Cat scratching posts - advice?

[Kinoko]

I have a cat, getting on 6 months old now, and she's a bit of a furniture scratcher. Furniture, carpet... anything, really. I've done some reading up and I realise now she needs more than one scratching post (which she doesn't use anyway, but it was an el cheapo one... it's pretty crappy). I think I know what I want, but I wondered what any of the cat owners here have found that works, because I always prefer word of "mouth" to reading a website and wondering if it's being sponsered to give good "advice" on a particular product.

One of the things I like the look of is this: http://about.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=2541644/search=Cosmic%2520Alpine%2520Scratcher

I'd also like to get just a plain sisal scratching post as well (but one that's big and study enough for kitty to really get into).

So, what do you guys use?

Oh, I'd also like to give her a treat every time she uses the post at the start, what's a good treat? My cat loves tuna but I don't really fancy running to the fridge and trying to pick out a chunk of tuna for her when the time comes.

[InCreator]

So, what do you guys use?

...A hankie. When tears come. When pieces of couch are all around the floor.

My cat is no fool. There's no way that scratching some cheap post would be better than expensive couch.

"If you're so stupid, go scratch your post yourself, I like the couch and that's how it will be. Meowfoolishhumansmeow"

This is the look she gaves me when I try to teach him what to scratch.


Good luck!

[Hobbes]

And here I was thinking we were going to post pictures of cats scratching themselves...

Make sure the pole is long enough for your cat to scratch it when she's fully stretched out. So, buy a tall one, so she can grow into it as well.

I've sprinkled mine with powdered valeriaan. At least, that's what the substance is called in Dutch. Cats in general love the smell of this herb and mine are no exception to this rule.

Also, you can smear menthol near the furniture. On the floor or other surface. Cats hate this smell, so they'll steer away from it. It worked for me in my Crusade Against Peeing. Pepper is also a good one.

I also lost one piece of furniture to this behaviour... pity, but well.

See what works best for your cat... one thing that's so cool about them is that each cat is different. It's also a bit of a problem when you try to condition them...

As for the treats, I just have small pieces of cat candy from Whiskas (again, may be an unknown brand in your country) which they both like very well. So well they start fighting over it sometimes, damaging my furniture in the process...

[Kinoko]

I've sprinkled mine with powdered valeriaan. At least, that's what the substance is called in Dutch. Cats in general love the smell of this herb and mine are no exception to this rule.

I think you mean what we call Catnip ^_^ I was planning on getting some of that too.

As for the treats, I just have small pieces of cat candy from Whiskas (again, may be an unknown brand in your country) which they both like very well. So well they start fighting over it sometimes, damaging my furniture in the process...

Whiskas is one of the biggest brands here (and probably everywhere) so that shouldn't be a problem ^_^

Thanks!

[Haddas]

Get some kind of pole, and get a rope. you can get different shaped pieces and glue or nail 'em together. and then you glue the rope onto the thingymabob. Cats love 'em.

[Hobbes]

Glad to have helped!

One more info on the valeriaan thingy... Its latin name is valeriana officinalis. It's also a homeopathic herb used in pills to calm/relax/sleep.

About this catnip stuff... what exactly is it? Over here I need to buy those homeopathic sleeping pills, grind them to a powder and sprinkle it around. But Catnip seems to be something ready-to-use for a cat instantly? Sounds neat.

[BOYD1981]

personally i'd find a really tall building and throw the cat off of the top of it, perhaps then it would learn not to scratch furniture, if you want an obediant pet that won't scratch your furniture buy a dog, cats are evil and must be destroyed before they can take over the world

[PaulSC]

Being around cats most of my life has taught me that if you buy a product specifically designed for cats to use, from catflaps to baskets to scatching posts, they'll most likely go out of their way not to use it (litter trays thankfully being an exception).

Obviously these things work for some people, but when it comes to cats reacting to things exactly as you hope they will, it's best not to get your hopes up.

[RickJ]

Hehe, you probably won't believe this but I once cut down a tree, striped it's leaves off, and  bolted it to the wall of my basement so my kittens would have something to play on.    There is a 4x4 wooden post wedged between the wall and the tree they can scratch.   

The scratching thingy in your link, I think, is just  a bunch of cardboard strips clued together, so that the cat can scratch the edges of the cardboard.  I think that's a good surface and plan on making something like that for my cats.   The one thing I didn't like about the one pictured is that it lays fairly flat.  My cats like to reach up and stretch out as part of their "claw sharpening" routine.  I would look for one that's taller or just make one yourself with wood and cardboard.  If you do the latte you could put a platform on top so she can climb up and play or sleep. 


