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scratching



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 27th 07, 11:20 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
ken
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Posts: 1
Default scratching

Our cats have several scratching posts - one is adjacent to a chair
which the cats prefer to scratch -rather than the scratching post.


We have cardboard boxes all over the bedroom trying to protect the
dresser and other furniture becasue they reach up and scratch the
furniture.

Is there any answer t this - the 2 cats and almost 3 years old

Ken

  #2  
Old March 27th 07, 11:37 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Jackapu
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Posts: 8
Default scratching

On Mar 27, 5:20 pm, "ken" wrote:
Our cats have several scratching posts - one is adjacent to a chair
which the cats prefer to scratch -rather than the scratching post.

We have cardboard boxes all over the bedroom trying to protect the
dresser and other furniture becasue they reach up and scratch the
furniture.

Is there any answer t this - the 2 cats and almost 3 years old

Ken


Something that may work, that I also need to try: citrus. I hear cats
hate something called 'essence of orange.' There may be products out
there you can use to fragrance your furniture. Frangrances that you
may like, but the cat hates. Here's something I found: 'Spray it with
Re-pel, anise oil or Eucalyptus oil. ' I just like the idea of
spraying a fragrance of something I kinda like, but the cat hates.

Also, put either a catnip plant or sprinkle dry catnip on the cat
posts to encourage them to scrath them.

  #3  
Old March 28th 07, 01:18 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Patty
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Posts: 74
Default scratching

On 27 Mar 2007 15:20:19 -0700, ken wrote:

Our cats have several scratching posts - one is adjacent to a chair
which the cats prefer to scratch -rather than the scratching post.


We have cardboard boxes all over the bedroom trying to protect the
dresser and other furniture becasue they reach up and scratch the
furniture.

Is there any answer t this - the 2 cats and almost 3 years old

Ken


You may have to try different types of scratching posts. One cat may like
sisal or jute another may like a carpeted post. My cats never have
scratched the furniture, but Rusty always preferred a carpeted scratching
post while Grady like the sisal or jute. My husband even once got a large
tree branch and attached it to a stand to see if either liked that better.
You may have to experiment with them to see what they like and then they
may leave your furniture alone.

Patty
  #4  
Old March 28th 07, 11:21 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
jmc
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Posts: 610
Default scratching

Suddenly, without warning, Patty exclaimed (28-Mar-07 9:48 AM):
On 27 Mar 2007 15:20:19 -0700, ken wrote:

Our cats have several scratching posts - one is adjacent to a chair
which the cats prefer to scratch -rather than the scratching post.


We have cardboard boxes all over the bedroom trying to protect the
dresser and other furniture becasue they reach up and scratch the
furniture.

Is there any answer t this - the 2 cats and almost 3 years old

Ken


You may have to try different types of scratching posts. One cat may like
sisal or jute another may like a carpeted post. My cats never have
scratched the furniture, but Rusty always preferred a carpeted scratching
post while Grady like the sisal or jute. My husband even once got a large
tree branch and attached it to a stand to see if either liked that better.
You may have to experiment with them to see what they like and then they
may leave your furniture alone.

Patty


I second this. Meep absolutely hates Jute. She's got furniture that's
mostly carpet but has a jute post... the carpet's completely shredded
and falling off (new one's on the way!) but the jute is just as pristine
as the day I bought it. I've tried to encourage her to scratch on it,
to no avail.

There's something out there called "sticky paws", which is essentially
industrial-sized double sided sticky tape, that you can put on the spots
they like to scratch on - they don't like the stickiness.

jmc
  #5  
Old March 28th 07, 06:24 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Rene S.
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Posts: 741
Default scratching



You may have to try different types of scratching posts. One cat may like
sisal or jute another may like a carpeted post. My cats never have
scratched the furniture, but Rusty always preferred a carpeted scratching
post while Grady like the sisal or jute. My husband even once got a large
tree branch and attached it to a stand to see if either liked that better.
You may have to experiment with them to see what they like and then they
may leave your furniture alone.

Patty


It's possible they might like a cardboard scratcher too. I had a
friend who had a cat who preferred a piece of wood (bark attached) and
another who liked an upside down wicker basket.

  #6  
Old March 29th 07, 06:02 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Lisa Ashley Rafter
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Posts: 1
Default scratching

On Mar 28, 1:24 pm, "Rene S." wrote:
You may have to try different types ofscratchingposts. One cat may like
sisal or jute another may like a carpetedpost. My cats never have
scratched the furniture, but Rusty always preferred a carpetedscratching
postwhile Grady like the sisal or jute. My husband even once got a large
tree branch and attached it to a stand to see if either liked that better.
You may have to experiment with them to see what they like and then they
may leave your furniture alone.


Patty


It's possible they might like a cardboard scratcher too. I had a
friend who had a cat who preferred a piece of wood (bark attached) and
another who liked an upside down wicker basket.


