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Author Topic: cat is ruining the carpet - update  (Read 6638 times)

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
cat is ruining the carpet - update
« on: May 01, 2015, 11:12:15 am »
My cat is scratching the carpet more and more. She has a scratching post but never looks at it. Is there anything else I can do to deter her from scratching the carpet. I know you can buy scent off things to stop them spraying, would it work to stop scratching too?
« Last Edit: May 06, 2015, 01:42:23 pm by Bionic »
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: cat is ruining the carpet
« Reply #1 on: May 01, 2015, 11:18:25 am »
What's her scratching post made of?  Have you got a spare bit of carpet you could nail onto it.  She obviously prefers the feel of carpet to whatever her post is - a cat with sensibilities  :eyelashes:

Does she always scratch the same part of the carpet?  You could stand something on that bit.

It's certainly worth trying the spraying deterrent.  :cat:
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

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ladyK

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Conwy Valley
Re: cat is ruining the carpet
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2015, 12:51:08 pm »
It's all about making 'her' scratching area more attractive to her - the deterrent might work, but if she hasn't got something she likes that she 'should' scratch she'll find another unsuitable surface.
Maybe she prefers scratching horizontally rather than vertically? (you could try a horizontal floor scratch pad?).
Or maybe it's the feel of the surface as FW says, in which case provide her with an alternative similar surface while making the 'wrong' patch inaccessible and/or unattractive.
"If one way is better than another, it is the way of nature." (Aristotle)

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Re: cat is ruining the carpet
« Reply #3 on: May 01, 2015, 01:43:17 pm »
Her scratch post is made of hesian/straw type stuff so definitely different to the carpet. She is scratching the carpet the whole house over. Everywhere see has scratched I have covered it with tape to stop her (it looks lovely here  ::) ) and she then finds somewhere else. 
I do have some spare carpet so I am going to take a suggestion from both of you. Cover her scratch post in the carpet and also make a horizontal one too.
thanks ladies  :thumbsup:
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

luckylady

  • Joined Aug 2009
  • Yorkshire
Re: cat is ruining the carpet
« Reply #4 on: May 01, 2015, 03:09:57 pm »
If the carpet cut off method doesn't work try the cardboard scratch pads/mats. Our cats love cardboard.  You can get them quite cheaply off ebay or more costly at PetsatHome.  They do get annihilated after a while and can be a bit messy but we tried them after our cats started scratching the new carpets, especially a step on the landing, and they worked immediately.  We just placed them where the cats offended the most.
Also, if your cat is quite large, an average scratch post may not be tall enough.  We have a bottle raised feral x Maine Coon (you may recall the tales of the golden nuggets I posted on here a couple of years ago) who is now a really big boy and won't use the standard scratch post. I decided to invest in a taller one and all 5 cats prefer to use it as they can get a really good stretch on it.
Just some of my thoughts.  :)
Doing that swan thing - cool and calm on the surface but paddling like crazy beneath.

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Re: cat is ruining the carpet
« Reply #5 on: May 01, 2015, 03:31:04 pm »
I've never heard of a cardboard scratch pad before. Just ordered one  :)
Thanks LL
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: cat is ruining the carpet
« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2015, 05:19:46 pm »
Just to acquaint you all with the curiosity. The most bizarre way of dealing with this is 'soft paws' - glue on plastic claw protector sheaths. I've used them as a short term measure to prevent self-trauma and they do work well enough but usually need replacing within a month and it's a bit of a pain to apply them.. individually glued on with CA.
We only ever stocked the 'natural' colour but IIRC they are now available in blue and pink so you could get really artistic with mixing the colours.........

..which completely unrelated reminds me of a nutty client with a white cat she used to dye with veggie colourings to match her evening outfits - and used to take the cat with her to dinner parties. I examined it both as bright magenta and virulent green.

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Re: cat is ruining the carpet
« Reply #7 on: May 01, 2015, 05:27:20 pm »
Well my cat is black so I can't dye her but pink nails.... now thats an idea  :innocent:
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
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Re: cat is ruining the carpet
« Reply #8 on: May 01, 2015, 10:38:54 pm »
Well my cat is black so I can't dye her but pink nails.... now thats an idea  :innocent:
I can just see my ginger tom Rio with pink nails  :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:

If he dares scratch a carpet he gets a boot up the a---e
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

cans

  • Joined May 2013
Re: cat is ruining the carpet
« Reply #9 on: May 04, 2015, 10:02:11 am »
We used a matchbox (approx half full for best effect) to stop the cats from doing anything like that.  Rattle it then throw in their direction.  After a while we just had to rattle it and they stopped.

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Re: cat is ruining the carpet
« Reply #10 on: May 04, 2015, 11:23:19 am »
Cans, if I could catch her doing it then I would rattle something. Trouble is she always seems to get to the carpet when I am out of sight.
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Re: cat is ruining the carpet - update
« Reply #11 on: May 06, 2015, 01:43:54 pm »
Well, I  bought something called a cat sofa, made of cardboard and with cat nip. It arrived an hour ago. First she sniffed it and then she rolled over on it and she has been sitting in it ever since. So  :fc:
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

cans

  • Joined May 2013
Re: cat is ruining the carpet - update
« Reply #12 on: May 06, 2015, 05:31:31 pm »
 :fc: for comfy cat

devonlady

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: cat is ruining the carpet - update
« Reply #13 on: May 07, 2015, 07:01:34 am »
Bionic, take care with catmint if your cat goes outside by a road. It is a narcotic and makes the cat drowsy and careless. I'm sure you would rather have a wrecked carpet than a wrecked cat!!
When we had cats we didn't have carpets (still haven't) but our furniture was always in shreds!

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Re: cat is ruining the carpet - update
« Reply #14 on: May 07, 2015, 08:00:43 am »
Bionic, take care with catmint if your cat goes outside by a road. It is a narcotic and makes the cat drowsy and careless. I'm sure you would rather have a wrecked carpet than a wrecked cat!!
When we had cats we didn't have carpets (still haven't) but our furniture was always in shreds!
I didn't realise that but I don't need to worry. She rarely goes outside and even if she does, we live on a single track lane with little traffic
Thanks for the warning though
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

 

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