I've soooo had it with Kitty! I don't want to do this but...

[OtterCreekRanch]

I am a huge advocate of Soft Paws (the kitty nail caps) but you definitely have to have a cat that will let you mess with their feet to get them on. Our hairless cat wears them...not because she is a huge scratcher, but because she likes to "kneed" us constantly while being petted and she gets pretty rough with it. I was always covered in scratches. That and she is so clingy, if she is in your lap and you go to sit her down she would use her claws to hang on for dear life. She has grown up with being bathed and having her nails trimmed regularly though, so she sits quietly in front of me on the bar while I put them on.

We fostered a Siamese who WAS a big scratcher. I don't know how many times we tried to put the caps on her. Each time she ended up only getting 1, if any and we ended up bleeding. She probably would have had to been sedated to put a full set. Of course by time we got one on her and she got away from us she would chew it off.

I was glad when she found a permanent home. I have a feeling she probably ended up declawed as well.

I do not blame you at all for going the declaw route. I see so many cats dumped at our local shelter because their owner could not get them to stop scratching up the furniture. Many of those end up put down. As long as she is an indoor kitty I doubt once she is healed up she will even know the difference.

 

[TLWR]

Quote:
I knew of a vet that had that same opinion. He didn't like to do it, but if it was declaw the cat or drop it at the shelter, he'd declaw it so it could keep its home. Figured keeping it in a good home was worth it.

 

[Tylt33]

Grit, have you tried putting a scratcher on the couch? Or moving her food/water next to the spot she is scratching? Cats don't mark where their resources are.

 

[Dar]

my cats dont scratch the couch.. they scratch the carpet on the stairs... but what i have noticed is we brought a log into the house for a craft and it sat there... the craft didn't get started and the cats stopped scratching on the stairs and started using the log


kitty may respond better to natural wood.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Quote:
Try telling that to my cats, who (occasionally) thinks its hilarious to take a crap in their food bowl

 

[Tylt33]

Quote:
Try telling that to my cats, who (occasionally) thinks its hilarious to take a crap in their food bowl

 

[gritsar]

We have a couple of these scratching things that are flat pieces of carpet with a pocket for catnip and a rope to hang them off of doorknobs, couch corners, etc. I pinned them to each corner of the couch; she just moves to a different portion. She has also ruined the wood door frame at the back door. That one she does for pure spite. She wants to be an outside cat and tries to escape out the backdoor all the time. When we manage to get in the house and block her exit, she claws at the door frame. The double sided tape didn't work there and neither did hanging pieces of aluminum foil. As I said in the OP, we've considered the nail caps but with Kitty being so wild I doubt we could get them on her. In all the time we've had her Kitty has only tamed down enough to be petted by DH and I and even that has to be on HER terms. If she even hears someone else coming in the house she goes to a spot in the bathroom were she can enter the wall (access to the shower pipes). From there she makes her way through the walls to a spot in the kitchen where she can look out and watch the visitors. She won't come out until they leave; even if it's for days.

Kitty can't be an outside cat. She's one of those (apparently) rare chicken killers. She has to remain inside.

As a temporary solution I covered the entire couch in a couple of large heavy blankets before going to bed last night, but that's not going to be practical in the long run. Besides, I'm afraid that if she can't get the couch to scratch she'll move on to our new recliners. Considered moving her to the screened porch to live, but I'm sure she'd just rip the screens up trying to get up.

Calling the vet on Tuesday.

Thanks y'all for letting me vent. When I take an animal on I consider it as a lifetime commitment on my part. Rarely do I get as frustrated as Kitty has me right now.

 

[annie3001]

oh poor couch!!!! yeah get those nails taken care of.....

 

[hunterjumper999]

i will not ever have an inside cat that is not declawed. thats why we only have my old man ( had him done as a kitten) and an outside cat now. I am looking for an indoor rescue that is already done.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Gritty, you have a huge heart for your animals. You will do what needs to be done to ensure that they are healthy, content and safe. If declawing is what needs to happen so Kitty can be a happy member of the family, then that's what you need to do.