Kitten won't use scratcher

[longhornmom]

Hi! I have a rescue kitten who is almost 4 months old. We've trimmed his claws and put soft paws on him (though half fell off and we haven't replaced due to his ringworm, but that another story!). However, he will not use a scratcher. He tends to scratch on whatever is in front of him where he is whether it's carpet, furniture, or my jeans. He's ruined a good three pairs of jeans already. I have tried to go put him on the cardboard scratcher if he's scratching, laced it with catnip and tried playing with toys on it. He's not interested. Help! I don't want to drop a lot of $ on more scratchers that he won't use (I'm already in for quite a bit with the ringworm costs). Any suggestions? I don't want to declaw him, so I'm hoping for a way to help him learn. Thanks!

 

[starrbaby235]

Hello! 

I had a very similar story. I rescued my cat at 3 months and she was uninterested in scratchers, cat beds, etc. Noticed she hated cold floors so I got a flat scratcher with that wiry straw like material for 1$ at the dollar store and put it in the middle kitchen. She'd find it and sit on it no matter where I moved it. I'd slide her paws across it. She eventually got the hang of it then got bored.

Shredded through many cardboard ones and kept destroying the carpet so I bought a 7 ft carpeted cat tree. It has 9 tall scratch posts... she could care less. Rescued a friends male cat and suddenly the tree was her territory.

Moved into a one bedroom apartment and taped all corners of my new couch and put a variety of scratch pads, etc around it to deter their motive. Kept sliding her  paws down the posts of the tree. Finally at 5yrs old she uses the tree's posts daily in competition with the male cat using it.  >.<

So.... get another cat? Lol!

P.S. I've never tried those nail caps, always just kept their nails clipped. Do they all usually pop off so easily?

 

[longhornmom]

Ha, thanks.  Part of me thinks that cats are just cats and you can't make them do anything they don't want to do!

As for the soft paws, this was my first time using them.  This was my first try.  They all went on okay, and then about half were off within about three days. Don't know if it was user error or kitty pulling at them? When they were on it was fantastic though because not only was he not scratching furniture, he wasn't using me as a human tree (which is cute but mildy painful!)

 

[plan]

I think it's pretty normal for kittens not to "get" what scratchers are for at first.

Mine didn't...I would pick him up, put him down in front of the scratcher, and then "scratch" it with my hands...he looked at me like I was insane. Then I tried gently taking his paws and putting them up against the scratcher, which didn't work either.

But eventually he caught on, and now he uses it all the time. Please please please don't declaw your cat! It takes a little time to sort out these issues, but that's nothing compared to the lifetime of pain that comes from declawing your little friend. (And cats become biters when they're declawed.) I promise you that with some patience and work, you can sort the scratching out.

Anyway, this is the scratcher I have. It's big enough that cats can stretch themselves, and the base is wide so that it doesn't feel wobbly. My cat also likes to sit on the top and use it as a perch for looking out the window.

Ultimate_Post_wCat._V402326037_.jpg

• plan
• Jan 22, 2016

 

[Columbine]

Remember that scratching serves a number of purposes, an important one being scent marking territory. For scratch post training to be successful the scratchers have to be in the socially significant areas of the house (ie where you spend most of your time). To start with, I would have a scratcher right next to the furniture he scratches the most. Once he's got the idea, you can move it a little if necessary.

Softpaws can be a great option while scratch post training as they prevent damage being done without causing harm. Keeping claws trimmed can drastically reduce damage too.

Stick with it - he WILL learn. It just may not be overnight [article="0"][/article][article="22411"][/article][article="29669"][/article][article="32493"][/article][article="32827"][/article][article="29667"][/article][article="22386"][/article][article="29668"][/article][article="29678"][/article] By the way, you can NEVER have too many scratchers :bigwink: :lol3:

 

[Miriette]

Personal experience story time!
My cat Luke used his vertical cardboard scratcher maybe twice during the first week I had him, and then proceeded to scratch the carpet all over the house every time and ignore the scratcher entirely. I eventually put a bunch of cardboard refills in all the spots he liked to scratch. It took a few days, but he eventually started to use them and now rarely scratches anything else at all. Turned out all he wanted was something horizontal to scratch. 

Try covering the spots on the carpet he scratches most often with cheap scratch mats or cardboard refills, and I mean completely lose your mind and toss those suckers everywhere if possible. It sounds like the little guy might be a horizontal scratcher, and if that's the case he might completely refuse any vertical scratching posts you try to give him. That was the case with Luke. I spent months trying to get him to use the vertical post when he was totally satisfied using cheap cardboard I tossed on the floor. It might take a little bit of time and you might have to show him how to use them, but hopefully he'll eventually get it!

 

[Columbine]

It sounds like the little guy might be a horizontal scratcher, and if that's the case he might completely refuse any vertical scratching posts you try to give him.

Given that this guy is scratching jeans and furniture as well as the carpet, it sounds to me like he enjoys both horizontal and vertical scratching. A cat tree is always a good move imo - even if he doesn't use it a lot for scratching, it could well become a favourite hangout spot. My two enjoy playing and sleeping in/on their trees just as much as they enjoy scratching them

Great story with some good tips though :bigthumb:

 

[longhornmom]

Thank you! I only have one scratcher, so I guess I will go get some more.

I feel like he just scratches wherever he is, not necessarily having a favorite place. But I suppose if I cover every room he's in, that might help.

Glad to hear they eventually "get it". I really DON'T want to declaw him and am glad to hear there is hope

Thanks for the links too - I had posted on my phone and wasn't having luck searching before.