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Cat scratch furniture fever
- Thread starter Rgarner
- Start date
Evict the cat.
Sure, anything can be reupholstered or repaired; look around in your area for companies who do that.
But I'd rather talk about the cat. Can you tell me a little bit about him? His age when you got him, where you got him (shelter? breeder? stray?), his age now, and anything you know about his past. Who clips his nails? How often? Are there other pets in the house? What kind? What appropriate scratching items does he have?
I'm asking because I believe he can be retrained, but it'll take some effort and patience. Knowing more about him would be helpful.
NO! It's never the pet's fault--it's the owner's.
I've had cats (and dogs) forever. I have beautiful furniture, some of it custom made [read: expensive]. I have four cats, including two ferals, and not a single scratch on any furniture.
It's just a matter of training them.
He's about 6 years old. I met him when he was a feisty little kitten. His owner died a few years ago and guess who adopted him. He's an only cat and you might think that means he's spoiled. Well, the other guy sure didn't spoil him. He mostly didn't pay attention to him except when he wanted to order him around and one time the cops even showed up because somebody called them about "domestic violence". (He was yelling really loudly at the cat, but not physically hurting him.) He was proud of it, too, retelling the story fairly often. The most he actually did to him as far as I know was to spray him with water to get him off the counter, etc. I've probably gone too far the other way. As for a scratching post, he does have one, although he doesn't use it all that much. If I (occasionally) put some catnip on it, he becomes more interested. His claws have probably never been trimmed. I sure wouldn't try it. He hates just being groomed, although I do this sometimes. If I had the money I would give him the total beauty salon treatment, fur, claws, teeth cleaned, everything. He's mostly an ok cat, but sometimes he could drive a person crazy. He has a thing for plastic, loves licking it. I always put a stop to that. At least he gets fed regularly. His previous owner would sometimes go a day or two without feeding him. I give him moist canned food called Abound because it's a good compromise between decent ingredients and affordability. Of course he also loves tuna, sardines, potato chips, tortillas...I keep him away from those but once in a while he grabs some. At least he doesn't avoid me as he used to do. He's still not a lap cat by any means, but he does hang around me when he's hungry, and might even rub my leg.
Thank you for this info. After I'm more fully awake, I'll post with some thoughts and suggestions.
Davdi
Android Expert
You really shoudn't clip cats' claws, they'll only sharpen them when the regrow. Anyway a cat will keep their claws at a reasonable size. Regarding the cat's love of plastic, is the ottoman upholstered in Faux leather (PVC or similar plastic)? If that's the case, recovering it in real leather or suede may make it less attractive to him. And as for training, most cats can be trained with patience. for techniques that mighr help, Google is your friend.
I couldn't disagree more. Their claws definitely SHOULD be clipped, and doing so does NOT make them sharpen when they grow. Trimming them regularly keeps them blunt enough so they can't do much damage to furniture; combining that with appropriate items for their natural urge to scratch, such as scratching poles or pads, will keep furniture in good shape.
Really?! How?
There's no need to do this. Proper care [see above] and training is the solution.
Yay! We agree on something!
Okay, let's get started!
First, based on what you described, this poor cat has been abused.
That alone can cause many behavioral problems, and it's surprising that he doesn't seem to be displaying many of them, other than being standoff-ish, which is to be expected given his history. That he's even rubbing your leg when he's hungry is a big deal; he's rightfully afraid of humans, but with kindness and time, he may very well become a lap cat (been there, done that).Now, regarding his furniture scratching. Cats have an inherent need/desire to scratch. When cats used to live outdoors, they had these great things called trees they'd scratch and, in turn, would keep their claws under control. But now that cats live [and SHOULD only live] indoors, things are different.
Scratching posts and pads are excellent for what they are, but they do nothing to trim their claws (no, not even the expensive ones that claim to do this--been there, done that).
I agree. And this can be dangerous. One of my rescues actually had a nail that had grown so long--and they grow in a downward curve--it grew into what looked like a circle, with its tip embedded in his pad; my vet had to put him under in order to fix it.
Start by just touching him, petting him, reassuring him that you're not an abusive piece of...crap like his previous owner. Keep working at it until touching him becomes normal. Then start handling his paws. Just stroke the fur side at first, then move on to touching the pads.
Combined with all of the above, this should become easier--even enjoyable, ultimately. Keep working at it.
You're mixing up what groomers and veterinarians can do.
Your vet or groomer can clip his nails until you're able to, but ONLY a vet can clean teeth. The cat is put under general anesthesia, with a full team of vet techs monitoring and assisting the vet as s/he does the cleaning. My 14-year-old [and favorite] cat, Joy Noelle, recently had dental surgery, which included a cleaning, and prior to the procedure we had to do lab work to be as sure as possible that she'd be okay while under anesthesia. (She came through with flying colors. 
)Now, at long last!, the furniture scratching problem. Start by spraying Feliway on the items not to be scratched. At the same time put scratching post(s) right against the furniture where he's been scratching. Rub catnip on the posts. If you're allowed to pick him up, take him to one of the newly-placed scratching posts and gently place his front paws on it. If he scratches it, praise him--soothing voice, gentle stroking, reassurance.
Any time you see him about to scratch the furniture, relocate him to a scratching post. You may need to try a variety of scratchers--upright, flat on the floor, those circular ones with a ball in a track around its perimeter, etc.
Everything I've said has worked for me over 40+ years of rescuing pets. Big Brian, my most recent rescue, was a mature, outdoor tomcat when I got him. Because he was neutered when so old, he still had the urge to spray, along with scratching my very expensive, custom-made oversized chair. He did not like having his nails cut AT ALL (and to this day growls when I'm doing it, which is monthly). But I've NEVER needed a vet or groomer to clip any of my pets' nails--and that includes ≈15 Great Danes!
Once your cat is okay with his paws being handled, you can start introducing clippers. Never, ever cut too much, which will cut the ‘quick‘ causing pain and bleeding. It's very easy to know where to stop cutting once you learn; your vet or groomer can show you, or look up pictures online.
If you have any questions, let me know!
He is an indoor cat. I have used a couple of supposed cat deterrents, including Scratch Not, but they seem not to work that well. The other night he did come in and lie on the bed for a while as I was sitting there. He sometimes meows when he wants something, usually food. He also has a tendency to follow me around, again, I guess, mainly out of hunger. As for picking him up, I can do that if I absolutely must, but he really hates that.