My cat cuts my furniture to shreds. I need advice on how to fix this.?

Scratching objects to mark them is a normal cat behavior. This behavior appears to help in claw sharpening and to provide some stretching exercise for the cat. Outside cats tend to scratch wood objects. Some cats prefer a vertical surface and some a horizontal surface. Noticing which your cat prefers can help in dealing with problem scratching. Cats are also picky about the texture of the objects they scratch. Some become very fixated with one particular type of fabric and will not scratch any other surface texture. This can also be important in retraining them. Cats like to pick a prominent spot for their scratching, since they are partially doing this to announce their presence to the world. Putting their scratching post away in the corner of a seldom used room may not fulfill that need. It does no good to try to keep a cat from scratching furniture if an acceptable substitute is not provided. Most cats prefer a longitudinal texture (like the stands on a sisal scratching post which run in one direction, mostly). The scratching post should be at least 1 foot tall ,or long, depending on its orientation. Many cats like a bare, soft wood as a scratching post if fabric ones are not attractive to them. The sturdier the construction, the more likely it is that the cat will like to use the scratching post. If it can be placed in a prominent site that helps a lot, too. If the middle of the living room is not acceptable, putting the scratching post in a prominent site in another room might work ---- but away in the basement probably won't. Paying attention to providing an adequate site for your cat to scratch helps a great deal. When they still won't cooperate and leave your favorite furniture alone, it is necessary to discourage the behavior.

If possible, it is best to remove the object the cat likes to scratch while attempting to change the behavior. If removing the object is not possible, it can be helpful to cover it with plastic, which most cats avoid. Consistently punishing the cat whenever it is seen scratching can be helpful. Spray from a squirt gun is a good deterrent for most cats. Then take the cat to the scratching post and even run its feet up and down the post in a scratching motion (gently!). When you leave the house, make sure the cat is not allowed access to the room with an object it likes to scratch, if possible. Most cats will learn to use a scratching post if you are persistent in attempts to alter the behavior.

Alternatives are clipping the claws regularly so they are too dull to cause much damage and using Soft-Paws or beads glued to the claws to prevent damage from them.

Being a Cat furniture manufacturer and a cat owner, I hear all the time about how cats scratch peoples furniture and the question what to do to stop it.

They go to the store and buy this sticky tape so they don't scratch their favorite furniture, and I am not saying it doesn't work well but your cat will move on to the next best thing to scratch, which might be walls or other pieces of furniture you may have in the house.

The perfect thing to do is this buy yourself a scratching post with sisal rope and the sticky tape made especially for cats and then go home put the sticky tape on the cats favorite place to scratch that you don't want them to scratch and then put the scratching post you just bought hopefully directly from the manufacturer, like Bella Pet Design, which has Made in America only products, and put it in front of you cat or cats. If at first they don't seem interested, which can happen... so many cats, so many personalities...., then take your cats paws gently and scratch the sisal rope post like the cat would do it on their own. They will then figure it out for themselves that " Hmmmm, that is a nice place to scratch, especially because they put that ugly sticky tape on my favorite thing to scratch".

If you your cat will not scratch the post still, then your cat(s) must not have claws :). I know I have had cats all my life and never did this fail, even when the sticky tape didn't exist, the sisal rope scratching post was always the best thing.

If you have multiple cats or just one cat that favors certain things to scratch visit us at www.bellapetdesign.com and tell us what we can do for your cat. If we don't have it, we build it for you.

While you are visiting us online at www.bellapetdesign.com please contact us to tell your stories, ideas, comments on our products and questions you might have.

We look forward to hear from you!

Sincerely,

Maggie

Bella Pet Design

www.bellapetdesign.com

contactus@bellapetdesign.com

Phone: (312) 224-1742

Honestly, don't declaw your cat. It's cruel, inhumane...I won't even go on, loads of other people have already explained what declawing is. If you honestly think that it's a reasonable choice though, you don't deserve to have that cat, because you're not addressing the root of the behaviour.

