Everything Girl

In the life of every indoor cat owner there will come a time when your poor furniture will suffer at the mercy of your felines sharp claws. But don’t panic, there are a few different methods to try breaking your cat from the allure of claw-on-couch syndrome. Any one may work for your cat, or you may have to spend some time searching for just the right method, or mixture of methods.

Obviously the first thing you must do is provide your cat with a scratching post. In my experience, my cats ignore the scratching post and continue right along past it to the couch or chair or carpet or whatever. I take them away from their preferred spot, set them in front of the post, and wait. Typically they give me an annoyed look and turn around and go back to their spot. Even if I put the post in their regular spot, they ignore it. Sometimes I try rubbing their paws on the post in an attempt to show them what they’re supposed to be doing, but they never appreciate that and they look at me like I am crazy. Whenever that happens I turn to one of the following methods to get my point across:

• The dreaded water bottle. This is possibly the best $1 my husband and I ever spent. We got a regular spray bottle from our Dollar General and keep it filled with water so when a naughty cat decides to play at mountain climbing on the back of the sofa, we can just aim and squirt and they take off like we’re firing buckshot. It is effective and highly entertaining. This is my top recommendation for curbing wayward cat scratching.
• The rolled up newspaper. Tried but true. Hardly anyone likes getting whacked on the backside by the news. However, this one requires you to get up and catch your cat’s hindquarters while they are in mid scratch. After the first couple times they will get wise to you and dart away just as you are swinging. My cats have an obnoxious habit of turning it into a game. They wait until I am comfortably settled, go to the chair that is farthest away, and scratch. I have to get the paper, roll it up, and just as I get to them, they run and hide. Some cats may not do that. You may be blessed with a little congenial angel-cat, but in my experience, cats love to be obnoxious, so you can probably count on them doing the scratch and run technique. Also, be warned that some cats can take vengeance to a whole new level. You may encourage some negative behaviors if you decide to go with this route, but it really will depend on the cat.
• Get really tough and ground them. Banish them to the closet or the garage or the bathroom. Someplace they don’t want to go on their own that is away from people and food. Most cats really hate being put somewhere when it is not their idea and they will sit next to the door and wail until they are freed. Note that some cats may take the opportunity to get even by making a mess in whatever room you put them in. Bathroom shelves are a favorite item to upset, in my experience. That’s why I like to use the garage.
• Tinfoil the problem area. Most cats dislike tinfoil and will stay away from it. This is particularly effective when used in conjunction with the water bottle.
• Make double-sided tape your new best friend. My husband and I had a trouble cat we had to break. It seemed like nothing would ever work to get him to stop clawing my favorite chair. We tried water bottles, newspaper spankings, “groundings” to the garage, and yelling (that was mostly me because I was fed up.) He would wait for us to look the other way and then go to town, shredding the upholstery. Finally we tried the double sided tape method. It took less than one week. We’d see him streaking through our bedroom with the tape stuck to his whiskers or paws, panicking because he couldn’t get it off. After that happened a couple times, he never tried clawing our furniture again.
• Trim their claws! They will hate you, but they will do much less damage. You may want to wear battle gear if you attempt this one by yourself. It is probably safer to get your vet to do it or to have your vet show you how to do it.
• Put on the rubber claws. Again, it will be a war to get them on your cat, but once on they will help save your furniture. Also, be care to not leave them on too long. They can become embedded in your cat’s paw, causing much discomfort to the kitty and your pocketbook from vet visits.
• Rub their scratching post with catnip. I have tried this with no success. However I hear that there are some cats out there who prefer this method. It’s something you can try anyway. And the cat(s) will love you for the treat. Mine go crazy for catnip.

You may have noticed that at no time have I offered having your cat declawed as a viable option. That is because declawing your cat is a very traumatic experience for them and can create extremely detrimental behavioral problems and in some cases severe physical trauma, both of which can result in the cat’s death either from complications due to a botched declaw job or the owner’s having the cat put to sleep because of his or her inability to cope with the sometimes violent behavior outbursts that may result. In most of the civilized world it is considered mutilation and is a banned practice. Having worked with felines who suffered from bad declaw jobs and seen the painful outcomes firsthand, I will never recommend to anyone that they have their pet declawed.

If your kitty has trouble adjusting his or her habits to scratching in the appropriate area, just give it time. Cat’s are not fond of change, but if you find the right training method, they will get there.

A.B. Monk is a graduate from the University of Tennessee. She is an avid animal lover and has worked with the University of Tennessee Veterinarian School, the Knoxville Zoological Gardens, and Tiger Haven Big Cat Sanctuary. She is currently working with a nonprofit health care organization to support herself until she has the education and funds to start her own animal sanctuary and green living corporation. You can visit her website at www.spiniffy.com or her pet blog at critter.spiniffy.com. She is a regular columnist here at All Things Girl….

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