We started with them as adults. One of the cats had an infected paw as a youngster, and doesn’t like to have her paws handles at ALL. The other one was fairly docile, but even then it was a pain in the butt. I think they’re worth a try, definitely, before declawing, but they weren’t the shining solution I thought they’d be.
My cat, Daisy has a tendency to scratch the underside of ruge. She simply flips over a corner and scratches away. We tried to break her of the habit once by taping aluminum foil to the underside of the rug. It worked while it was on there. She didn’t like the feeling of scratching against the foil. Once we took it off, though she went right back to it. At least it’s out of sight.
You might try putting foil wherever your kitten is scratching now. He may be young enough to break him of the habit (Daisy was a bit older when we tried).
Well, good luck with the furball, firstly. I have three cats, and have had cats my entire life…
- Catnip with the scratching post. Get (or even make… it’s not that complicated, we made ours, it’s just three pieces of wood attached to each other, one serving as the base, one as the top, and one in the middle which is covered in rope) a scratching post the kitty can sit on. However, I would make sure you figure out a way to keep the post from knocking over whenever the cat jumps to the top, and off of it. Our solution was to put it next to our couch, and to push it close enough so the bottom plywood sits under the bottom of the couch. Some suggest using a lemon-based scent to spray on things the kitten uses that the kitty shouldn’t, because cats don’t like the smell. I’ve never had to use that, but many people say it works, so might as well give it a try.
- Tell your wife she’s just going to have to deal with it. Even if you hate the cat, the kids will really be crushed.
- Consider getting another kitten, as mentioned above. Perhaps an older one, that is still young enough to play with the kitten and get it exhausted, but also old enough to teach it the ways of domestication. While we didn’t really have a problem with behavior, cats are like people, they should have a role model.
- For the future, if you get another cat, when you get the cat home, the first thing you should do (even before letting the kids play) is show her/him the litter box. This habit has never failed me.
- For the current, consider where the litter box is, and you must make sure it stays clean. Cats like privacy, also. It depends on the kitten’s preferences, but every cat I’ve ever had refused to use an uncovered box. Also check the litter. Some cats like scented, others like sandy, others like sandy scented. Mine prefer nonscented. Also, it may (not likely… but it should also be considered, just in case) be a health problem. If it continues longer than you think makes sense for what you’ve been doing with the kitten, check with your vet. Probably not a health thing… I’m not a bit wary and cautious about waiving health, I’ve had experiences with “common” problems, that turned out to be caused by non-common health issues.
- Give the kitten a hug.
I use a wood stove to heat. I learned long ago, my cats would rather scratch a peice of fire wood than anything else. My BIL has 3 cats, he’s got a peice of a branch about 2 in. thick and 3 ft long. He just propped it in the corner of his kitchen and all his cats scratch it an leave the furniture alone,…mostly.
Wheel (sorry Photog) but I have to ask. Do you have any problems with the cats getting near the woodstove? I heat with wood and the stove sits in the middle of the kitchen; I was considering getting a cat, but was worried about the stove.
Photog, did you know this about your wife before you married her?
I don’t think you can force people to like animals; but, I hope I’m wrong.
Jim the Remarkably Stupid jumped on the lit woodstove once and once only. It was never an issue after that, he stayed away from it. The other guys were smart enough to realise it was hot and never jumped on it in the first place.
suezeekay, just like primaflora says, it’s only a problem once, and with my current cat it’s never been a problem. She does love the stove though, she sleeps sprawled in front of it for hours at a time. I have to pick her up an move her to put in wood.
One other point about scratching posts, they need to be very stable or the kitty won’t trust them.
Also, try to separate two concepts: honest concern about damage to valuable furniture and anger at the fact you can’t control the cat. I have not had good luck preventing cats from scratching on furniture. Slightly scruffy furniture is OK with me. Not worth getting in a big battle of wills over. However, if your furniture is high dollar value, or its pristine condition is a big part of your way of life, you will probably need to look at options like declawing or slipcovers.
The litterbox problems worry me. In my experience that if all is well kittens will use the litterbox 100% unless there is a problem. Having too much territory, the box not clean enough, wrong kind of litter, sensing hostility, or loud boisterous children are the kind of problems that could cause a kitten to mess up. Get a product like Petzyme to remove any odors that could reinforce bad habits from past accidents.
Try to enjoy the nighttime playtime. For a while we called our little one a velociraptor for the way she’d stalk our toes. They grow up so soon. Confining the cat to one room at night isn’t too horrible. Maybe let the kids alternate nights in their rooms? With food, water and litter, of course. If the kitten is locked up alone in a bathroom it will probably raise a ruckus. It needs a good place to snuggle, and a few weeks of occasional nighttime playtime shouldn’t harm your kids. I think locking it up while you’re gone would be kinda pointless. That is actually when the kitten will be most likely to get bored and just sleep. They are nocturnal animals.
Cats were a great joy in my childhood and I hope you can turn this experience into a good one for your family, too.
I’ve had around 15 cats and I have to raise my voice on the declawing is a terrible thing. What if they get outside and get attacted? You are asking a cat to not be a cat. What has worked with the scratching in my household is the cardboard scratching boxes. My cats are so in love with them that they sit and sleep on them when they aren’t scratching them. Try them. They come with cat nip in them and you can add more, I do. My cats are addicted to them and I think I am keeping the companies in business. No I haven’t found one better than another one they are all the same…