Cats for beginners

[Kes Arevo]

Maybe catnip on the scratching posts to get her to use them, get used to where they are, etc?

[Fusss]

Where is best to place them, and once placed do you never move them?

[Kes Arevo]

I'd start by putting them where they currently scratch, (if it's just a few specific spots).

You can also buy cardboard scratching pads, with catnip in, which may be good to dot around the place.

[Castrol for a knave]

Fusss said:

She is nearly 2 years old! Putting it down to a new strange environment at the moment

Our big un meowed for days when he came to us as a foster. That and pawed at his bowl.

We elected to keep him and after a couple of weeks he said we could stay and we welcomed our ginger overlord.

The little one, which is part cat, part ferret, part Fizzgig arrived 6 months later and promptly flopped on its back demanding belly rubs.

[Fusss]

Kes Arevo said:

I'd start by putting them where they currently scratch, (if it's just a few specific spots).

You can also buy cardboard scratching pads, with catnip in, which may be good to dot around the place.

Ok cool we have one of those, will see how it goes

[Jasandjules]

Fusss said:

Apologies for the lack of picture

She doesn't really seem that bothered by her scratch posts, more so the carpet, any home remedies to put her off the carpet and attract her to the posts?

If you write "property of Dog, no cats allowed" on the post she will use it more..........

[Digger]

Fusss said:

Apologies for the lack of picture

She doesn't really seem that bothered by her scratch posts, more so the carpet, any home remedies to put her off the carpet and attract her to the posts?

Is she part Bat?


Cute.

[CheesecakeRunner]

Fusss said:

She's taken a shine to scratching our carpeted stairs. We've got a scratch post at the top and bottom of the staircase to try and discourage it, any other ideas?

We’ve just accepted carpets and furniture get scratched. No amount of scratching things seems to change that.

Fusss said:

Was a case of a poor night's sleep last night as she was up and meowing for a good hour at about 2 in the morning. She has shown no interest in using her own bed, even the one the previous owners let us have. She plonks herself at the base of our bed and then after a few hours she's up. Is that bad practise to allow her to do that??

We haven't confined her to one room, she's got the run of the house, but likes to follow us everywhere including when we go to bed.

Any tips to reduce the night time meowing? Shes fully fed and used the litter tray when we go up about 10ish.

Ours (currently two 9 month old kittens, previously one who we had for 16 years) get locked in the utility room from 8pm to 6am. They have water, good beds and litter trays overnight, and when they’re a bit older the cat flap to the back garden will be left open. Just removes any possibility of them causing disturbance in the night.

With the old cat we got to a point of simply needing to say “bedtime” to her and she’d merrrily go off to her bed in the utility. The kits are still being trained with a small amount of food but they know the routine now after a few months n

[CheesecakeRunner]

Fusss said:

Where is best to place them, and once placed do you never move them?

Don’t move stuff around. Cats like routine and stability.

[Simpo Two]

Fusss said:

She doesn't really seem that bothered by her scratch posts, more so the carpet, any home remedies to put her off the carpet and attract her to the posts?

I think part of cat ownership is to put up with slightly tatty carpets. The best option is to get them to sharpen their claws outside.

[Brainpox]

Fusss said:

Apologies for the lack of picture

She doesn't really seem that bothered by her scratch posts, more so the carpet, any home remedies to put her off the carpet and attract her to the posts?

When she starts scratching the carpet, pick her up and put her paws on the scratching post. Sometimes giving a scratch yourself will help them work it out.

ETA cats are very different creatures to humans and dogs, it could take her months to settle down and work out what she likes and where she wants to be. You need to let her explore and find her own way. For an easier life let the barriers down, if she wants to lie on your bed for a few hours then let her. At least she wants to be near you.

Edited by Brainpox on Wednesday 25th January 21:02

[Simpo Two]

Brainpox said:

if she wants to lie on your bed for a few hours then let her. At least she wants to be near you.

Mine sleeps on my bed most nights, and preferably on me. It's her happy place. The time interval between me putting my head down and her arriving on top of me can be <1 second!

[Fusss]

Put two scratching posts over the carpet where she has been enjoying scratching, and wedged them in so really difficult to move.

