Cat deterrant

[ramish]

How to stop two siamese from using furniture as a scratching post, keeping off beds and kitchen cupboards

[drgnrdr]

By getting your cat a good scratching post or cat tree. A cat tree or post must be stable enough for your cat to climb and pull on, covered with material your cat can dig their claws into, and put in a prominent area so that your cats use it. Where they want to scratch not your desired place, you can move it to a better location once you get them to use it regularly.
After you've got the post or tree in place, encourage your cats to use it by teasing them with a cat toy and praising them for digging in their claws. If your cats enjoy catnip, rub some on the post to encourage them to spend more time there and give them treats for being on the tree as well. Make sure that they know in no uncertain terms that climbing and clawing are perfectly fine and encouraged on their scratching post or cat tree. Don't put their paws on the post, however - cat's don't like to be "forced" to do anything!

Make sure that the post you choose isn't covered in the same texture of carpet as that in your house or your cat may have a hard time making the distinction between why clawing carpet on the post is okay but not on the floor. Better yet: Choose a post or tree covered with sisal, a rough- textured rope material cats love to dig into.Make the areas you don't want your pet to touch less appealing during the retraining process by covering them with foil, plastic sheeting, or plastic carpet runners with the pointy side out. Use double-sided tape generously as well - cats hate the feel of sticky stuff under their paws. You can still use the furniture yourself by applying the foil, plastic, or what-have-you to pieces of cardboard that you can lift off if you want to sit down. I use carpet runners for this myself, you can use them for the counter top also, secure it to the top, they tend to kick out when they jump up and land on it, and scramble to jump off it.

[drgnrdr]

Since clawing is also a territory-marker, move the cat tree into a prominent place, near that clawed corner of the couch in the center of the room, now covered with deterrents. Praise your cat for using the post instead. Move the post slowly - a few inches a day - to a place more to your taste.

When using aversives; When you catch your cat clawing, you can also squirt with a spray bottle or use another distracting device.Try to stay out of sight whenever you do so and don't lose your temper. Remember: The idea is to get the cat to believe that the furniture itself is doing the disciplining.

Yes, your house is going to look pretty ugly for a while, with cat-deterrents all over the place and a cat tree in the middle of the room. You must live with it until your cat's new pattern of clawing only where acceptable is established. If you're patient and consistent, that new pattern will eventually take root. For some cats, nail tips help with clawing problems. Glued onto the nails every six weeks or so, these Soft Paws tips even come in a variety of colors.

Keeping your cat's nails trimmed is another way to reduce his destructive capabilities
Aversive can be used for the bed also.

[drgnrdr]

If you can not shut the bedroom off to keep them from the bed...give them plenty of toys to play with, and interactive toys dangling off doors or doorknobs...always exercise them and play with them. A fishing toy is lots of fun for the cats I have had, they would chase it down the hall and I would reel it in with them in hot pursuit.

Praise and treat them for the right thing, they'll catch on. Sorry this was so long..welcome to AB.

[ramish]

Many thanks for the quick responses. We do have a well secured multi tiered scratching post which they love and play on all the time. They use it as a scratching post and it does have rope as the scratching medium. Catnip is used every several days and that works well also. The "boys" came to us at 12 weeks, behaved exceptionally and after 4 weeks now have complete control of our shared environment. They have taken to the lounge as it is a fabric finish I guess and is soft and claws sink in easily. Ihave used pepper as a deterrant where I can with 100% success. Not sure what to put on furnishings, especially the corners. Pepper is not appropriate. Oh, the water squirt works well buy they already are smart enough to know it only comes out when we are around. I like the double sided tape idea but dont know if that will work on fabric. Also the carpet runner idea. I was hoping there may be some non staining spray one could use, rather like an "anti cat nip". Dont understand the reference to nails??

[drgnrdr]

Keep nails trimmed helps cut down the destruction capability , "Soft Paws" is a product..google it..it goes on their paws and helps. Yes about the water, it doesn't work if you don't hide it from them, I have always turned away from them and made no eye contact when I have squirted with it. But most of mine have not liked the "sticky paws" double sided tape nor did they care for the carpet runner placements...so it helped, but I always praised and treated them for doing the correct thing. There are repellents out there to help but always spot check when you get them to see how they react to your type of furnishings, spray it on a cloth then place it on the furnishing if you have something antique or such, some cats don't like citrus smell , so lemon, grapefruit, lime zest or orange zest type of things can help. You can maybe make a satchel of pepper and place them or hang where appropriate, not sure since I can't see your furnishings or home. Not sure what you have over there if you live in the UK. As noted you may have the lounge in a spot THEY like, you may need a second post and place it like it says above. One cat I had wanted to lay on my counch and it was because I had it at the window area, so I moved the couch a bit and put a window sill bench mat (bought from the petstore)for them, he enjoyed it, and left my couch alone. Good luck...~/:\~