Cats and furniture/ Update in first post!

[sleepyone]

How do you keep your cats from destroying your furniture? I'm considering adopting a cat but, don't want it to destroy all my new furniture. So, what has worked for you?

Yesterday, I went and adopted a silver colored tabby named Silver! She gets along very well with my family. When we pick her up she just goes limp in our arms and enjoys all the loving. Today, I went back and adopted her sister too; she's a brown colored tabby named Brownie. Brownie is ours but, she's pregnant and, they won't let me take her home until they have her "fixed". They are 5 months old and so cute! ...of course.

So far, I'm keeping Silver in our "mud room" since she was used to living in such a small space. I have only approved scratching surfaces in the room with her and she is using them. I hope she'll continue once I let her get accustomed to larger rooms. I did find something called Softpaws which I plan on buying once they are in all areas of the house. Wish us luck.

Oh by the way, their names aren't very inventive but, dd8 wanted to keep the names they were "born" with. I was pushing for names like, or , or Disney but, she insisted we keep their names.

 

[mssocks]

What works for me is clipping their nails like you would a dogs, using a water pistol if they try to scratch, provide one of those boxes made on cardboard standing on its side ( hard too explain - but they LOVE it ). The only furniture problem we have is when I want to sit and SOMEONE is already in my seat. They hunker down and stare - daring me to move them!

 

[sleepyone]

What works for me is clipping their nails like you would a dogs, using a water pistol if they try to scratch, provide one of those boxes made on cardboard standing on its side ( hard too explain - but they LOVE it ). The only furniture problem we have is when I want to sit and SOMEONE is already in my seat. They hunker down and stare - daring me to move them!

Do you clip his/her nails or does a groomer? I'd be so afraid of clipping too close.

 

[minniecarousel]

I've placed that clear plastic packing tape to the corners of my couches. Of course, that was after he'd already started scratching. Cats really don't like the feel of that plastic tape - so they don't scratch there. I talk nice to him when he uses his scatching post. And, yes the water gun when he did any bad behavior as a kitten.

 

[sleepyone]

I've placed that clear plastic packing tape to the corners of my couches. Of course, that was after he'd already started scratching. Cats really don't like the feel of that plastic tape - so they don't scratch there. I talk nice to him when he uses his scatching post. And, yes the water gun when he did any bad behavior as a kitten.

How long did you leave up the packing tape? Did the cat start scratching after the tape was removed?

 

[minniecarousel]

The tape is still there - it doesn't look any worse than what he scratched.

 

[EthansMom]

I may get flamed for saying so, but I had my cat declawed on her front claws. She is an indoor-only cat. This has worked well for both of us.

Now, I just have to use a lint roller for the hair and clean off the occasional hairball.

 

[Tina]

Stomping my feet and yelling "No! No! NOOOOO!!!"

Honestly, I used the double-side sticky tape if I notice them working an area. I also clip their nails every 2 to 3 weeks. They have lots of scratchin' stuff around the house. They love the cardboard thingies. aw:

 

[PinkTink63]

I have four indoor cats, 1 male, and 3 female. The females have not done as much damage. I can usually discourage them with the old squirt bottle. However, my male is another story! The trusty old squirt bottle did not phase him. Nor did the orange spray, tape, scratching post, 14' X 7' outdoor inclosure, or any other deterant.
When he ruined an antique sofa, 2 chairs, and he was starting on my kitchen cabinets, that is when I broke down and had his front claws taken out. As much as I have always frowned upon that, I felt I had to. Clipping was not working!
I have had cats all of my life. I love cats! We have always had indoor/outdoor cats until this past year. We had 2 cats killed within 10 mos. and had to put my 16 yr. old cat with kidney disease to sleep within the same year. Tough year and a half! Hence, the indoor only cat rule in our house.
I had his claws laser cut. It was more expensive, but they said it would be less bleeding and quicker healing time. You can only do this if you have an indoor cat. I did feel horrible for a while, but he heeled pretty quickly. He still goes to town on the furniture, but there is no new damage!
I would only do this after trying everything else!
Stephanie

 

[sleepyone]

The tape is still there - it doesn't look any worse than what he scratched.

Heh heh. I understand but, I have very new furniture that I don't want taped. Maybe, I could use those "corners" for childproofing.

