Can anyone tell me sure fire way to stop this. I tried spraying the walls with special repellant but it wears off after a couple of days and just makes the house smell. I don't want to stick tape all over the house. It's happening everywhere in the house not just one room but it's while we're out at work and I never see them do it so it's hard to shout at them.

I have a scratch post which they use but they also claw walls and sometimes the carpet. I bought something called soft paws which are tiny rubber caps that glue over their nails but they soon manage to bite them off and to be honest it's a nightmare getting them to sit still while I put them on.

Help!

[Snozzwangler]

Paint your walls.

[Purity]

What covering is on the walls? They may not have enough scratch posts, or they may just prefer the feel of the wall under their paws. No advice really other than to keep them in a room they don't scratch when you're not at home, and let them have free roam when you get in.

[thats not cool]

my cats do this too but I have nt decorated my new house so I aint bothered

Get rid of the super fresco and get smooth vinyl wallpaper

Failing that take your cat to the RSPCA and get rid

[TDHM]

Kick it progressively harder until it gets the general idea. Depending on the level of intellect will dictate the amount of kicks require.

[thats not cool]

ps spray cat nip on the scratching post it will definitly apeal to your cat

[sallygill1961]

Originally Posted by The Wizard

Can anyone tell me sure fire way to stop this. I tried spraying the walls with special repellant but it wears off after a couple of days and just makes the house smell. I don't want to stick tape all over the house. It's happening everywhere in the house not just one room but it's while we're out at work and I never see them do it so it's hard to shout at them.

I have a scratch post which they use but they also claw walls and sometimes the carpet. I bought something called soft paws which are tiny rubber caps that glue over their nails but they soon manage to bite them off and to be honest it's a nightmare getting them to sit still while I put them on.

Help!

mine does not use his scratch post so i bought him a scratch mat that you just put on the floor he loves it

[drut]

Sounds like it could be boredom and they need a break.

Send them off to "The holiday Homes for Pets Pie Company"

[StressMonkey]

A quick squirt from a water pistol - as long as it's not close to any electrical appliances.

[Justabloke]

I have 3 and used the same method for each and it works.

When you see your cat about to scratch, quickly grab it, while saying "no" in your best "naughty cat voice" ( the one you use to tell them off )
then carry them to the place you want them to scratch and holding their paws, mimic the scratching motion, while using your best "good cat" voice.

I also have a lay flat scratching pad... well it's about the 5th actually cos they wreck the things

This was effective on my cats in less than a week

No sprays / no drama

[Milky Joe]

Originally Posted by Justabloke

I have 3 and used the same method for each and it works.

When you see your cat about to scratch, quickly grab it, while saying "no" in your best "naughty cat voice" ( the one you use to tell them off )
then carry them to the place you want them to scratch and holding their paws, mimic the scratching motion, while using your best "good cat" voice.

I also have a lay flat scratching pad... well it's about the 5th actually cos they wreck the things

This was effective on my cats in less than a week

No sprays / no drama

Isnt the problem that it happens while the OP is out at work though?

[Purity]

Originally Posted by StressMonkey

A quick squirt from a water pistol - as long as it's not close to any electrical appliances.

The problem with that is that they'll just wait until you're out to scratch it. You could also harm them if the water gets in their ears.

Rewarding good behaviour (like the method justabloke suggested, but with some catnip drops added when they do what you want them to!) would be more likely to work.

Most of what has been sugested so far involves me actually catching the cat in the act but it's very rare that I do as it's usually when we're not in the house.

I'm seriously considdering stripping the paper and having just painted walls but it's an old house so it may be hiding a multitude of problems and plasterers don't come cheap, especially if you have to do it for in nearly every of room. It would take forever. Besides I like the paper that's on. Unfortunately so do my cats.

For some reason they don't do it in the bathroom and hardly at all in the kitchen. The walls are a different colour in those rooms and the paint is harder cos it's got a waterproof coating. I don't know if a charge of colour or paint might stop it.

[Snozzwangler]

May I suggest Dulux "Scary Dog Brown".

[StressMonkey]

Originally Posted by Purity

The problem with that is that they'll just wait until you're out to scratch it. You could also harm them if the water gets in their ears.

Rewarding good behaviour (like the method justabloke suggested, but with some catnip drops added when they do what you want them to!) would be more likely to work.

Tried everything to get one of mine to stop scratching the arms of the sofa. One week-end of 'aversion therapy' (also know as squirting her in the backside with a water pistol) and she realised that the numerous, cat-nip scented scratching pads & posts were much more fun. And a lot less wet.

Originally Posted by The Wizard

Help!

That's got to be annoying...

We don't have that problem fortunately. Mainly because we have no wallpaper and our cat seems to find the trees in the garden much more attractive than anything in house scratching post-wise.

Sorry... not a fat lot of help am I?

[Justabloke]

Originally Posted by Milky Joe

Isnt the problem that it happens while the OP is out at work though?

I used to shut my cats in the kitchen where they have accessx to the big wide world / food and water during the day and as I say once trained it was no longer a problem.

Which of course I know because there was no extra damage.

Cats do things like scratch, crap, eat ect in the same places through habit in much the same way as a lot of people do.
So once they've been "reprogrammed" the problem goes away

[Bourne55]

This may sound crazy, but it worked for me !! Place a wide strip of silver foil on the floor in front of the wall where the cat scratches. Apparently they don't like the look and texture of silver foil and won't walk across it to get to the wall. As I said, it worked for me so worth a try.

[Tumpy]

I gave up. So now I have to re-decorate before I move. Only done in living room and back bedroom when we first moved into the house and it was only 1 of my 3 cats. I was told it depends on the wallpaper paste used as some attracts but I don't know which.

[susie-4964]

Originally Posted by Bourne55

This may sound crazy, but it worked for me !! Place a wide strip of silver foil on the floor in front of the wall where the cat scratches. Apparently they don't like the look and texture of silver foil and won't walk across it to get to the wall. As I said, it worked for me so worth a try.

That is a really good idea! My cats hate the sound of tinfoil being crumpled up. Make sure it's loosely laid, though, so it makes a really horrible noise!

[stud u like]

Put it out in the garden,it will use the fence instead.