Magpie0001

Maybe this thread should be in How-To??
Every time I come home my cat does a little stretchy thig on the couch. She digs her claws into the arm of the couch & tears It up a little. Its begining to get all ripped to pieces & no matter how much I try to stop her she wont. Besides buying something for her to tear up what can I do?

WhoaitsZ

if you're not willing to buy a cheap scratch post, you either

1) declaw it (painfull to the cat, but acceptable)
2) get rid of the cat
3) get over it.

buy it a scratching post.

Fob_Magi

they have pepper based products you can apply to door frames and wood furnitures that irritate their claw-sheaths I believe. but I think theyre also irritant to human eyes and skin, so u cant use it where u might be laying your head.

Some people swear by the spray bottle punishment method.. but as moody as cats are it might just make them pissed off and destroy more stuff...

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mxyzptlk

4) move the chair such that the shreds are not visible to anyone. I know it sounds annoying, but I've found that once your cat has adopted your furniture for scratching, it is hard to get them to accept a mere scratching post. Admittedly, I have crazy cats: Osama and Cleopatra. The recently departed Zyzzybalubah was just as bad.

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Dragonlich

Feh... I got my Siren a nice little scratching post, and she doesn't even look at the damn thing. She *needs* to sharpen her claws on my olde leather chair. In my case, it doesn't really matter, because they chair looks like crap anyway.

Magpie0001

1) I would NEVER declaw my cat, it seems so mean to me.
2) Nope again
3) Well I have till now but its getting outta hand.
Guess Ill have to go get me a scratching post.

WhoaitsZ

I generally despise declawing a cat. However, there are ways now of doing such or you can get these little sheaths that go on the cats paws. it's comfortable, doesn't hurt, ,and protects you stuff.

i'm sorry if i sounded a bit curt. i lost my temper, all apologiez. I just care greatly for animals and what I thought I read was "I'm too cheap to buy a scratching post".

cats always claw and when they snuggle their use their paws in continous sheathing: it feels good to them. it's almost another way of teething.

i'd say get the post and ask the vet about claw sheaths. I know it can be hard, but try to remember that even though they are causing damage, the don't know better.

good luck.

PS: as a rule in the house no cat gets unclawed - except for one who was young enough and was born a Really Bad Kitty. they did the declawing with laser or some such, i'm not sure, but the cat didn't seem phased at all. she never quit playing, she never shied or groanedwhen we changed her gauze. she showed absolutely zero pain.
I personally wouldl oose my whole bedroom instead of causing pain. however, ifi had valubles i'd think of picking a not so destructive pet.. like fish or a lizard.

hrdwareguy

OK, call me evil but don't start bashing me just because I have 2 cats and they don't have any front claws.

They still have the backones and they use them as well. We decided they would be declawed when it got to the point of playing with them and every time you did, they shreded your arm. We weren't willing to have that happen to our son when he was born, so, bye bye front claws. The only thing they can't do now is climb the walls.

My cats are inside cats only and never go outside.

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Cynthetiq

I clip the claws every week for both kitties... the older queen, she's good about bathing herself but the youngster she doesn't clean herself so I bathe her every so often. But the claws... once a week or every other week.

spray bottles work great too... set to stream and keep handy on your side... that way you don't alert them to the fact you are "going to get the bottle"

though... my youngest.. she's really really dumb... i can get her like that over and over... so the claws get done on her all the time.

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Sticky

What is a cat and why would it be in your house?

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Minx

My suggestion would be to get a water bottle & put the setting on "stream" not "spray". Keep it close by and when you catch kitty being bad, do the psssssst thing & blast 'em with the water. They hate that and it doesn't hurt them, just hurts their delicate little feelings (read - pride). It takes only a few times and they get the picture. Did this when I had a house full of kittens and they figured they could destroy all my plants. Took them one day to learn better!

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Magpie0001

I dont wanna be mean, Even If the declawing isnt painfull I dont like the idea. Id be pretty pissed if someone removed my fingernails pain or not.
Spraying sounds ok, I have a keychain thing beside the couch & Ive trained her so that when I rattle it she knows whatever shes doing is bad & she takes off runnin' (aaw, bless) But still every time I come home (she wakes up) she gives the couch a good Ol' scraping.
Thanks for your advice all.

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warrrreagl

Double-sided tape.

Put several pieces of it over the area in question. Cats HATE it, because it sticks to their paws. You'll have to keep replacing the pieces that stick to the kitty, but it won't take long.

Worked like magic for my two little blobs.

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MrFlux

Our cat is a psychotic little sonofabitch, we tried using the spray bottle idea (well it was a water pistol) on him but he just doesn't care about getting sprayed. Her prefers to use arms or wooden furniture for sharpening his claws rather than the scratching post we got him. It's the biting that hurts the most though, it's like someone putting a nail into your hand.

Hopefully he gives it up when he grows up a bit (he's not very old, only a few months)

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lady

Declawing a cat is the equivalent of having the distal bone of your fingers removed... just plain cruel

i clip my cats' claws every week or so. they hate it, but it doesn't hurt them, just a blow to their little kitty pride...

the water bottle works really well. same with flicking their little ears...

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Leander

There are some options here without declawing.
1. There is a product much like double sided tape that will not damage furniture, it called Sticky Paws. Put that where the cat scratches and it will not like it in the least.
2. The sheathes that were referred to earlier a product called Soft Paws. Your vet or a local groomer can put them on. My company does it for $12, but I imagine it varies. They are guarenteed for 6 to 8 weeks but will last as long as 12.
3. The water bottle will work as long as you are there to consistently counter the behaviors that are bothering you. If you aren't there the cat will not get the message as well.
4. As for the scratching post, there are options. There are cardboard ones that go for about $5 and have catnip in them to attract the cat. Mine love this sort of thing and will even just destroy a cardboard box for the hell of it.
Good Luck

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vermin

All three of my cats have been declawed front and back. And the male is neutered (which I tease him about) and one of the females is spayed. They never leave the house and seem like happy healthy little butt-lickers who don't miss their claws.
It's only painful for a couple of days until the paws heal. Then it's a lifetime of being able to pick up the cats without loosing skin.

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Destrox

Easiest solution, buy cat nail clippers...

Its not declawing them, its trimming them just like we trim our nails (at least most people do, some dont realize it looks dirty as hell)

Also you can buy these arm pad covers that apply a small electrical shock to the animal any time thier skin somes in contact with it, a form of pyschological treatment.

Or do as we do, buy "cat condo's" and other minature scratching post, give them other things to scratch on.

JUST NEVER DECLAW THE CAT PLEASE!!!

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Melwas

Nooo...

If the cat didn't put out their claws when they stretch, they'd slip.

Also, when you stretch, it sometimes feels like your finger bones want to escape out the skin?

Easiest solution: Put boots on her
or

Don't let her sleep on the couch

Cats without claws.... that's unnatural :/

splck

My cat's have always listened to my every word. I say "don't scratch" and they stop right away
When you get a scratching post, make sure you play with the cat so it knows that scraching the post is ok. As soon as it starts scratching something it's not supposed too, grab the cat and place it on the cat post and encourage it to scratch. It sounds odd, but it works.
Don't de-claw, that's cruel IMHO.

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