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Any good ideas about keeping cats from scratching

Posted: Jul 4, 2015

want to put that right out front. I just bought some new furniture today, know the usual sticky tape, cutting their nails but if anyone has something that has worked well for them, would appreciate the advice. ;

So squirting them in the face with chlorinated water - is humane?

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I don't see how squirting water in their eyes is humane.

That sounds cruel. - You must not like cats.

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That would also impact their GI tracts. Sounds mean and inhumane.

What a hateful and cruel solution. There are much better - alternatives not so harsh. SM

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I wonder how you'd like it if your employer flung red pepper in your face every time you made an error. Or your friends/family did so every time you said or did something they didn't like.

This makes me sick to think someone would do this to a cat, or any animal.

Agree. It's cruelty. - Disgusted/nm

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XX

Yes it is cruel. So sad... - nymt

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So sad what animals have to endure at the hands of insensitive cruel owners. There should be a golden rule for all children and animals---Do unto them only what you would want done to you.

If I would not want it in my face - Not OP

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I would not want it in my cat's face. Sorry, but I wouldn't want pepper up my nose, and no way would I subject my pet to it.

where is that suggestion made? - huh?

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Scratching post - just me

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A scratching post did wonders to keep my cat from scratching my furniture. Then I got a new bed and she thought she could scratch on that. I started squirting her with a spray bottle every time I caught her doing it and she's not doing it anymore.

Several scratching posts around the house did it for me. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
They're the kind that also provide Rocky with a place to nap. We have one sort of behind the sofa (which isn't up against a wall), one downstairs in the den and another in an upstairs spare bedroom where he likes to hide out.

Try applying some white vinegar cloths over plastic if you - can

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I used to spray my cables with something I got at the pet store, and it basically smelled like vinegar. You might check out Pet Smart or Pet Co.

My solution to a similar problem - sm

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I had some woodwork that my cats wanted to scratch, so I taped aluminum foil to it, which they did not want to scratch on. I then placed a scratching post close to the woodwork to try to show them their alternative. They got the idea and went to the scratching post, which I moved farther and farther away to a corner of the room which is now their playground. Once I was sure they had lost interest in the woodwork, I took the foil down and they have stayed away from it since then (many years).

This is the OP and noticed couple of answers taken down - and do not know why

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One suggested the red pepper sprinkling and the other to squirt with water. I love my cats, would do nothing to stress or hurt them so appreciate any helpful answers.

The red pepper person changed her post. - sm

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Her suggestion was the equivalent of animal cruelty. Hopefully, she realized it.

Cats just do not like the smell of pepper and - stay away from it

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That person was not recommending rubbing your cat's face in it. One person went ballistic, everyone leaped on board with shrieks of animal cruelty, others suggested squirting water, so she took it down.

Capsaicin, the active ingredient in red pepper, is an ingredient in many commercial cat repellents. They think it stinks. Smell a jar of it and you'll see why.

For what it is worth, I have used it on a sofa. The kitties would head over to it, sniff from about 4 inches away, get a "phew" look on their face, and refocus their attention to a strategically placed scratching post. I never had to reapply it, either. They just decided the sofa was not a good place to scratch.

It is a deterrent, not a punishment.

I can guarantee that almost every one of the people who screamed "animal abuse" will at some point inflict some type of physical or emotional abuse on their pet, from hitting, squirting, blasting them with compressed air, frightening, terrorizing, chasing, or yelling, to isolating them in closets, bathrooms, sheds, or cages. And let's not forget neglecting to change their litter box.

Rewording a post - sm

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doesn't change the abusive tactics towards a cat with regard to RED PEPPER. It's cruel. Period.

Using something they can smell. SM - Old Anon

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from 4 inches away and then turn tail is not cruel. Also, the occasional use of a spray bottle of water isn't cruel either. You only have to do it a few times until they get the picture. You also don't squirt them in the face, just the body; and if you are worried about the chlorine in the water, you can leave water out in a bowel and the chlorine will dissipate, before you put it in the spray bottle. Like the poster above said, these are gentle training methods and much better than yelling and any other number of bad training techniques.

Agreed the water bottle method is not cruel. - I have used it for years SM

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and it works. Do NOT squirt them in the face, but on the body. All mine over the years have learned to change their behavior without the water if I make the "sssstt" noise. That's all it takes after a few initial water squirts, or even showing the bottle. They get the idea fast.

I'm one of the posters who screamed cruelty with red pepper method and I've never hit, screamed at, chased, locked in closets, etc, etc All that does is make an animal fear you and shows what a moron you are without proper knowledge of how to correctly train an animal. I've been raising cats for many, many years, and a show cat breeder taught me to use the "sssstt" noise and it's perfect.

A great suggestion! - Christine

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I just love your reference to their playground. You are a good pet person for sure! I socialize the cats at our local shelter, and I have become so attached to them. I take a laser beam along each time to get them out of bed. They all come running now and just love to play. Bless you.

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