Cat Proofing

Does kitty have a scratching post?

Alternative to de-clawing or coverings...

"Soft Paws®--An excellent alternative

If all of this is too time consuming and you have a strictly indoor cat, you have another very desirable option; a wonderful product called Soft Paws®. These are lightweight vinyl caps that you apply over your cat's own claws. They have rounded edges, so your cat's scratching doesn't damage your home and furnishings. You can find Soft Paws® on the web by clicking here or call 1-800-989-2542.

Soft Paws® are great for households with small children, as they guard against the child getting scratched. They are also extremely useful for people who are away from home all day and simply can't apply the watchfulness neccessary to train a cat to use a scratching post. An important caveat here, however; they should be used only on indoor cats, since they blunt one of the cat's chief means of self-defense. Soft Paws® last approximately six weeks once Kitty becomes accustomed to them. At first they may feel a bit strange to her and she may groom them excessively, causing them to come off sooner. She'll get used to them quickly though, and thereafter they will last longer. It is amazing how well cats tolerate the Soft Paws®, most don't even notice they are wearing them.

Soft Paws® come in a kit and are easy to apply. Just glue them on. They are generally applied to the front paws only, since these are what cause most of the destruction to your home. A kit will last approximately three to six months, depending on your cat. After applying the Soft Paws®, check Kitty's claws weekly. You may find one or two caps missing from time to time, and these are easily replaced using the adhesive included in the kit. To make application easier for both you and your cat, follow the instructions on accustoming your cat to having her paws handled that are discussed here in the section on trimming your cat's claws.

The great majority of cats tolerate Soft Paws® well. The brattiest of my own cats, a princess who is hyper-fastidious, wears them with aplomb. On her, by the way, one Soft Paws® kit last at least five months."

He does have a scratching post and uses it frequently. Soft Paws does not sound like something we would be interested in using but thanks.

You may be able to turn your valences into scratching posts by a burlap covering, something that doesn't look too awful.

You might try double sided tape. It is sticky on both sides, so that, when the cat goes to scratch, he is met with the sticky tape.

I know you said you probably wouldn't be interested in Soft Paws, but we did use them as well, and they worked great as a retraining tool. We only had to apply them two or three times and our cat stopped scratching on the rugs and furniture. We haven't had to use them since.

Hi Ron & Anne Welcome to the forum.

I used the clear plastic packing tape...you could hardly see it was there. Cat stopped the scratching. I left it for months and when I removed it the cat still did not attempt at scratching. ( and the tape left no sticky residue when removed )

Also a mixture of water and white vinegar sprayed will keep the cat away..they don't like vinegar.

Hope you find a solution that works.

Jo

The double sided tape has worked well for us too. You really can not see it. In conjunction with it when we sitting in the RV when they go to scratch we shake a jar full of pennies. The sound irritates them so they know better than to try to scratch when we are physically in the RV and the tape covers us when we are outside.