Kitten help

[RadioNate]

We have a kitten who has started to claw everthing in site and won't keep out of my house plants. Any advice on how to stop this behavior. I do NOT want this to become a declawing debate and I will ask that the thread be closed if it turns into one.

She has pleanty of 'safe' scraching places including an upright sissal scracher, a cardboard floor scracher and a carpet scracher. Even so she's taken a liking to my best furnature. We have a very open floor plan and there isn't a way to lock her out of that room.

We have clipped her claws and considered "soft paws" as she has also scratched our son a few times but the vet said that he hasn't had good luck with them and wouldn't bother. Has anyone used them successfully?

With the house plant issue, I'm worried she'll be in the tree all holiday season.

Any of our cat experts have tried and true advice to stop unwanted scraching? and to keep her out of my 1 remaining houseplant?

 

[Tigger_Magic]

Try using a squirt bottle to spritz her when she tries to claw somewhere she shouldn't. For the tree, we use a floor-to-ceiling anchor pole and tie the tree to that. We put most ornaments up in the tree, leaving the bottom area somewhat bare. It makes less temptation for our cats -- although they still occasionally will jump at the tree.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I haven't used the soft paws, but I know that some DISers have. Might be worth a try. We're going through this with our kittens and my DH says that these 2 kittens are worse than our cats were when they were kittens. I'm not so sure about that, though. Our cats don't scratch at all anymore, so there is hope. Be persistent with the clipping, etc.

I haven't been good about clipping our kitten's claws--did when we first got them, but nowit takes two people to do it so I need to get some help and start doing it again.

Also, they make those adhesive pads to put on the furniture. Something to consider, especially if it's one area the kitten goes to.

How old is she?

 

[poohtown]

soft paws : my cat chewed them off till his paws bleed so they didn't work for me although I've heard other people love them ....i guess it all depends on the cat


scratching: my cat had certain spots he clawed constintently. Finally I got a floor scratching pad (instead of standing) and everyday would put catnip on it. He got so used to going to that spot, he forgot the others.


tree/houseplants: although my cat was always getting into the plants, he never touched the tree. ???? If you have any floor plants that the kitten is digging in, try getting some big stones to cover the dirt.