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Post by solgroupie on Mar 24, 2010 10:10:17 GMT -5
^that is my kitten, smudgey. she is about six months old now and completely insane. constantly into everything. in other words, a normal cat. i cannot seem to teach her to use a scratching post, though, and was wondering if there were any other cat owners who could give me any tips. i got a scratcher and every time she starts clawing the carpet or furniture, i say "no" firmly to her before taking her over to the scratcher. when she uses the scratcher i pet her and give her a cat treat. so now when i come home, she runs over to the scratcher, gives it a few scratches for show to get a treat and then helps herself to the furniture or carpet again for a real shredding. i tried putting catnip on it, even though i've read most cats don't react to catnip until they are at least nine months old (my vet said it wouldn't hurt her anyway). nothing. my vet told me to get one of those cheap five dollar cardboard scratchers - she has a few cats that did the same thing until she got some of those and now they won't use anything else. big fat no! didn't work. i'm not against getting her declawed, but that's pretty expensive. if i could just get her to use the stupid scratcher thing, i'd be happy. if not, i'm just going to have to pull the carpet up and use lawn chairs, or something.
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Post by spackle on Mar 24, 2010 10:44:28 GMT -5
Cute lil' smudgey! I haven't ever had a bad scratching problem, but I'll sing the praises of a squirt gun or spray bottle as a sure fire way to get a cat's attention. And relatively harmless, except for maybe a lifetime of emotional scarring. Not really. My cats still loved me afterward. Debatably less traumatic than declawing.
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Post by Bix Dugan on Mar 24, 2010 11:38:38 GMT -5
What about shaking a can with coins in it as a deterrent? Or is that just for dogs...
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Post by pyrozombie on Mar 24, 2010 11:50:18 GMT -5
cats are going to do what they want, when they want.
If you tell them not to do something, they will stare at you then go back to what they were doing.
You were doing something with the treat, but you can't just show her to do something and give her a treat.
you have to discipline her when she does something wrong. Otherwise, It's seen as a trick she does for food and not proper procedure.
Try a little squirt-gun full of warm water, it won't hurt her, just agitate her.
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Post by solgroupie on Mar 24, 2010 12:25:58 GMT -5
yeah, i forgot to mention this. she LOVES water. water bottles - direct shots to the face don't even bother her in the least. i've heard of cats that like water, but i've never owned one. within three seconds, tops, when i turn the faucet on at the bathroom sink, she just magically appears to play with the water. she knocks her water dish around until it spills. she tries to get in the shower when i'm using it. and as i have said already, i am NOT showering with my cat, i don't care if i am from the south.
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Post by spackle on Mar 24, 2010 17:42:08 GMT -5
I knew a cat like that once. She wouldn't lap water out of a bowl like a normal cat, she'd wet her paw then lick it, or preferably get a human to turn on the tap for her. She seemed to like to have her head wet, and when it was, she looked remarkably like Garrison Keillor. She was called Space Cat because she would stare at the wall and drool.
But back to your problem. I've heard of trimming claws or even putting little caps over them to save the furniture. Cheaper and probably easier on the cat than declawing.
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Post by Chuck on Mar 24, 2010 17:53:01 GMT -5
Try one of those air horns. THAT should get her attention.
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Post by afriendlychicken on Mar 24, 2010 18:28:56 GMT -5
yeah, i forgot to mention this. she LOVES water. water bottles - direct shots to the face don't even bother her in the least. i've heard of cats that like water, but i've never owned one. within three seconds, tops, when i turn the faucet on at the bathroom sink, she just magically appears to play with the water. she knocks her water dish around until it spills. she tries to get in the shower when i'm using it. and as i have said already, i am NOT showering with my cat, i don't care if i am from the south. I knew a cat like that once. She wouldn't lap water out of a bowl like a normal cat, she'd wet her paw then lick it, or preferably get a human to turn on the tap for her. She seemed to like to have her head wet, and when it was, she looked remarkably like Garrison Keillor. She was called Space Cat because she would stare at the wall and drool. Sounds exactly like one of my sister's cats. He tries to get in the shower, drinks with his paw and waits by the kitchen faucet for someone to turn it on so he can play with it. No drooling, though. She named him Zeus. He just has the bearing of a cat god. I'm not sure if there's a solution for that, at least until smudgey is old enough to smell the cat nip...so to speak. And remember, in the cat/human relationship, the cat is the boss. Period. I can hear Zeus hissing at my sister for scolding him...
