Those damaging claws!

[lmj1954]

I have 3 cats. Cat #1 learned at a early age where she could sharpen her claws, I put sticky tape on all the furniture and bought her a scratch post and never a problem after. Cat #2 was given to me and she came to me declawed. Cat #3 just don`t learn, I have done all the tricks and even after bad behavior take her right to the scratching pad....they have 3....and I lift her legs up and down to show her, then I do it wilth my "claws". Problem is we just got brand new furniture and I have caught her a few times using it for her claws. I took her and cut her nails, oh what fun that was, I use to always cut her nails and got away from it, should of kept it up all along. I even sprayed Feliway around. I worry because me and hubby are away at work all day and are not there to stop her. 

I wonder if keeping her claws trimmed would result in less damage,,,,,,,we also just bought a new huge area rug. Any ideas here? 

 

[shadowsrescue]

I have a cat that will not ever use a scratching post made of sisal or cardboard.  He prefers soft material like carpet.  They do make scratchers  with carpet, but he did not like those either.  I found some old carpet remnants and scattered those around.    He will on occasion use them, but still prefers the carpet in certain rooms of our house.  I just have to cut his nails frequently.  I have found that having my DH hold the cat on a non slippery surface and offer him yummy treats or even plain cooked chicken while I quickly trim.  He still doesn't love it, but I do my best to trim them weekly.

You can also look into soft paws.

 

[di and bob]

My cats absolutely LOVE those corrugated cardboard scratchers (9.00), I get at Walmart. They leave our furniture alone since I've got them. On ANY scratcher, post, carpet , cardboard. etc., rub some catnip on it to attract them, they like them a lot more. I've never trimmed any of my cats nails in my 50 years of loving cats, hearing from others who do, I can't help but think it may make them scratch more to get them into shape again. Cats are instinctively drawn to scratching, it removes that outer 'sheath' and gives them exercise and enjoyment, I would work on finding the surface that attracts them and keeps them away from your furniture.  If cutting is your only option, and it works, I wish you well, I know many people do it, I just wish I knew if it stopped the scratching. All the luck, and please post us if you find a solution! 

 

[catpack]

Can you post a picture of the scratching posts you have? Do you have both vertical and horizontal scratching surfaces? What material are they? For vertical posts, how tall/sturdy are they?

 

[rubberboots]

We have 2 cats and our orange male has to get his claws trimmed. He is always getting stuck on the cat trees and snags our bedding all the time. He has even torn a nail once because he panicked and just pulled until it released. It's almost like he never learned how to retract his claws. Our female on the other hand we never trim and we have no issues. We also use the cardboard scratchers as well and both of them love them, only complaint I have is constantly vacuuming up the cardboard. Before we bought the cardboard one, the female would sharpen her claws on the furniture and the male would do it on our throw rug despite having 3 cat trees to do it on. Now they don't touch the furniture OR the rugs.

 

[artiemom]

I have a scratcher of some type in all three rooms; 2 bedrooms and the living area.

The largest one is one I order from; Felix Cat Scratcher. It is a made to order item, 3 feet high, made in the U.S.... They are based in Oregon. One of my co-workers suggested this type of post because I have a very long cat. It is a solid square post on a heavy base which has a burlap/sissal covering to it. It is also lined with some catnip, so that cats are attracted to it. 

I have to say, Artie took to it immediately. I really like how solid it is. It never tips over. It is well worth the money. They now have them with a perch on the top.

This one is almost 4 years old and just slightly worn..not much at all. Artie can get a good stretch and it will not tip over.

I have more inexpensive ones in the bedrooms. One 2 foot round scratcher which tips over very easily and an incline scratcher which I picked up at at the grocery store..yes, It was the first one he had..

It sounds extravagant, but the I got them in stages. First the inclined one, which did not seem big enough for him. Next was the round one which kept falling over. Then I got the suggestion for the Felix Cat Scratcher.. absolutely love it..