Stopped using scratching post

[ptamom2010]

It's been about a month since I have seen Pawlee use her scratching post and I don't understand why.  She likes to try to scratch the walls or her favorite is my son's bedframe.  I spray her at night to prevent this.

Can someone tell me why and how do I get her to use it again.

PS..not sure if this is related or not but she does have 6 toes on her front paws.

Thanks.

 

[jcat]

Spraying her is only going to make her fear you. It's far better to reinforce positive behavior with praise and treats. How tall is her scratching post? Could she have outgrown it? Ideally, she should be able to stretch to her full height while scratching. What material is it made of? Have you offered various surfaces to her, like wood, sisal, carpet and cardboard? Vertical, slanted and horizontal surfaces? Covered her favorite spots on the walls and bed with a scratching mat, or put something she'll be allowed to scratch right in front of them?
This article gives some tips on choosing the right post(s) for your cat and getting her to use it/them: Problem Scratching And How To Stop It

I've had the best luck with small sisal rugs, both on the floor and tacked to the walls, and a ceiling-high cat tree. Many people buy rough sisal doormats and use them.

 

[dejolane]

I haven't sprayed the cat just to stop Bella & Thunder from scratching anything. I say 'Hey that's enough of that'' and they quit. I don't have a cat tree but I going to get one as soon as I can.

dejolane

 

[tabbymommy]

I don't spray my cat either I tell her to stop and she does

 

[dejolane]

My son left some model cars in their boxes at my house. Bella has a tendencey to scratch the big box that they are in. I have to stop her cause she has scratched her way through the box to the car boxes. I put foil at the end of each corner and she hasn't done it since.

dejolane

 

[tabbymommy]

That sounds like a good idea if a new scratching post doesn't work I willtry that cause she only does it when my bf is around like now she is calm and everything and I can garantee you that after about half hour of him being home she will start scratching at the door and stuff cause right now she is laying on my leg asleep.

 

[tammyp]

Hi tabbymommy,  I just thought of one more potential aspect - is your boyfriend new?  Many cats use scratching as a way to relieve stress.  So if she only scratches when he is there, then there may be a link?  If so, some work on re-introducing them and establishing their relationship could be useful.

Also, one other way to communicate positively where its good to scratch is to pick your cat up when she scratches on the 'bad' thing, take her over to the 'good' thing, and mimic scratching with lots of encouragement.  Always works for us.  The other thing we did when our cat had a persistent 'need' to scratch on the back of the couch was to put a scratch pad right there where he wanted to scratch.  Now he has that particular shape/slope/environment that he said he needed,  delightedly scratches on the pad - with lots of praise from us - and we have no scratches on the couch!  All happy!

 

[tabbymommy]

Well I understand why she is right now which is we don't have annything for her to scratch one so we let her do it for a few min thenn we stop her. We are getting her a scratching post tomarr or friday . I know she needs. To scratch so I put up wiith it till she. Starts at the door itself. She is new to the house and to us. Wegot her a week ago todayy. She has calmed down one it but its a fact that she is turning into a mommies girl annd I alsoo think the. Last owners didn't have ann adult malle in the house.

 

[dejolane]

I have had leather couches for sometime now with Bella & Thunder and thank God they have not scratched the couch or love seat. Bella likes to scratch boxes and my black TV stand.

dejolane

 

[tabbymommy]

Oh wow um does annybody know whhy tabby is trying to get into the toilet sge ain't intersted in the other tgings wiith water shhe is. entersted in the toilet.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Some cats are just curious about moving water.  My Mom's cat will do whatever he can to watch the water go down when you flush... 

  One of my girls used to splash the water before drinking so she could see it better.  Does she drink it at all or just watch?  If she is drinking a cat fountain might help.  We purchased one years ago and my 2 love it.

 

[tabbymommy]

The water wasn't moving and she didn't get a chance to drink any cause I accidently almost sat on her cause I didn't know she had jumped up there

 

[tammyp]

tabbymommy, i think interest in the toilet is quite common!  I'm laughing at you almost sitting on her!!  I have had that experience - beware the super fast jump up there when you get up too  (this is gross, but in that split second, my kitten - i think in his desperate attempt to be FAST and get up there before I closed the lid - over balanced and landed IN the toilet...before the flush ewwww!!)  

 

[tabbymommy]

Lmao well I think me about sitting on her turned her away from jumping up there

 

[ptamom2010]

Thx for the article; it was very useful.

You're right about spraying her; I am not her favorite person even though I feed take care of her the most.  The cat tree is 36 inches high and located in the living room where she enjoys looking out the window.

I notice that she usually scratches at night after she wants me to pet her.  She doesn't come on the bed and will instead lay beside it on her side.  When I am done, she scratches.

I will put aluminum foil on the bed today and look for another scratching post of different material for the bedroom (she also prefers my desk chair).  I have not caught her scratching at my living room furniture (my husband would be so mad if she did this).

This is totally new to me because the last cat I had was declawed.  I didn't do it but inherited her this way.

Thanks for the help.

 

[tammyp]

Re scratching on your desk chair...we had that experience too.  If you want her to not scratch there, maybe you can try what we did:  I sewed a chair cover out of soft polar-fleece.  For some reason Kato loves polar-fleece and claims all things made out of it as his.  We now have two chairs with covers - and he loves them for cuddling into.  And uses the miriad of HIS scratching surfaces for scratching.

 

[ptamom2010]

Thx, at this stage I'll try anything.

 

[tabbymommy]

Hey imy cat doesn't want to do anything on her scratching post except lay on it she will scratch on the cardboard that I have near it and on the door but refuses to do anything except lay on the scratching post I just now stappled a peice of caardboard on the post to incourage her to sc,ratch bon it cause its a carpeted one is that the right thing to do

 

[pawlee]

Ok, the aluminum foil on side of the bed (only did one side) works but now she insist on going to the other.  I tried buying the cardboard ones from Amazon only she didn't like that either!  I then decided that I was going to try making one..it cost a little more but at least I got the material that she seems to prefer.  So far no luck but perhaps after I put aluminum foil on the other side of the bed it may help.  I am really getting frustrated with this behavior and it's a good thing that I love her so much (despite her stubborness).

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• pawlee
• Feb 24, 2013

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• pawlee
• Feb 24, 2013

 

[dejolane]

I hate when Bella does this to my boxes so I got rubber totes.

dejolane