My kitten is bad at this too- we got her a scratching post with a bouncy ball attached, and she used it once on her own, I showed her how to at least 15 times, she didn't take to it. So I watched what she did scratch on (on purpose scratching, not "I need to grip so claws automatically come out" scratching). The leather sofa my husband is so concerned about? Accidental- it's slippery to her and she's trying to grip. It also makes funny sounds when the leather rubs together, and she wants to dig and find out what made the sound. She was purposely scratching on our solid wood dining chairs, cardboard anything, and our willow baskets. So she now has 3 cardboard boxes scattered around the house, a horizontal willow-type material mat, and her scratching post in our room too. We haven't had any problems since- I just have to watch her when she's hyper and in the lounge around the sofa. We're seeing the vet next monday for second round vaccinations, microchipping, and nail trimming too, which should help with the sofa immensely!

I don't want to you to feel like you're forced into anything, but there are so many humane alternatives out there if you can't find the cause of the behaviour that declawing isn't really a reasonable option. Even spraying her with a bit of water is better than that, and I'm pretty set against the water idea too for most things.

Soft Claws work when used correctly. One alternative is double sided sticky tape. They sell it in wide strips at many pet stores. You simply stick it on the furniture where kitty likes to scratch. Expose the other sticky side. Kitty will hate the sticky texture and not scratch there. Another alternative is a spray repellant. You spray it on the furniture where kitty scratches and she'll be repelled by the odor. Or simply get a squirt gun, or spray bottle that has a stream setting. Whenever kitty starts to scratch, give her a good squirt, with a loud, "NO!"

Many cats have distinct preferences for scratching posts. You may have to try different types, or just get a natural section of log, preferably with bark attached. This is the most natural scratching post there is, and most cats love it. To train a cat to a scratching post, whenever she starts to scratch, pick her up (gently!) and take her to her post. Gently take her front claws in your hands and rake them on the post. That tells her this is where she is supposed to do that. If she is still reluctant, sprinkle a little bit of catnip on the post, that should get her attention. Not all cats are affected by catnip, but most are.

There is a solution, but it takes some time and effort on your part. If you think it is easier to maim your cat than to change her behavior, then maybe you should re-think cat ownership. De-clawing is maiming, and animal cruelty. Most civilized countries have out-lawed this practice. The majority of vets in the US will no longer perform it. Just put forth the effort to train your cat, or re-home her with someone who will.

Did you know that declawing a cat means amputating the tips of its toes? There are other options but it all depends on you being patient and taking the time to implement those options. Ther e are water guns which I have personally used and succeeded. There is a two sided sticky paper (like contact) that you can apply to the furniture in the areas that the cat is scratching. You can also cover the area with aluminum foil. Cats really hate that one. In some places in Calif. it is illegal to declaw an animal.

The claw covers? Do you put them on correctly? Did you replace them once they fell off? They should work. Also, have you tried different textures of scratching posts? Carpet, cardboard, sisle, and even fabric similar to most furnitures' fabrics...all available for scratching posts/pads. Try trimming your cat's nails more often. Don't cause pain for your cat just because you haven't tried everything.

There are also sprays that will prevent the cat from going in the area.

There are catnip sprays to attract them to the scratching posts.

There are pheromone plug-ins and sprays to calm them (sometimes works with marking and scratching).

It is completely unnecessary to declaw with everything else available these days.

go to to your vet and see what they have to say about de-clawing.

I have to cats one is 11 the other is 1 the 11 year old we got de-clawed a few years ago because she wouldn't stop clawing at our furniture. I think de-clawing should only happen if you have no other alternatives.

Anybody considering declawing there cat should read these websites. To see what declawing really is. It’s not just a simple surgery of removing the claw. It’s an amputation of 10 digits.

Please at least consider other option before declawing.

Most of the problems with declawing has nothing to do with the actual surgery. Declawing is the worst thing you could ever do for your cat. Most cats that do have problems are not visible. Most of it has to do with their back muscles. Cats need their claws in order to stretch properly. That would be like a human not being able to stretch when they wake up it the morning. Imagine how stiff you would be? So that results in back problem their whole life. And because cats are VERY good at hiding pain/sickness you can't really tell.