 

[sleepyone]

I may get flamed for saying so, but I had my cat declawed on her front claws. She is an indoor-only cat. This has worked well for both of us.

Now, I just have to use a lint roller for the hair and clean off the occasional hairball.

I'm kind of hoping I can adopt a cat that is already de-clawed but, if not that's okay too.

 

[sleepyone]

Stomping my feet and yelling "No! No! NOOOOO!!!"

Honestly, I used the double-side sticky tape if I notice them working an area. I also clip their nails every 2 to 3 weeks. They have lots of scratchin' stuff around the house. They love the cardboard thingies. aw:

How do you encourage they use the appropriate scratchin' stuff instead of the sofa? Do you use catnip or some scent?

 

[sleepyone]

I have four indoor cats, 1 male, and 3 female. The females have not done as much damage. I can usually discourage them with the old squirt bottle. However, my male is another story! The trusty old squirt bottle did not phase him. Nor did the orange spray, tape, scratching post, 14' X 7' outdoor inclosure, or any other deterant.
When he ruined an antique sofa, 2 chairs, and he was starting on my kitchen cabinets, that is when I broke down and had his front claws taken out. As much as I have always frowned upon that, I felt I had to. Clipping was not working!
I have had cats all of my life. I love cats! We have always had indoor/outdoor cats until this past year. We had 2 cats killed within 10 mos. and had to put my 16 yr. old cat with kidney disease to sleep within the same year. Tough year and a half! Hence, the indoor only cat rule in our house.
I had his claws laser cut. It was more expensive, but they said it would be less bleeding and quicker healing time. You can only do this if you have an indoor cat. I did feel horrible for a while, but he heeled pretty quickly. He still goes to town on the furniture, but there is no new damage!
I would only do this after trying everything else!
Stephanie

Our cat will have to be an indoor cat because, I don't want her in the neighbors' plants, on cars, jumping the fence, etc. I feel our home is large enough for it and, I don't want it getting run over or something horrible like that.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We've always had indoor cats, even when we were in little apartments. When we first got cats we lived in married student housing and were not supposed to have pets, so we kept them inside. I realized how much nicer that was (had indoor/outdoor cats growing up) and have made the decision to always have indoor cats.

Anyway, to answer your question, we have lots of scratching posts. Some of our cats like the sisel rope and others like the natural bark, so the posts are all one or the other. I don't use carpeting for the posts because I don't want them to think it's ok to scratch on carpeting. They also like the cardboard scratchers.

When our cats were kittens I trimmed their nails. I don't any more and they only scratch the scratching posts. We also have 2 kittens and I clip their nails. I only clip the curved tips so I won't cut too far. I take them off the couch when they start to scratch there, but they have really caught on to the scratching posts idea and don't usually scratch other places. So far I haven't had to resort to the water bottle for that. I do when they jump on the table and try to eat our breakfast, though.

I'm going to be buying another scartching post and am looking at one of these: http://polkatproducts.com/_wsn/page8.html I'm probably going to get the P1LT. We also have one like this through DrsFosterSmith.com: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=2959&N=2002+113198 Ours has 2 sisel posts and 2 natural wood posts and is a nice scratching post.

Also, I would encourage you to get 2 cats. They will keep each other company and play with each other. They will possibly entertain each other somewhat and be less likely to get bored and scratch where they shouldn't scratch.

And you can request a preference for cats that are already declawed.

 

[mommaU4]

Wish I had more advice to give. We have 2 cats that we got back in July and boy do they love to scratch. So much so that I thought of getting them de-clawed. But then decided against it due to some posts I read here.

Alot of people have recommended a product called Soft Paws. You might want to look into that. I'm going to. Good luck!!

 

[sleepyone]

We've always had indoor cats, even when we were in little apartments. When we first got cats we lived in married student housing and were not supposed to have pets, so we kept them inside. I realized how much nicer that was (had indoor/outdoor cats growing up) and have made the decision to always have indoor cats.

Anyway, to answer your question, we have lots of scratching posts. Some of our cats like the sisel rope and others like the natural bark, so the posts are all one or the other. I don't use carpeting for the posts because I don't want them to think it's ok to scratch on carpeting. They also like the cardboard scratchers.

