# Advice on how to control a cat **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 6, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635 "2009-11-06T20:56:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/21 "2009-11-07T02:05:01Z")
Sisal scratching posts are very appealing to cats. Especially good are the flat boxes of cross-cut corrugated cardboard which you sprinkle catnip on. I never had a cat that cat repellent worked on, but that SSSCAT looks great. I always trim my cats’ front claws, which helps quite a bit with the actual damage the claws will cause. But I would cover the problem area of the carpet with something - a piece cut out from a rolling chair-carpet protector, or a rubber bathtub mat, or something. And keep the door open. You have no secrets from the cat, anyways. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/22 "2009-11-07T02:34:49Z")
I don’t know if this is just a quirk of my cats or if other cats would like it too, but mine never used their scratching post until I tipped it over on its side. They like to flop over on the ground so they can attack it with all four feet. They also really like cardboard scratch pads, like [this](http://z.about.com/d/cats/1/0/N/G/3/CosmicAlpine386x353.jpg) one. Edit: Uh, cardboard pads exactly like needscoffee mentioned in the post right above mine… oops. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/23 "2009-11-07T02:44:25Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > If I’ve been in my room for a while and George has been sitting somewhere outside, in the hall or the living room, and I open the door loudly and surprise him, he’ll arch his back and run around with his back arched, in a very silly-looking “alert mode” or something, before returning to his normal posture. Does anyone know why he does this? Do your cats do the same thing? It’s very funny. I sometimes wonder if George was a feral cat when I found him, or if he was once a pet. I think he thinks he is wild. He sits by the window often, yearning to be free, especially when it’s open (it has a screen.) His instincts don’t seem all that different from a wild cat. He never gets along with other cats; the few instances I’ve brought him over to the houses of people with cats, he hisses at the cats and gets into an aggressive posture. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/24 "2009-11-07T02:57:06Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Does anyone know why he does this? Do your cats do the same thing? It’s very funny. > > I sometimes wonder if George was a feral cat when I found him, or if he was once a pet. I think he thinks he is wild. He sits by the window often, yearning to be free, especially when it’s open (it has a screen.) His instincts don’t seem all that different from a wild cat. He never gets along with other cats; the few instances I’ve brought him over to the houses of people with cats, he hisses at the cats and gets into an aggressive posture. I think it’s just a cat thing, mine do this too. I have no idea why. Regarding your cat’s attitude toward other cats, I’m not surprised. Cats like a stable routine, taking them to another house can stress them all by itself because it disturbs that routine and puts them in a new territory that they aren’t familiar with. Meeting another cat in those circumstances isn’t likely to have good results. Some cats will take to other cats right away but most have to be introduced slowly. It takes some time but eventually they will _usually_ at least tolerate one another, and hopefully eventually enjoy one another’s company. Mine didn’t get along at all at first but now they play with each other and get along very well. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/25 "2009-11-07T04:19:45Z")
**Argent** , please, just let your kitty in your room. Don’t close the door. He just wants to be with you. Over time he will get used to it and won’t be all over you as much. Cats want what they want and it is futile (and mean!) to deny them!! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/26 "2009-11-07T04:52:49Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Of course, I’ve tried just letting him in, but he often leaps right up onto my desk when I’m at my computer He really does just want to be near you. So make a spot where he can be ‘near’ you, but not in the way of your keyboard & computer. Make a ‘nest’ for him somewhere on your desk. or even better, on a high spot overlooking it. You can spend money buying a fancy cat bed at a store, but he’ll probably ignore that, and other homemade things work just as well. I use the cardboard top from a carton of computer paper, filled with an old towel. So my cats jump up onto my desk, sit directly in front of the keyboard for their 30 seconds of petting, then saunter over to their box where they can curl up and keep an eye on me. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/27 "2009-11-07T05:08:24Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Does anyone know why he does this? Do your cats do the same thing? It’s very funny. The arched back thing? Cats do it instinctively when they are afraid to make themselves look bigger. You are probably startling him when you open the door. I had a cat that used to do the arched back/sideways hop thing whenever we mopped, so we made sure to chase her around with the mop as much as possible. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/28 "2009-11-07T15:09:37Z")
Every cat I’ve seen will sit by a window yearning to go out and hunt/play, whether they were indoor cats, outdoor cats, or feral cats. They’re bored, and their instincts kick in. Getting him a little brother or sister cat is, indeed, very good advice. It’s hardly any more work for you, and the cats are much happier and busier with a playmate. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/29 "2009-11-07T17:42:20Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > For one, sometimes when I’ve closed the door to my room, he scratches at it, and at the carpet at the edges of the door. George has done a real number on that damn carpet, shredding some areas of it to pieces Have you tried putting something, like a box, just outside the door that would block his access to said carpet? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/30 "2009-11-08T04:00:07Z")
The only doors in my house that I keep closed are to places that are off-limits to the cats: the basement, the attic, and outside. Other than that, they’re free to go wherever they want . . . except that they are not allowed on tables or desks. I can’t imagine having cats but not letting them sleep with me . . . even in times of intimacy. It’s such a joy when my partner and I and both cats share the (king-size) bed. Oh, and I agree that getting another cat will help. So will time. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/31 "2009-11-08T04:24:30Z")
I was going to suggest Tin Foil or a few balloons. I have found cats hate both. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/32 "2009-11-08T04:39:31Z")
We are having the same problem with our 10 year old cat. Since we moved into our new house, I think our bed has become her safety zone, and this is a problem because my husband is allergic to cats (we have two), and he really needs them to stay out of the bedroom. They get to come in for a little while before we go to sleep, but then we kick them out. She mewls and scratches and _launches_ herself at the door off and on all night. I made her a nest just outside the door, but that isn’t good enough. I’m just about ready to start putting her in the basement at night so we can get a good night’s sleep. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/33 "2009-11-08T05:45:07Z")
Here’s how to [confuse a cat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Je1CEPkUM). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/34 "2009-11-08T09:19:54Z")
By the way, you can’t really “control” a cat. All you can do is adjust your own behavior to accommodate the cat. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635/35 "2009-11-08T13:10:49Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > The only doors in my house that I keep closed are to places that are off-limits to the cats: the basement, the attic, and outside. Other than that, they’re free to go wherever they want . . . except that they are not allowed on tables or desks. > > I can’t imagine having cats but not letting them sleep with me . . . even in times of intimacy. It’s such a joy when my partner and I and both cats share the (king-size) bed. > > Oh, and I agree that getting another cat will help. So will time. We keep at least two closed doors between our bedroom and the cats at all times. No nine pound animal is waking me up at dawn to go feed it until and unless I push it out of my uterus. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-how-to-control-a-cat/516635.md?page=1)