Cats that Scratch

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Does anybody else have cats that scratch? My cat scratch me, my furniture & my bed, she scratch my sheets, I think she doing that to bug me.

They can do that if bored. Do they have enough places to climb, play, toys, or scratching posts.

don't tolerate it scratching you.

Waldo is fixed in that area......... and in others.


I've seen some really bad cat scratches and bites. Some have become so infected that the person sometimes has to be admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics and one woman patient almost had to have her arm amputated. Waldo used to bite me until I got the "Cat Book for Dummies" and Mr. Waterbottle.

Agreed 100%. Super Soaker in the cat's face for that. That said if a cat, especially an adult cat isn't properly trained, there isn't much you can do about it. Best bet would be Positive Reinforcement Training for cats (Google it), but if it's an adult cat, expect limited results.

For scratching objects, provide sisal rope posts, scratching pads, a "cat tree" for the cat to scratch and stretch against and sharpen his claws on. Some scratching behavior is from boredom and some is practical where they are using something to get a good stretch, or doing the cat version of claw manicure, where they scratch off layers and "sharpen" them.

A regular claw trimming session is also good if the owner can start early enough with a cat or kitten so that they tolerate it. Get dedicated cat claw trimming scissors or clippers, and clip just above where you can see pink. It keeps the claws blunt enough that even if the cat does scratch you or the furniture, less damage is done that when they have become needle-sharp.

For scratching-up the corners of couches -- my couch corners used to be a prime target until I draped a huge sofa-throw blanket over my couch, and discovered by accident that my cat lost interest in using the corners to scratch.

Something about the loose-flowing fabric hanging over the corners, instead of there being a clearly defined bit of upholstery, made him not want to scratch that anymore.

There's also a chemical spray you can get that's supposed to discourage a cat from clawing an object or in a spot. I've had some success with those, but you have to re-spray.

Feliway products are also good, they are calming for most problem behaviors if they work on your particular cat at all. You can get sprays or a plug-in, and they disperse pheromones that soothe the animal. Some cats don't respond while others are considerably calmed. It works for my cat although I keep forgetting to replace the plug-in bottle.

To cats, scratching on furniture or wood, or whatever is almost like humans trimming their nails. There is no malicious intent in this. If they are not able to trim their claws, infections happen because of something similar to humans' "hangnails."

Like Bird-in-Flight said, purchase, at the very least, a scratching post at a pet store. They are not usually expensive.

Biting is, most likely, an attempt at playing from the cat. Be gentle, but firm, when preventing your cat from biting. Make sure the cat knows that you don't like it. This might stop it some of the time.

You could try using claw caps like these -- they are just soft covers that you glue onto the cats claws so they can't hurt you or destroy your things when they scratch. They fall off as your cat's claws grow out and then you just put on new ones. They can be hard to put on without someone to help you, though, unless your cat is really docile and doesn't mind you touching her toes.

Yes those claw caps can be a good thing too.

This is a good opportunity to mention how it can be a very useful thing to get your cat used to letting you trim its claws regularly the way we trim our fingernails.

It's best to start as early as possible if anyone is getting a kitten -- the sooner you do things like this regularly to your new kitten, the more it will tolerate it for the rest of its life rather than fight tooth and nail (pun intended, lol).

It's especially good to give claw trimming to an all-indoor housecat, because they don't get to wear out their sharp tips naturally on outside surfaces like concrete and tarmac and trees. It really takes the sharp needle tip off so that even if the cat scratches furniture, it won't shred it to pieces or do as much damage, as the claw has a nice blunt edge.

I think my cat can be bored. I live in an apartment.

I would like to cut my cat's nails, but I would be worried if I hurt her & I think Piper won't let me.

We got a cardboard box for our old cat Monkey Pi to sleep in, and she scratched it to bits instead of the furniture. Of course, she had long been trained not to scratch or climb on the furniture before I came along...I will certainly look into scratching posts whenever I get my own kitty [next year or later...]

My cat is just declawed. She would otherwise claw everything in this house to pieces and cut through my skin like butter. She still pretends to claw furniture all the time. She has her back claws still which are difficult enough to keep away. Those nail covers fall off. The cat doesnt even stand still enough to get combed let alone trim nails. Trimming nails would just be dreaming.

Most vets will do the trimming if an owner feels they can't trim the claws themselves or their cat won't let them. Most vets who see a cat for routine health checks will usually advise trimming anyway -- years ago when I was first responsible for my own cat, my vet noted the claws were growing long and sharp and actually spoke to me quite firmly about needing to trim them, and he trimmed them himself on the spot. My cat then was even an outdoor cat but apparently wasn't getting enough natural wear and tear to the claws without some human help trimming them.

You have to hold the cat or they will squirm around. Get someone else to hold the cat firmly.

The way I trim is I get down on the floor with my knees on either side of the cat, cat facing outward. I kind of lower my body over the cat's back to gently hold him there too, while with my hands I raise a paw slightly off the floor -- the cat's elbows are resting on the floor and so are mine -- and starting clipping. You have to perfect a way to use your limbs and body to enclose the cat without undue pressure.

Or, again, ask your vet to do it -- he or she will have assistants to help with securing the cat.

De-clawing a cat is a controversial practice, and is even banned in some places -- the UK bans declawing, the US does not.

Even if you leave one set of claws intact, it's not a great thing to do to an animal, as the declawing surgically removes the entire top joint of the animals "fingers" the same as if someone cut off your fingers at the top knuckle, leaving you with stumps. It's pretty barbaric just to keep furniture nice or avoid a scratch.

It's far more humane to just make sure you get the cat accustomed to regular inspection and trimming. Trimming blunts the claws so that even a swipe will not slice up your skin or tear up furniture.

I'm not as diplomatic about this as you are, BirdInFlight....

My opinion is that, when chosen by people who know what it entails, declawing is (with very few possible exceptions) an act of cruelty and selfishness.

If you aren't prepared/able to live with the kind of damage that an animal with claws can do to your body and your possessions (and those of anyone else under your care or sharing your space), don't adopt an animal with claws.

If you adopted an animal with claws without realizing the kind of damage those claws can do, too bad for you. Find a solution that doesn't involve subjecting your adoptee to multiple amputations; They shouldn't have to pay that kind of price (or any price, really) for your mistake.



Maybe claw caps are one of those "your mileage may vary" things.

I used to help my ex-partner put them onto their cat. At first, the cat tried to chew them all off and succeeded at removing several.... but we just replaced them and eventually the cat got used to them. They worked very well and only a few ever just randomly fell off before they were supposed to.