Help! Cat scratching door posts!

[ladyariel]

I have a 5 year old male tabby named Castiel. My boyfriend and I lived with roommates for a while and during that time Cas lived with my mom. During the two years with my mom, he started scratching the door frames of the home and my mom let it persist. She owns her home, so she could easily replace it. Now that my boyfriend and I have our own apartment, I took Cas back and he loves it at the apartment! He's so happy and playful. But he's scratching the door posts and since we're renting, we can't let this continue.

I have tried buying a scratching post for the floor and one that hangs on the doorknob. I sprinkle catnip on them and entice Cas with treats to try and get near the posts, but he has no interest in them. When I take his paws and try to make him scratch the posts, he runs away and hides from me. I'm at a loss of what to do. I love my Cas and I want him to live with us and not my mom. But I can't afford the damages towards the apartment. My boyfriend suggested declawing Cas...but I'm so scared it will traumatize him and make him act out.

Cas is neutered, was never a stray, and is an indoor cat only. I hope all of these details help.

 

[meow604]

Please don't ever declaw your cat! No matter what, it will CERTAINLY traumatize him to say the least! It's not a simple matter of removing the claw... its an amputation. If someone amputated each of your fingers and toes, I bet you would be traumatized as well!

Please read this for more info: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/why-cats-should-not-be-declawed

If you would like more articles we could link you tons of info on why declawing is the worst solution.

It is great you are providing a scratch post! One thing you can do, is start to make the door frames less attractive to him. Double sided tape is great. Run some along the door frame, and once your cat touches, they don't like the feel of the stickyness, it might deter him.

Or putting tin foil. They don't like it either...    .... hey I never said your home will look beautiful during this learning period

Don't punish your cat, for doing anything wrong, they don't understand negative punishment. But positive reinforcement is great.  The kitty treats and praise when he does use the scratching post is great. It might start off small... praise and pet him when he even goes near it, then when he smells it, then uses it.

I really hope you can find a solution soon that works for you!

 

[talkingpeanut]

Definitely DO NOT declaw. You would be mutilating your cat. There are long term, painful consequences for his health, and often behavioral issues down the line.

Add tons more scratching posts and try some of the tips above. You can also try soft paws, which are nail tips you glue on top of your cat's nails so they can't scratch as much.

 

[catpack]

What type of scratching post have you bought? This one is my (and my cats') favorite!
https://www.chewy.com/smartcat-ultimate-scratching-post/dp/49134

It may be that he likes the wood texture better. There are scratching posts that incorporate different textures, so this might be a good option as well.

Most importantly is that the post is sturdy and doesn't wobble while he scratches. It also needs to be tall enough for him (measure according to where is his scratching on the door frame.)

As M meow604 suggested, making the door frames less appealing can help to, but he must have suitable alternatives too.
Tin foil wrapped around the corners might work as well.

I also found this:
http://www.wayfair.com/Go-Pet-Club-...156244007596&gclid=COmCyPrzys0CFdgKgQodLEkCWw

but there are other options and ideas if you search "corner wall cat scratcher" on Google.

 

[ladyariel]

M meow604 talkingpeanut catpack

I don't want to declaw Cas! I tried explaining how traumatizing it is to cats to my boyfriend, but he said it's akin to getting Cas neutered. So I'm trying every alternative. I told him that if Cas doesn't stop scratching then my mom is happy to take him back. I would rather him live teams free with my mom than traumatized here.

I have two scratching posts. They're both a thick cardboard type texture. One is hanging on the doorknob since he likes to stretch up and scratch around the door, and the other is long and lies on the floor so he won't scratch the carpet.

I have taped the doorways and my boyfriend said he didn't scratch all night, so it's definitely deterring him! I really like the linked scratching posts, and I agree that he might like wooden textures more.

Thank you everyone for your input!!

 

[talkingpeanut]

Please have your boyfriend do some reading. It is nothing like neutering, as you know!

 

[foxxycat]

I have found home made scratching posts at thrift stores-you can always nail a board with a texture that he likes on one side of the post-my cats love sisal rope type scratching posts. The cardboard may not have the texture he likes. I agree with the rest-do NOT declaw. Its not the norm anymore.

tell the boyfriend that we will chop off his fingers at the knuckles-I am sure once he hears this he will realize that declaw is inhuman. Besides they need their claws to defend themselves. I would NEVER declaw.

In my house we own about 6 dif cat trees/scratchers-they use ALL of them. check out amazon-get it shipped to your door and may have to bolt the bottom board onto the post itself but with an adjustable wrench and pump pliers you will have no problem putting it together.  

 

[Norachan]

Two other things you could try.

You can get thick plastic tape to cover door frames and walls where cats like to scratch. It sticks to wall paper or paint work, can be removed without causing any damage and protects the walls and wood work from the cat. Actually it's too smooth for them to enjoy scratching so they are more likely to look for another place to scratch. (Hopefully their scratching posts) It's sold in hardware stores over here.

You can get a spray that deters scratching.


You can also make your own spray with citrus oil, cats don't like the smell of citrus and won't scratch where they can smell it.