Help! Cat that Scratches

I need some advice on how to keep our cat from destroying my furniture and carpet. We have had this cat for about 3 years. She was a rescue cat. She seems to have gotten worse instead of better. I just found a new place where she is scratching on the carpet.

We have a scratching post and have used cat nip spray on the scratching post. We have also used deterrent spray which doesn't seem to do any good. I have put aluminum foil on the corners of the couch where she scratches. I also keep her nails cut.

She goes outside some during the day but is inside most of the time. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
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Re: Help! Cat that Scratches

The best advice I have, given that you have tried a lot, is to be active in redirecting her behavior. If this has been going on for 3 years, you've allowed this to become a established pattern of behavior. She thinks that this is acceptable, so it's going to be very hard to change.

First, have more than one scratching post. Make sure they are sturdy and can't tip. Those 18" tall ones are only good for kittens. She needs a full-on tree (or multiples). Place the scratching posts in areas she likes to scratch (near the couch, places she has picked apart the carpet, etc.)

When you catch her in the act, don't punish her. That only succeeds in getting her the attention she is probably looking for. Instead, go to one of the trees and scratch on it yourself. It's odd how the cats try to mimic their people, but both my resident cats and foster kittens fall for it. When you catch her using appropriate places to scratch, give her a high value treat (by this I mean her favorite thing, whether it's food, playtime, chin scratches, etc.)

Other things that help, more as a lifestyle thing than something you can do right away:
1. Get ultrasuede furniture. The material isn't attractive to the cats, so they leave it alone.
2. Don't get cat trees that have the same texture as the carpet you don't want scratched. It will only confuse her.
3. Give her some things to occupy her mind. Play with her several times a day. Make sure she has stimulating toys she can use on her own (something I use for my cats are toys that make them solve puzzles to get food. It helps moderate their food intake because they only eat what they are willing to work for, and it keeps them busy).

Those are my thoughts. It's important to remember that keeping her behavior within the boundaries of what you desire is an ongoing process rather than a single event. She is going to mess up a bit - it's just part of living with a cat.

I hope some of this helps.
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Re: Help! Cat that Scratches

Another thing you could do is provide a variety of different types of scratching posts. Cats can have preferences in what they scratch and how.

For example, one of my cats loves scratching cardboard and fabric, but won't touch wood or carpet. If I gave her a carpet post to scratch, she would ignore it. The other two cats aren't picky about material, but they will only scratch on a horizontal surface. The standard vertical post or cat tree would be ignored, because they like scratching a "floor".

So I suggest getting a few different shapes and materials to see what your kitty might prefer. Try carpet, sisal, cardboard, etc, and try a horizontal scratcher as well. If you can find exactly what she likes best, she might leave the furniture alone.
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Re: Help! Cat that Scratches

You can also try a pheromone diffuser or spray called feliway. Your vet should carry it or you can try comfort zone diffusers. They plug into the wall and should do the same as the feliway. I think if you get it from your vet or buy the comfort zone it's about the same price.

But every cat is different. My cat was fine with a simple herb spray.
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