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Cat-proofing my mattress?



 
 
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  #11  
Old November 28th 10, 02:44 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Rhino[_3_]
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Posts: 34
Default Cat-proofing my mattress?


"Rhino" wrote in message
...

"Rene S." wrote in message
...
Rhino,

I would never suggest declawing, so no worries there. I would strongly
suggest putting a scratching post near the areas they scratch, so they
scratch the post and not your bed/mattress.

Our youngest cat was scratching the boxspring near the front of our
bed, and I used Sticky Paws on that (the double sided tape sold for
deterring cat scratching). I'm not sure where the areas are, but you
could try using Sticky Paws over the area.


I've never heard of that product. How is it different from regular
double-sided tape? I can easily come up with double-sided tape but I'm not
sure where to find Sticky Paws. (I'm in Ontario, Canada so I don't know if
Sticky Paws is carried by Canadian pet stores.)


Problem solved! I just googled and Sticky Paws is available at Pet Smart.
There's one not too far from here so I should be good to go!

Thanks!

--
Rhino


  #12  
Old November 28th 10, 03:22 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Bill Graham
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,065
Default Cat-proofing my mattress?

Rhino wrote:
I have a conventional box spring and mattress that I am looking to
replace because it is just too hard.

I'd like to know if anyone knows any ways that I can reliably
cat-proof the new mattress so that my two cats, both of which have
their claws, don't sharpen their claws on it the way they did with
the current mattress. (I say "did" because they don't scratch it a
lot any more but I suspect that is because they are out of places
that they can scratch on the mattress that aren't already shredded.)

While the mattress still works fine, it looks *awful*. They have
shredded it so badly that they can literally stick the top half of
their bodies into the holes they have made - I saw Bebop, the larger
of the two cats, do it once!
I will not consider declawing them so please don't even suggest it. I
do not want to banish them from my bedroom or bed either. I'm looking
for some way to deter them from sharpening their claws on the wood
frame of the mattress. In case it makes a difference, they are both
10 years old, one is male and one is female, and they are both
neutered.
Does anyone have any reliable techniques for protecting the bed from
their claw-sharpening? If so, I'd love to hear from you!


First step is to buy a couple of sharpening posts, and put them at the foot
of your bed, at the corners. the cats will, or at least should, use these
because they are better suited for the job. Then, whenever you catch a cat
using the mattress, pick him up and put him in front of one of the posts,
and take his front paws and work them against the post so he gets the idea.
(say, good kitty, and reward him with a treat afterward) As time goes on,
when he still uses the mattress, throw a pillow at him and scream at him.
Cats are not stupid....They will usually get the idea pretty fast that what
they are doing displeases, or pleases you.

  #13  
Old November 28th 10, 02:03 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
obsidianjg
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 18
Default Cat-proofing my mattress?

On Nov 27, 8:44*pm, "Rhino"
wrote:
"Rhino" wrote in message

...





"Rene S." wrote in message
...
Rhino,


I would never suggest declawing, so no worries there. I would strongly
suggest putting a scratching post near the areas they scratch, so they
scratch the post and not your bed/mattress.


Our youngest cat was scratching the boxspring near the front of our
bed, and I used Sticky Paws on that (the double sided tape sold for
deterring cat scratching). I'm not sure where the areas are, but you
could try using Sticky Paws over the area.


I've never heard of that product. How is it different from regular
double-sided tape? I can easily come up with double-sided tape but I'm not
sure where to find Sticky Paws. (I'm in Ontario, Canada so I don't know if
Sticky Paws is carried by Canadian pet stores.)


Problem solved! I just googled and Sticky Paws is available at Pet Smart.
There's one not too far from here so I should be good to go!

Thanks!

--
Rhino


I second Sticky Paw if the area is not too big. I found it works very
well, but it is a bit pricey. When your cats use the scratching-on-
mattress tactic to wake you up in the morning, you need to provide
them with something else they can use, or they will scratch the carpet
or some other unsuitable area. My cats were scratching the carpet for
the same reason until we provided them with a sturdy cat tree. We
didn't even have to teach them to use it. They saw it, circled it,
sniffed a bit and then set to scratching. My carpet is now safe.

I used Sticky Paw on another bed, that was used for scratching in one
corner of the boxspring. Sticky Paw worked like a charm.

obsidianjg
  #14  
Old November 29th 10, 03:36 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Rene
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 117
Default Cat-proofing my mattress?

On Nov 27, 7:41*pm, "Rhino"
wrote:
"Rene S." wrote in message

...