When our cats were kittens I trimmed their nails. I don't any more and they only scratch the scratching posts. We also have 2 kittens and I clip their nails. I only clip the curved tips so I won't cut too far. I take them off the couch when they start to scratch there, but they have really caught on to the scratching posts idea and don't usually scratch other places. So far I haven't had to resort to the water bottle for that. I do when they jump on the table and try to eat our breakfast, though.

I'm going to be buying another scartching post and am looking at one of these: http://polkatproducts.com/_wsn/page8.html I'm probably going to get the P1LT. We also have one like this through DrsFosterSmith.com: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=2959&N=2002+113198 Ours has 2 sisel posts and 2 natural wood posts and is a nice scratching post.

Also, I would encourage you to get 2 cats. They will keep each other company and play with each other. They will possibly entertain each other somewhat and be less likely to get bored and scratch where they shouldn't scratch.

And you can request a preference for cats that are already declawed.

Shhhhh! Don't tell dh but, I have already thought of getting two. I saw them in the same "cage" and they were sleeping on top of each other....so cute. I'd hate to separate them. Dh will probably come home to an extra surprise.

How do you deal with the litter box? I guess since they are both using the same one currently, there shouldn't be a problem right?

 

[Tina]

How do you encourage they use the appropriate scratchin' stuff instead of the sofa? Do you use catnip or some scent?

Since cats love to scratch, they pretty much will start using the scratching posts on their own. If you find they have an interest in your furniture, move the post in front of the furniture. I think there are catnip sprays you can buy too if you need the extra help. As for the carboard thingies, one of my cats has been using the same one since 1995!!! He still uses it everyday as part of his morning routine! I can't believe he hasn't torn it apart, but its still hanging in there. Its the kind that's like a bunch of corrugated carboards strips in a long, shallow box and the box lays flat on the floor. Every morning he goes over and grabs it to strech and gives it a couple of good clawings. We also have a 6 foot climber with different ledges, a little house, and a sisal rope section. They love that rope.

 

[Tina]

How do you deal with the litter box? I guess since they are both using the same one currently, there shouldn't be a problem right?

One box is ok to start out with kittens, but soon you'll need to have at least two boxes. Get 3 if you have a large house. As my 2 cats have gotten older, I've found that the 3rd box helps ALOT. My boys are old and shouldn't have to keep climbing the stairs to go potty all the time. Also, my oldest is starting to show signs of kidney problems (he's 15) and he pees a LOT!!! I also find that the more boxes you have, the less smelly they seem to be and easier to keep clean.

 

[sleepyone]

One box is ok to start out with kittens, but soon you'll need to have at least two boxes. Get 3 if you have a large house. As my 2 cats have gotten older, I've found that the 3rd box helps ALOT. My boys are old and shouldn't have to keep climbing the stairs to go potty all the time. Also, my oldest is starting to show signs of kidney problems (he's 15) and he pees a LOT!!! I also find that the more boxes you have, the less smelly they seem to be and easier to keep clean.

Thanks for all the advice! I really appreciate it and, want to have my home ready.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Shhhhh! Don't tell dh but, I have already thought of getting two. I saw them in the same "cage" and they were sleeping on top of each other....so cute. I'd hate to separate them. Dh will probably come home to an extra surprise.

How do you deal with the litter box? I guess since they are both using the same one currently, there shouldn't be a problem right?

hehehe about getting 2... We've had our two cats for over 5 years and I really wanted another kitten when my DD went to college (I joke that I needed to replace her, but in reality I was waiting until she left and I'd be responsible for the litterboxes). It took me a long time to convince my DH--several weeks of really trying and a couple months before that of dropping subtle hints. I really wanted 2 kittens, but wasn't about to try and talk him into that. So finally he agreed to one and when we stopped at Petsmart and saw all the half grown kittens I knew we'd bring one home. Within a couple minutes of looking around he stated, "how are we ever going to decide on just 2?". Two? He actually tried to talk me into three and I never ever imagined that I'd tell him no to a cat.

As far as the litterboxes, it depends on you and your house. If you have room for 2 some people would say that is ideal, however 1 is probably fine, especially if they are used to sharing and you make sure you sift it out a couple times a day. We only have 2 litterboxes for our 4 cats, but it gets sifted out every morning and every evening and sometimes in the middle of the day if they do a job in there.

We used to have 3 cats and only one litterbox simply because we didn't have the room for another one. Of course it got sifted often.