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Post by Chuck on Mar 24, 2010 18:49:43 GMT -5
Groupie, honey, in all honesty, it's going to take a long while for you to develop the mother/daughter relationship that is the "owner"/cat reality. When they're that age, they're frigging nuts. There's no way around it. Keep talking to her, that's the key. She'll start to understand your voice and tones.
I have never, and will never, declaw any cat I have. It's like cutting off a human finger to the first joint. I just haven't done it. (I have access to sharp objects, so should the cat.) I've lucked out. My first boys, Holmes & Watson, were raised from kittens, and were very, very good about the scratching post.
My second set, who I got from a friend at the age of 4, Halsted & Cornelia, were raised beautifully, and were very well behaved housecats. Cornelia survives, and she uses her scratching posts, and occasionally the area rug. And the runner.
So, lots of patience, and lots of love. Good luck with your new companion!
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Post by Chuck on Mar 24, 2010 18:51:58 GMT -5
And I hope she's neutered. If they have a heat before they're neutered, there's a chance they can develop breast cancer. Yes, breast cancer. (Halsted had lung cancer. TRIED to get him to stop smoking!)
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Post by solgroupie on Mar 24, 2010 19:28:30 GMT -5
oh, i definitely got her fixed - last week, as a matter of fact.
as far as getting to know my voice goes, i assume she must think i yell constantly. NO! SMUDGEY! NO! GET DOWN! OWWW! STOP BITING ME!
i like the air horn idea, though! at last! a reason to buy one!
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Post by mccloud on Mar 25, 2010 9:09:09 GMT -5
I've used compressed air, too. They hate the sound, they hate that blast of air, and it doesn't hurt them.
I have an insane cat as well. She's 3. I had her spayed & declawed at the same time. Yet she still tries to climb curtains and sharpen her claws on furniture. She climbs on everything and gets into everything. She frequently runs from one end of the house to the other, for no apparent reason. At 3, she is finally starting to calm down some.
Good luck! ;D
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Post by siamesesin on Mar 25, 2010 13:57:46 GMT -5
I got my cat Hefner from a shelter as a 2-year-old former feral, and let's just say it was interesting!
The scratching occasionally rears its head, because no matter the number of times I spray him with water or make a loud sound, he gets over it pretty quick. The best thing with him has been Soft Claws. About $20 for a pack of 40, and they make kitten-sized ones too. You can even get different colors!
Get a friend and prep first. Trimming the nails isn't necessary but clipping the tip is okay. The glue is basically Super Glue, so the easiset thing to do is squirt a bit into the ten caps for the front (I don't recommend doing the back paws unless you have to) first. Half of the cap filled with glue is about right.
Then put a towel on Smudgey, have the friend hold out a paw and gently push each claw out, and slide a cap on and give it a quick squeeze. If she'll let you, try to hold her steady for a minute or two when you're done to give the glue a chance to really set. They drop off with normal shedding every few weeks or so.
PS I totally forgot-Smudgey is ADORABLE!
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Post by Mighty Jack on Mar 25, 2010 15:08:27 GMT -5
I agree, Soft calws worked pretty well, trying to get them to sit still is a chore, use the towel and yes, grab any willing friend to help. But they were pretty nice (my cat would paw at my face while I slept when he wanted attention, so not waking up with little scratches was a plus).
I'm also with Chuck - I wouldn't go the declawing rout either. I did it once with my first cat and never again. His personality changed, I think it traumatized him. I still feel guilty over that.
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Post by solgroupie on Mar 25, 2010 15:37:09 GMT -5
i'll remember the compressed air suggestion, mccloud, thanks.
i've seen those soft claws at petsmart before, but i don't know how successful i'd be at getting them on her. seriously, i could barely contain her when she was six weeks old and had ear mites and was trying to put drops in her ears. it took three of us to hold her just long enough for a vet to trim her nails for me. she is a lap cat, but does not enjoy being held at all, so i don't know if that would fly. but if it comes down to it, i'll try anything. i was trying again to get her to use the cardboard scratcher last night. i'd trail a ribbon over it so she would at least dig her claws into it and maybe get a feel for it. but that is the ONLY time she doesn't feel the need to use her claws!
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