Rhino,


I would never suggest declawing, so no worries there. I would strongly
suggest putting a scratching post near the areas they scratch, so they
scratch the post and not your bed/mattress.


Our youngest cat was scratching the boxspring near the front of our
bed, and I used Sticky Paws on that (the double sided tape sold for
deterring cat scratching). I'm not sure where the areas are, but you
could try using Sticky Paws over the area.


I've never heard of that product. How is it different from regular
double-sided tape? I can easily come up with double-sided tape but I'm not
sure where to find Sticky Paws. (I'm in Ontario, Canada so I don't know if
Sticky Paws is carried by Canadian pet stores.)

--
Rhino


Rhino,

I'm glad you found the Sticky Paws! It is MUCH stickier than regular
double-sided tape (I've tried it, and it just doesn't stick on
furniture). It also comes off easily.

Rene
  #15  
Old November 30th 10, 07:44 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
wasted[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4
Default Cat-proofing my mattress?

I should point out that the cats claw at the wood in the box spring to wake
me up in the morning. They aren't clawing it during the day.

I'm new to this group, and I have no wish to offend, and I am quite open to
learning, and I have had cats for 20 years - but I wonder how you know the
cats are doing this to wake you up? Are they not just doing this as a cat
thing when THEY are waking up. If you choose to have your cats in your room,
isn't this just a consequence of their natural behaviour??


  #16  
Old December 1st 10, 12:39 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cshenk
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,427
Default Cat-proofing my mattress?

"Rhino" wrote

Sorry, I think the confusion is mostly my fault from describing the
problem as being with the mattress. It is actually the box spring that is
getting clawed. Putting a sheet of plastic over that sounds like an
inexpensive thing to try and doesn't get in the way of sleeping. I like
it.


Ok, you mean the sides and possibly bottom of the box spring. Plastic may
work, or may be shredded in minutes.

It's cheap to try though!

  #17  
Old January 25th 11, 12:55 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
chaniarts
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 15
Default Cat-proofing my mattress?

Rhino wrote:
I have a conventional box spring and mattress that I am looking to
replace because it is just too hard.

I'd like to know if anyone knows any ways that I can reliably
cat-proof the new mattress so that my two cats, both of which have
their claws, don't sharpen their claws on it the way they did with
the current mattress. (I say "did" because they don't scratch it a
lot any more but I suspect that is because they are out of places
that they can scratch on the mattress that aren't already shredded.)

While the mattress still works fine, it looks *awful*. They have
shredded it so badly that they can literally stick the top half of
their bodies into the holes they have made - I saw Bebop, the larger
of the two cats, do it once!
I will not consider declawing them so please don't even suggest it. I
do not want to banish them from my bedroom or bed either. I'm looking
for some way to deter them from sharpening their claws on the wood
frame of the mattress. In case it makes a difference, they are both
10 years old, one is male and one is female, and they are both
neutered.
Does anyone have any reliable techniques for protecting the bed from
their claw-sharpening? If so, I'd love to hear from you!


soft claws


  #18  
Old January 25th 11, 04:29 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Bill Graham
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,065
Default Cat-proofing my mattress?

chaniarts wrote:
Rhino wrote:
I have a conventional box spring and mattress that I am looking to
replace because it is just too hard.

I'd like to know if anyone knows any ways that I can reliably
cat-proof the new mattress so that my two cats, both of which have
their claws, don't sharpen their claws on it the way they did with
the current mattress. (I say "did" because they don't scratch it a
lot any more but I suspect that is because they are out of places
that they can scratch on the mattress that aren't already shredded.)

While the mattress still works fine, it looks *awful*. They have
shredded it so badly that they can literally stick the top half of
their bodies into the holes they have made - I saw Bebop, the larger
of the two cats, do it once!
I will not consider declawing them so please don't even suggest it. I
do not want to banish them from my bedroom or bed either. I'm looking
for some way to deter them from sharpening their claws on the wood
frame of the mattress. In case it makes a difference, they are both
10 years old, one is male and one is female, and they are both
neutered.
Does anyone have any reliable techniques for protecting the bed from
their claw-sharpening? If so, I'd love to hear from you!


soft claws


Put a sharpening post covered with carpet at the foot of the bed, and keep
the door to the bedroom closed, so the only time the cats can get in there
is when you are in there, too. Then, when they try to sharpen their claws on
anything except the sharpening post, throw a small pillow at them and scream
at them. After a bit, they will start using the sharpening post, and only
the sharpening post....