Woke up this morning, she's managed to move one of them and pull all the carpet out from the door threshold again!! Arrrrgghh.

Do those anti-scratch sprays work at all?

[anonymous-user]

Fusss said:

Put two scratching posts over the carpet where she has been enjoying scratching, and wedged them in so really difficult to move.

Woke up this morning, she's managed to move one of them and pull all the carpet out from the door threshold again!! Arrrrgghh.

Do those anti-scratch sprays work at all?

Cats will generally only scratch what they want to scratch, and it is hard to train in either direction, to scratch one thing and not another.

Scratching posts can be useless simply because cats prefer so scratch solid heavy objects, preferably a soft wood, or things that do not move. This is because scratching is a form of exercise for them, as well as to sharpen their claws. They use their whole body weight and their muscles to pull against the item they are scratching. If the item is loose or moves at all, like a scratching post, they will go and use something else that seems heavy and firmly affixed, such as carpet or a sofa. Think of it like using gym equipment, you wouldn't want a bench press or rowing machine that was wobbly or moved when you tried to use it!

They like softwoods such as a fencepost or pine etc, simply because they can really get their claws into it and it provides good resistance.

Ours has always had the ability to go outside when it wants, and he has always done his scratching outside, on well attached objects, mostly fenceposts. He has absolutely torn a couple of fenceposts to shreds, it is quite amazing, but that is totally fine by me as I couldn't care less about a field fencepost at the bottom of our garden, and I would much rather he did that than scratched anything inside, which he hasn't.

My advice would be to make sure you have a really well attached and sturdy object for them to scratch. I would even be tempted to get a short length of fencepost type wood, and screw it down to a really heavy piece of square wood base, or find a way of fastening it to something else maybe the stair bannister where he scratches.

[Simpo Two]

Lord Marylebone said:

My advice would be to make sure you have a really well attached and sturdy object for them to scratch. I would even be tempted to get a short length of fencepost type wood, and screw it down to a really heavy piece of square wood base, or find a way of fastening it to something else maybe the stair bannister where he scratches.

Maybe tie a carpet offcut round a newel post?

[anonymous-user]

Simpo Two said:

Lord Marylebone said:

My advice would be to make sure you have a really well attached and sturdy object for them to scratch. I would even be tempted to get a short length of fencepost type wood, and screw it down to a really heavy piece of square wood base, or find a way of fastening it to something else maybe the stair bannister where he scratches.

Maybe tie a carpet offcut round a newel post?

Very good suggestion. Get some heavy duty zip ties.

[Fusss]

Lord Marylebone said:

Very good suggestion. Get some heavy duty zip ties.

That is a great shout. We have some carpet off cuts stored away in the loft from when we had it done a few years back.

Will be digging them out later. I'll try the newel post trick and I'll try and weigh/secure down a fresh piece over the door threshold she has taken a shine too

[CT05 Nose Cone]

Whenever I get a delivery I leave the cardboard box out, she loves scratching it, makes a good hiding spot and you can cut a few holes in the top to dangle toys through. Toys wise they're all different but feels like the more you spend the less likely they are to be interested. Ping pong balls turned out to be a particular favourite, she loves playing reverse fetch with them (i.e she sits there and bats it off at a random angle, you get to crawl off and bring it back to her.)

[Fusss]

She's settled in beautifully now.

Using her scratching post nicely and no more carpet attacking! Happy days.

We have a decent sized litter tray which she is using lovely, but I think it may be slightly too small, as after she has done her business she is trying to cover it up with the litter but where she tries to dig is the lip of the tray and she just keeps digging the plastic not the littler, then gets annoyed and just leaves it.

Any recommendations on decent sized litter trays? Are the completely covered ones better and more usable for the cats themselves?

[Castrol for a knave]

Fusss said:

She's settled in beautifully now.

Using her scratching post nicely and no more carpet attacking! Happy days.

We have a decent sized litter tray which she is using lovely, but I think it may be slightly too small, as after she has done her business she is trying to cover it up with the litter but where she tries to dig is the lip of the tray and she just keeps digging the plastic not the littler, then gets annoyed and just leaves it.

Any recommendations on decent sized litter trays? Are the completely covered ones better and more usable for the cats themselves?

Good to hear, that's the wife sorted. How's the cat?