Also you should know that when a veterinarian declaws a cat without trying everything else possible they are breaking the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) guidelines: Declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing presents a zoonotic risk for its owner(s).

Here are a few items you can use to stop a cat from scratching:

A bottle/can with something noisy in it

Aluminum foil

Anything citrus smelling (spray/rub in on whatever they’re starching)

Can of air (spray)

Double sided tape

Scratching post

Softpaws

Spray that stops them (there all different kinds)

Trim their nails back once a week

Water bottle spray

Also if you have a scratching post & your cat is not using it you can get some catnip & rub it on there or they sell catnip spray. Also it might not be big enough. A scratching post needs to be as tall as that cat (about 32”).

Also people think it’s ok if they get it done laser. NOT TRUE. Watch this video. It’s long, but worth it. The part about laser is 10:44 into the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaEx-qe2wBw

All of the stuff below is from research & the websites listed below. Not written by me.

The cat's claw is not a nail as is a human fingernail, it is part of the last bone (distal phalanx) in the cat's toe.

Many vets & clinic staff deliberately misinform and mislead clients into believing that declawing removes only the claws.

Many cats also suffer a loss of balance because they can no longer achieve a secure foothold on their amputated stumps.

Among 218 cats relinquished to a shelter, more (52.4%) declawed cats than non-declawed cats (29.1%) were reported by owners to have inappropriate elimination problems.

Psychological & Behavioral Complications:

Cats who were lively & friendly have become withdrawn & introverted after being declawed.

In some cases, when declawed cats use the litterbox after surgery, their feet are so tender they associate their new pain with the box...permanently, resulting in a life-long adversion to using the litter box.

Other declawed cats that can no longer mark with their claws, they mark with urine.

Many declawed cats become so traumatized by this painful mutilation that they end up spending their maladjusted lives perched on top of doors & refrigerators, out of reach of real & imaginary predators against whom they no longer have any adequate defense.

Removing the claws makes a cat feel defenseless. The constant state of stress caused by a feeling of defenselessness may make some declawed cats more prone to disease. Stress leads to a myriad of physical & psychological disorders including supression of the immune system, cystitis & irritable bowel syndrome

Unlike routine recoveries, including recovery from neutering surgeries, which are fairly peaceful, declawing surgery results in cats bouncing off the walls of the recovery cage because of excruciating pain.

Some veterinarians are now promoting laser declawing as a "guilt-free" procedure. While laser declawing can reduce the bleeding & perhaps diminish, to some extent, the agonizing pain, the procedure is the no different, only the means of amputation.

The Cat’s Claws:

Unlike most mammals who walk on the soles of the paws or feet, cats are digitigrade, which means they walk on their toes. Their back, shoulder, paw & leg joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments & nerves are naturally designed to support and distribute the cat's weight across its toes as it walks, runs & climbs. A cat's claws are used for balance, for exercising, & for stretching the muscles in their legs, back, shoulders, & paws. They stretch these muscles by digging their claws into a surface & pulling back against their own clawhold-similar to isometric exercising for humans. This is the only way a cat can exercise, stretch & tone the muscles of its back & shoulders. The toes help the foot meet the ground at a precise angle to keep the leg, shoulder & back muscles & joints in proper alignment. Removal of the last digits of the toes drastically alters the conformation of their feet & causes the feet to meet

Teach him/her not to claw the furniture instead of removing the fingers - which declawing is. It leaves them defenseless.

Just get a spray bottle of water and spray him as you say no firmly. Then show the scratching post. He'll learn.

All of my cats over the years have been taught not to claw furniture. None have been declawed.

Theres this sticky stuffs you can put over the most appealing vertical surfaces of your upholstered furniture, where the cat is most likely to scratch it will give them a sensation they dont like and they will not scratch there again

Dont declaw your pet it will cause them a lot of stress and hold them back in life. My cat is declawed and he has anxiety.