  #19  
Old January 25th 11, 04:54 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
dgk
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,268
Default Cat-proofing my mattress?

On Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:29:54 -0800, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

chaniarts wrote:
Rhino wrote:
I have a conventional box spring and mattress that I am looking to
replace because it is just too hard.

I'd like to know if anyone knows any ways that I can reliably
cat-proof the new mattress so that my two cats, both of which have
their claws, don't sharpen their claws on it the way they did with
the current mattress. (I say "did" because they don't scratch it a
lot any more but I suspect that is because they are out of places
that they can scratch on the mattress that aren't already shredded.)

While the mattress still works fine, it looks *awful*. They have
shredded it so badly that they can literally stick the top half of
their bodies into the holes they have made - I saw Bebop, the larger
of the two cats, do it once!
I will not consider declawing them so please don't even suggest it. I
do not want to banish them from my bedroom or bed either. I'm looking
for some way to deter them from sharpening their claws on the wood
frame of the mattress. In case it makes a difference, they are both
10 years old, one is male and one is female, and they are both
neutered.
Does anyone have any reliable techniques for protecting the bed from
their claw-sharpening? If so, I'd love to hear from you!


soft claws


Put a sharpening post covered with carpet at the foot of the bed, and keep
the door to the bedroom closed, so the only time the cats can get in there
is when you are in there, too. Then, when they try to sharpen their claws on
anything except the sharpening post, throw a small pillow at them and scream
at them. After a bit, they will start using the sharpening post, and only
the sharpening post....


Instead of screaming at them, it's probably best to take them when
they scratch something else and bring them to the scratching post.
Actually, if you put catnip on the scratching post, they will train
themselves to use that.

I've always used blankets that overlay the mattress anyway so no part
of the mattress is accessible to their claws. In fact, I have one
comforter (being full scale winter here) that overlaps the entire bed
to the floor (Queen bed, King comforter). Because it's a platform bed,
it forms a "secret tunnnel" under the comforter that they love to stay
in that goes all around the bed. I like to play "there's a monster
under the bed", poking stuff under the comforter that get attacked by
the monsters.It is important that no bare feet come too close however.
  #20  
Old January 25th 11, 07:20 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
chaniarts
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 15
Default Cat-proofing my mattress?

dgk wrote:
On Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:29:54 -0800, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

chaniarts wrote:
Rhino wrote:
I have a conventional box spring and mattress that I am looking to
replace because it is just too hard.

I'd like to know if anyone knows any ways that I can reliably
cat-proof the new mattress so that my two cats, both of which have
their claws, don't sharpen their claws on it the way they did with
the current mattress. (I say "did" because they don't scratch it a
lot any more but I suspect that is because they are out of places
that they can scratch on the mattress that aren't already
shredded.)

While the mattress still works fine, it looks *awful*. They have
shredded it so badly that they can literally stick the top half of
their bodies into the holes they have made - I saw Bebop, the
larger of the two cats, do it once!
I will not consider declawing them so please don't even suggest
it. I do not want to banish them from my bedroom or bed either.
I'm looking for some way to deter them from sharpening their claws
on the wood frame of the mattress. In case it makes a difference,
they are both 10 years old, one is male and one is female, and
they are both neutered.
Does anyone have any reliable techniques for protecting the bed
from their claw-sharpening? If so, I'd love to hear from you!

soft claws


Put a sharpening post covered with carpet at the foot of the bed,
and keep the door to the bedroom closed, so the only time the cats
can get in there is when you are in there, too. Then, when they try
to sharpen their claws on anything except the sharpening post, throw
a small pillow at them and scream at them. After a bit, they will
start using the sharpening post, and only the sharpening post....


Instead of screaming at them, it's probably best to take them when
they scratch something else and bring them to the scratching post.
Actually, if you put catnip on the scratching post, they will train
themselves to use that.

I've always used blankets that overlay the mattress anyway so no part
of the mattress is accessible to their claws. In fact, I have one
comforter (being full scale winter here) that overlaps the entire bed
to the floor (Queen bed, King comforter). Because it's a platform bed,
it forms a "secret tunnnel" under the comforter that they love to stay
in that goes all around the bed. I like to play "there's a monster
under the bed", poking stuff under the comforter that get attacked by
the monsters.It is important that no bare feet come too close however.


we call them bed rats, and sic the children on the rats. unfortunately, they
sometimes don't get all captured and come back at 3am, so the hunt gets
repeated at an unfortunate time.


 




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