Gamom3 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 How do you keep cats from messing up your furniture? We got a kitten yesterday(not a munchkin)..I will try to post pics tomorrow we still don't have a name! We had a cat a while back and it just didn't work out...it was very mean, but it would claw at our furniture, this is something that is a BIG NO at our house. I don't want to regret getting this one and hope there is a way to not have her claw the furniture. When we had our other cat fixed they clipped her nails and it was like she didn't have any..they were so smooth and they didn't hurt when she attacked..again a very mean cat! I did clip the kitten's nails, but they are still sharp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 training, training, training Watch the kitten constantly & have lots of scratching posts - sisal, carpet, or corrugated cardboard ones. A variety is nice. When the kitten looks like it will scratch in the wrong place, pick it up and carry it to the right place. Scratch at the post yourself with your nails to encourage the kitten to scratch there. You can also use some scented deterrents - they're sold in pet shops & smell nice to us but not to cats & spray that on the furniture. Sticky paws google it) or aluminum foil can also be used to deter cats. Treat you kitten gently & consistently & they'll learn quickly what is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellifera Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Cats need to scratch something. Get your kitten a scratching post. That helps a lot. If you have multiple levels in your house, you'll want one for each level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I agree with the others. If you find training isn't enough, you could consider having it declawed when you have it spayed, but only if it won't ever go outside. ETA: The type of clipper you use will affect how sharp the nails feel afterward. Find out what kind they used on that other cat, and buy some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Thirty years of cat ownership, and never felt the need to have cats declawed. A squirt bottle is my favorite training tool. Also, I discovered that with my current cats, I can fake them out, lol. If I hang a throw or afghan or whatnot over the back of a chair, the cats won't claw the chair, even though the throw is just hanging loosely, KWIM? I can't explain it. Also, I bought some inexpensive fake lambs' wool pads at PetCo or some such place and cut them into smaller pieces; I put them on chairs or on the sofa so when the kitties sleep there, they don't leave hair behind. AND I found out accidentallly that if I put one of the pads on the top of the chair back kitties wouldn't scratch there; I also put a handtowel on the back of my computer chair, and kitty doesn't scratch (one kitty would get on the back and scratch. Dunno why.) Anyway, a squirt bottle, and hissing loudly when you spray, works wonders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritAnnia Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 More advocation of training, constantly being there to stop them and correct them immediately. If you have a safe area for kitty to stay overnight and when you're out of the house it makes things easier too. Kitty claws are very sharp because they're so fine. I use regular fingernail clippers when my kitties claws are fine like that. Clip them often, at least once a week to keep them manageable and get the kitten used to having things like this done. I look forward to seeing pictures! You can also post them in an album on the Vet group. :) HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Agreeing w/ everyone else - consistent training, lots of acceptable scratching options and toys for when they're little (my cat is almost 13 now and doesn't really care about toys anymore). Squirt bottles work well to stop them if they start to scratch on something they shouldn't, and lots of praise when they scratch on what they're supposed to (you may even have to mimic scratching on the posts at first to get them interested). I've had several cats and never had a problem with them scratching on the furniture past a possible first attempt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Clip wkly., and scratching post, most important. We did not get one and kitty thinks brand new berber is scratching post, at least its not the leather furn. She is getting scratch post for Christmas. Will keep you posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Clip wkly., and scratching post, most important. We did not get one and kitty thinks brand new berber is scratching post, at least its not the leather furn. She is getting scratch post for Christmas. Will keep you posted. Do you have any berber scraps left? We actually make our own posts out of leftover carpet and the cardboard rolls from newsprint (or you can even wrap it around a piece of 2X4 if you don't have anything else). My cats have always preferred berber to other types of carpet and so we kept several extra pieces from when we had new carpet put in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 We do water spray bottles here too. Have them all over the house, so when the cats get into trouble we just spray them. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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