***Please*** help with Garfunkel's scratching problem

[parsleysage]

While I am sleeping or laying in bed - in other words, when he thinks I am not watching - Garfunkel scratches inappropriate surfaces in my house.  He does one of three things: climbs onto the TV and scratches a mirror I have hanging above it, sits on a ledge and scratches the side of a large picture frame, or sits on the TV table and scratches the TV itself.

He has always been a scratcher - when I lived in a 1 bedroom and shut them out every night, he scratched at the door for hours every morning.  He has also always scratched at the litterbox for several minutes before and after he goes.  But this behavior is not acceptable to me and I can't figure out why he's doing it or how to stop him.

When I hear him doing it, I sit up - sometimes this is enough to stop it.  Many times, though, I have to get up and start moving towards him before he will jump down.  He does not really respond to "NO!" or hissing (my main technique for discouraging behavior) - just the "threat" of me coming over there.  What's so frustrating is that it is over & over & over again - he jumps down and I lay back down or go back to sleep and 5 minutes later he's at it again.  

I should mention they have more than half a dozen scratching posts of various different kinds - and it's more of a "pawing" than a scratching anyway.

Please help - I don't know what need he is trying to express or how to help him deal with it.  He cannot stand on the TV or scratch it: it is my landlady's TV.  It needs to stop ASAP.  Thanks in advance.

 

[txcatmom]

Is it possible he is scratching to get your attention?  My Emily uses scratching to get my attention and your post reminded me of her.  I guess I don't have a specific solution to offer, but maybe understanding why he is doing it could help lead to a solution.  If it is for attention, perhaps a nice long interactive playtime before bed would help.   Good luck. 

 

[tx_kat]

Is it possible he is scratching to get your attention?   

This was the first thing that came to mind.  We have scratching posts galore in our home, but our Gidget will scratch and pull herself along the bottom of one of our sofas when I work a lot and don't spend much time with her.  She will look right at me when I tell her NO, and won't stop unless I stand up.  She's a perfect angel after she's had her "spa time" (brushing and petting).

 

[Willowy]

If he's doing it for attention, try applying Soft Claws (so he can't cause damage) and then do your very best to completely ignore him when he does it. But give him tons of attention when he uses the scratchies he should be using. Once a kitty knows how to get your attention, he thinks it's tons of fun :lol3:.

 

[parsleysage]

Thanks for your responses.  It is most likely for attention, which he definitely gets when I freak out, lol.  The times that he does it are not ideal for me to get up and give him positive attention, though, not that I would anyway because then he would do it for that purpose.  I'm just nervous about him standing on the TV - that he could knock it over (it's a flat screen and he has to balance pretty precariously), or his claws on the screen, etc.

 

[Willowy]

If the TV situation is so precarious, maybe remove the mirror so he wouldn't have any reason to get up there? Or get a wall strap.

 

[txcatmom]

Maybe if you know when he will be doing it, some positive attention beforehand, like some interactive playtime with a wand toy or laser pointer?  You are right....you wouldn't want to reinforce it.

 

[mrblanche]

My guess is he's doing this to get attention from you.  Our Flambe is bad about it, scratching at the blinds, the wires behind my desk, etc.  He wants me to come play with him!
 

 

[kittylover23]

I second the soft claws idea. I personally have never used them, but they seem like a safe and simple solution to scratching behavior. Do you have any posts or cat furniture in your house? If you can train him to scratch on that, maybe his scratching problem will stop.

 

[8whiskers]

I have used Soft Paws for many years and agree they are a terrific option! They will definitely prevent damage to your tv or any other surfaces he likes to scratch. I've used them on several different kitties, and here is some info that might be useful to you if you decide to use them:

Most cats adjust easily to wearing them. I've only had one cat out of 11 that actively pulled them off.

Don't use the clear ones, especially if you have trouble seeing small objects. You won't be able to easily tell if your cat has "shed" one and needs a replacement, and if you drop it during application, good luck trying to find a tiny piece of clear plastic while holding on to a squirming kitty! :-)

Don't trim your cat's nail too short, you'll want to have enough to glue the Soft Paw to.

When the cat's natural claw grows out, the Soft Paw will either come off naturally as the outer part of the nail sheds off, or it will stay on as the claw grows out, depending on how your kitty grooms his feet. If it does hang on, keep an eye on your kitty as he can get his claw stuck in things, particularly loopy fabric. The strands of whatever he scratches on get caught between the Soft Paw and the base of his nail, and he can't pull it off without your help. l've come home a few times to a kitty with a toy stuck to their claw, or a doormat they've dragged around. Luckily I've never come home to one stuck to a cat scratch, I've always been home when that happens. It's fairly easy to get them free, but they'll hurt themselves if they panic and try to pull away.

Sometimes you will have to take an old Soft Paw off yourself, as it didn't shed naturally. Just clip the tip with claw clippers, and if it still doesn't come off, keep snipping at the plastic and it will eventually come free. One of my older cats didn't groom his paws very well, and one Soft Paw actually hung on long enough to curl around and start pressuring his paw pad. So keep an eye on them!

If you keep your eye on them, Soft Paws are awesome! Good luck and I hope this info helped. :-)
 

 

[parsleysage]

I'll look into the Soft Paws.  He doesn't seem to be doing it as much anymore since I stopped freaking out when I hear it.

Do you have any posts or cat furniture in your house? If you can train him to scratch on that, maybe his scratching problem will stop.

Yes, they have seven or eight different surfaces available to scratch on.  Vertical, mats, sisal, cardboard, etc.  He uses those regularly.