Hey guys, I recently adopted a 3 mo. old kitten who'd been feral/wild
so there's a lot of things that scare/intimidate her. I've been
treading lightly with the whole scratching post thing (I don't wanna
scare/overwhelm her) but I don't think what I'm doing is working.
I got her a carpeted scratching post and put catnip on it and really
tried ot encourage/entice her to use it but I don't think she "gets
it"....y'know?
Is this something that kittens usually pick up over time or do you
think it'd be wise to get her a different type of scratching post or
maybe use another behavior to try and encourage her to use it?
This is my first Kitten so I don't know what to expect!
Thanks,
Lisa Ashley Rafter

  #7  
Old March 29th 07, 09:39 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Patty
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Posts: 74
Default scratching

On 29 Mar 2007 10:02:11 -0700, Lisa Ashley Rafter wrote:

On Mar 28, 1:24 pm, "Rene S." wrote:
You may have to try different types ofscratchingposts. One cat may like
sisal or jute another may like a carpetedpost. My cats never have
scratched the furniture, but Rusty always preferred a carpetedscratching
postwhile Grady like the sisal or jute. My husband even once got a large
tree branch and attached it to a stand to see if either liked that better.
You may have to experiment with them to see what they like and then they
may leave your furniture alone.


Patty


It's possible they might like a cardboard scratcher too. I had a
friend who had a cat who preferred a piece of wood (bark attached) and
another who liked an upside down wicker basket.


Hey guys, I recently adopted a 3 mo. old kitten who'd been feral/wild
so there's a lot of things that scare/intimidate her. I've been
treading lightly with the whole scratching post thing (I don't wanna
scare/overwhelm her) but I don't think what I'm doing is working.
I got her a carpeted scratching post and put catnip on it and really
tried ot encourage/entice her to use it but I don't think she "gets
it"....y'know?
Is this something that kittens usually pick up over time or do you
think it'd be wise to get her a different type of scratching post or
maybe use another behavior to try and encourage her to use it?
This is my first Kitten so I don't know what to expect!
Thanks,
Lisa Ashley Rafter


When Rusty was a kitten, he liked a flat on the ground scratching post(?),
they make those cardboard ones. When he got older, he switch to carpeted
which I discovered when he scratched up the side of a "kitty condo" thing.

Patty
  #8  
Old March 29th 07, 11:17 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cybercat
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Posts: 4,212
Default scratching


"Patty" wrote

When Rusty was a kitten, he liked a flat on the ground scratching post(?),
they make those cardboard ones. When he got older, he switch to carpeted
which I discovered when he scratched up the side of a "kitty condo" thing.


The one that keeps my cats from scratching the furntu

http://www.cosmicpet.com/scratchers.htm

Another thing: if you go the route of the carpeted scratcher, make sure
it is at least 30 inches tall to allow the cat to get a good stretch in, or
he will be making for the corner of your couch again. A good stretch
is part of a good scratch!



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

  #9  
Old March 30th 07, 03:42 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Patty
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Posts: 74
Default scratching

On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:17:57 -0500, cybercat wrote:

"Patty" wrote

When Rusty was a kitten, he liked a flat on the ground scratching post(?),
they make those cardboard ones. When he got older, he switch to carpeted
which I discovered when he scratched up the side of a "kitty condo" thing.


The one that keeps my cats from scratching the furntu

http://www.cosmicpet.com/scratchers.htm

Another thing: if you go the route of the carpeted scratcher, make sure
it is at least 30 inches tall to allow the cat to get a good stretch in, or
he will be making for the corner of your couch again. A good stretch
is part of a good scratch!


Ours have always averaged 18" tall. They always got a good stretch because
they stood a bit back from it and stretched towards it, I guess. Never had
furniture scratched or clawed up in 16 years of having these cats, except
for the carpeted kitty condo thing, but since that was theirs, I really
didn't care much. We got rid of it when they got too big for it and
couldn't easily fit into it anymore.

With the cardboard one, Rusty used the flat type (not the Alpine) while he
was little. He would just go up to it, even stand on it and run his little
kitten claws over it. When he got interested in carpeted, he never touched
it again.

I think since they had specific preferances for what they liked which were
readily available, carpeted and sisal/jute, they never touched the
furniture since it was made out of fabric and now leather. They never had
any interest in the furniture, except to take a nap on it. We had our last
sofa for nearly 20 years (yeah, way too long) and there was not any clawed
spots on it.

Patty
  #10  
Old March 30th 07, 05:58 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cybercat
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Posts: 4,212
Default scratching


"Patty" wrote
I think since they had specific preferances for what they liked which were
readily available, carpeted and sisal/jute, they never touched the
furniture since it was made out of fabric and now leather. They never had
any interest in the furniture, except to take a nap on it. We had our
last
sofa for nearly 20 years (yeah, way too long) and there was not any clawed
spots on it.


You were smart enough to figure out the key thing in keeping them from
scratching furniture etc.: to give them something they like to scratch
better.

I was thrilled to see the 30" scratcher I got at Petsmart for $15. My cats
always
ignored the shorter ones. This one is great, Gracie gets the crazies and
leaps to the top of it and sticks like velcro. It is by a worktable in my
upstairs office, and the other morning I actually watched the kitty brain
at work. I was playing with Gracie with a toy on a rope, flinging it on
either side of the scratching post, you know how they like that. She
leapt at the toy and wound up with all four feet stuck to the scratcher.
She looked up at the table, and I swear it was like I saw one of those
cartoon bubbles appear over her head. She climbed up the scratcher
and onto the table and explored it, looking very pleased with herself.


 




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