Help with ideas to stop my cat from tearing up the screens!?

You may have to get something that deters her when you're not around. Some cats will catch on that you're the one doing the spraying, so if you're not around, they know they're safe. Still others are just plain stubborn and it doesn't matter HOW much water you spray 'em with.

First, keep her nails trimmed.

Double sided tape is one idea, but I'm not sure you want it on your screen....and what if she starts back up again right after you remove the tape? It's worth a shot though if you're willing to try it.

Here are a couple other options;

The Tattle Tale Alarm;

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display...

SSSCat Spray;

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display...

No Scratch spray;

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display...

(not really sure how this would work on a screen, though).

Here's some Sticky Paws....it says it's ideal for screens;

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display...

And you're a wonderful person for not wanting to declaw her!

Don't use aluminum foil! Some cats like to eat it.

Good luck!

Get aluminum or steel screens.

Most screens these days are made of nylon or other synthetic materials and they don't hold up well to being climbed and hung on by cats. Metal screens will hold up and kitty can climb and hang to her heart's content.

Having your screens replaced may cost more than it's worth if you understand what a simple job it is. Unless you have those old wooden frames that require a carpenter's skills to disassemble, it's cheap and easy to do it yourself.

Metal frames have a groove around the edges that the screen material is pushed into, secured in place with a length of round rubber strip, and then the excess cut off with a razor blade or a box cutter. You can buy the screen material at a hardware store, a "screen tool" to push the screen and the rubber strip into the slots in the frame should cost just a few dollars, and you can re-use the rubber strip that you already have. You should be able to re-screen a screen door and a couple of kitty's favorite windows for ten or fifteen bucks total and maybe half an hour of your time - a small investment to save your screens and keep kitty happy.

If you're not the do-it-yourself type and have a few extra bucks to spend, just bring your screens to the hardware store and have them do the job for you.

All the cat wants to do is look out. So this is easy, just put a chair or a couple big boxes by the door so the cat can lay and just watch outside, it is that simple, my cats love that, especially when a breeze comes in on them. Don't spay them with water, it will make giving a bath a very unpleasant thing, and the perrper, never do this, this is creul, pepper gets in the paws and it burns and then theu lick it and even though it is not so hot to us, it burns the cat, like haberneros. So never do it as a dererent nor anything else. Kitty's like the outdoors too, even thought we cannot let them out on their own. So chairs and boxes work fine by the door, so they won't have to jump up to hold themselves up or touch that screen. Sometimes they will if they are trying to get a leaf or bug, but they grow out of this. Screens are cheap anyway can replace it next year.

Thank you for not considering declawing.

Is it plausible to _temporarily_ (especially now that it's cooler and the doors stay closed) cover the screens with aluminum foil? I have read that cats hat the way it feels on their paws, and if it stays a week or two, if you can stand it, it should teach the cat that that place is not for jumping on. Clipping nails may also work... Softpaws... I think they can still catch on the screen material, but it may be worth a try. (Softpaws are the vinyl coverings that wardsha (the answer above) writes about - in her experience it helped, so...)

Good luck!

Try putting two sided tape on your screen door. Cats don't like anything sticky on their paws. So they may get they idea the screen door is not a good place to scratch. Also get a cardboard scratching box. Cats love it! It is made of cardboard and it is low to the ground. Hope that helps.

cutting the nails might help but it didn't for me.

There are these things you can buy from the vet that glue on there nails. Try them out. It works for my house. I use to have to leave my windows all shut because they would rip them open. They can't scratch the windows anymore. (still use a spray bottle at times.)....and it is a alot better then amputating there little toes.

Try putting on double-sided sticky clear tape. Cats do not like sticky surfaces and will stop clawing there. They will stop. After a while, they will learn and hopefully not go back to that same spot. After they learn not to scratch there, take tape off. If cat starts scratching again, put it back on. It is clear and transparent and can be found at office supply stores. Works even better on furniture, as you really can't see it.

Try soft paws for cats. See the link below.

trim her nails back to as short as you can get with out clipping the quick.

does she have a scratch pad, and cat nip on it to help