with scratching as kittens do.
Was she being fostered? Or in the shelter for a while. Human interaction makes a huge difference in a cats friendliness and behavior. If she was fostered, then talk to her foster family about her habits. Most of them are very truthful and really just want whats best for the cat and human. Cats love to scratch their posts, but sometimes it just takes a little redirection. From my experience, a little double sided sticky tape works wonders if your cat starts scratching anything inappropriate. Dried catnip will work as long as the cat likes it. Not all cats do. Just speak with the people you would be getting the cat from, that’s your best starting place
Oh, and thank you so much for considering rehoming an adult. So many out there need homes, its wonderful that you are considering this!!
Yes the posts do work but make sure you get one that grows with the cat. A lot of people buy kitten posts and for bigger cats they are the wrong height to uses comfortably. Try a multilevel climber and scratcher as they have several posts at different heights. I have 8 cats and they all use these ( i have several in different rooms). Only damage to the house is one small patch of carpet. Which was started with my first cat before i got the posts.
If scratching is a concern, then you’d be much better off with an adult cat than a kitten. Kittens need to learn to use their claws appropriately, and they can be a bit tough on the furniture until then. Plus they are extremely active, and will run across the furniture even if they aren’t intentionally scratching. An adult cat is much more settled, and you can maybe find out about her scratching habits. There are also many declawed cats available in shelters, if your parents are really, really concerned and you’re afraid that they’d declaw a cat (it’s cruel – but the shelters are full of cats who’ve already been mutilated).
Even better than a scratching post would be a cat tree with at least one sisal post, and one carpeted one. Cat trees are almost a "cat magnet" and cats are instinctively drawn to them. They work better than the posts, since they are both taller and heavier. It doesn’t have to be a big giant one, just one of the ones you see that have two posts with a perch on top. Placing it in a sunny window just about guarantees that your cat will enjoy it, and rubbing catnip on the posts really does encourage scratching on it.
Well, my cats have all their claws. My furniture sees no real problems. The rugs are intact. Throw rugs often get tunneled through, but that is entertainment for them. My drapes and sheer curtains? Well, they are not museum quality and I don’t live in a museum. But the wear and tear on the drapes and sheer curtains is not from a deliberate attack.
As far as catnip, not all cats are sensitive to catnip. It is genetic, and it depends on their parents. Even if both parents were sensitive to catnip, their kitten may not be.
But my cats really use scratching areas. And there are two types that I have. I have sisal posts on my cat trees, which most of them love. I also have inexpensive cardboard scratchers, which get a lot of action. Not all cats like to scratch on a vertical surface, so they have a choice in my home. (Excuse me, their home; they allow me to live here….) I recently got a scroll scratcher, and they really love that. (see link for an example).
Shelters often get a good idea of the personality of the cat.
I do try to snip off the sharp tips of my cat’s claws. It is not that they go after the furniture; it is that they like to sit on my lap, and knead me and sometimes they have their claws out. That can hurt!
I would suggest adopting an already declawed cat – that way, you are still giving a cat a new home, and, you won’t have to worry about the furniture.
Scratching depends on the cats. My two scratch up the furniture, but its understandable considering where I have the very large cat tree (its behind the furniture, hard for the cats to reach from the floor).
First off, if you adopt a cat, invest in big, sturdy cat trees and the cardboard horizontal scratchers. Different cats like different materials, so if the cat will use it, it will just depend. Second, is their a room where you can keep kitty in? It just for a little while, partly for her to get used to the house, but also so you can put her away when you can’t watch her roaming around. If you stop her every single time she starts clawing the furniture, then she won’t do it.
Second, before adopting any cat, make sure you and your parents are in this together and that any concerns are expressed, and plans on how to fix it is considered. For example, if your Mom is worried about the furniture, what can you do to help so the furniture isn’t ruined?
I just bought a Molly and Friends cat tree with sisal posts and my cats and two kittens love it. I also have two logs (firewood) in my house, one is upright and the other is lying down. I also took a piece carpet and nailed it to a 11×14 wooden picture frame, then screwed it into my bedroom wall. The top of the frame is about 3 ft off the ground, so the the cats can stretch and scratch their claws. They seem to love that. My cats use all of the scratching tools that I have provided for them and leave my furniture alone. Good luck with your new kitty.