 

[Sam.]

This is the look she gaves me when I try to teach him what to scratch.

AAah! Increator is breeding cats with no gender specific organs!

[MrColossal]

Zooty, nature finds a way!

As for my cat [who is totally cute], we can't get her to specifically scratch something, we have a scratching post but she just licks it, go figure...

The only thing I don't want her scratching is my compuer chair, the couch is from the salvation army so who cares... I'd also not recommend those thingies that you put on couches and such that protect from scratching, then you'll probably get lazy stopping her from scratching, knowing that the cover is protecting your sofa, and she'll just keep doing it forever and ever until the end of time.

[Nightfable]

I would say the most efficient way to stop your cat from tearing the house appart is to get him/her declawed. In my opinion cats will always find a way to reach the furniture, especially if it's made of something really expensive like suede or leather...Ã,  :

Cats are cats, and will forever be trouble makers at heart.

*EDIT* MrColossal your cat is adorable, is it in heat? It's either that or you gave him catnip.Ã, Ã, 

Here are mah babies...

[Haddas]

I take this chance to pimp Kitty cam! Live feed from plaing kittens. the cat kids kind of kitten

EDIT: forgot the link http://www.luckystarscattery.com/KittyCam.htm

[MillsJROSS]

I'd have to agree with Cofee Lady. The cat's that I grew up with, we declawed their front paws. Because they don't really need claws if they sit around in your house all day and eat from a bowl. If you have an outside cat...that may be a different story. We kept the back claws on, though, in case they got outside they would have some form of protection.

They still scratch things occasionally using their back claws, but it's a significant decrease. If your dead set on keeping their claws, though, then it's up to your cat if he/she wants to use it.

-MillsJROSS

[edmundito]

The long overdue post your cats' picture here!

[Helm]

my cat also destroys as  she pleases. I don't really mind. My mentality is that she's my guest, I'm not her owner. So I might yell a little at times ( or use my patented non-violent 'don't do that' pick-up-and-shake), but then I can't really tell her what to do. Her preference is the laundry basket, which soon we're going to rotate 90 degrees so she can start on the next side of it, since it's almost falling apart now. What Increator said, really. Just stop caring about the furniture, once she/he picks the one or two she likes, no amount of manufactured cat post will change his/her mind.

[SSH]

My cat used to scratch everything: when we got her the previous owner (a breeder: yes, it's a pedigree cat with some silly long name (Averleigh dressed to kill) and which knows more of its ancestors than I do of mine) said she was an indoors cat only. It's a ragdoll breed by the way. Anyway, the poor thing sat staring out the windows at the garden most of the time (when not destroying furniture, wallpapepr, etc.) and it was disgusting having to empty the litter tray, so we started letting it out and it has been happier ever since.

On the other hand, it always meows really loudly when we're trying to get the kids to sleep. So if anyone wants another cat, I'd be glad for you to take it off our hands. Price would be about £150 which is what we paid for it, but I'm willing to pay you more... 

[Kinoko]

I've actually never had a house cat before. I've had dozens of cats (well, maybe dozen,... or less) in my life and we've always let them out when they please. For the most part, they were all okay (well, except one or two that died because of a fight or a car). My boyfriend, I suspect, has also never had a house cat, but he's always lived on large properties which are perfect for letting cats roam around safely. Now, we live in a nice but pretty compact place. It's a great house for a cat, but I KNOW she wants to go outside and I want to let her because I know very well that she'd be a lot calmer. I mean, I put myself in her position, she has a very small world to live in.

I used to let her out quite a bit because our "back yard" is a little enclosed courtyard, it's perfect. I stopped letting her out when she realised she could jump the fence and run around to the front of the house, down the driveway to where all the cars are. I still take her out myself sometimes but I can't let her out on her own because she'll immediately head for the road.

I'm going to at least wait for a little longer before bring the 'cat door' discussion up. Number one, she has to be "fixed" first (a big black cat from next door has started just stalking her from our back yard), and I also just want to wait until she's closer to a fully grown cat. There are a few other cats in our neighbourhood and they're pretty big. She's not a kitten kitten anymore, but she's still just a grown-up kitten.

[Andail]

Bah, all you cat-people and your cute bloody pets! Just publish one more photo of a playing kitten, and this forum will collapse under the cuteness.

I'm allergic to cats.

[Chicky]

who needs a cat when you've got this!