New kitty!

[Kittish]

I'm thinking of fostering again except they scratch up my carpet. I would close the door but they would scratch the door. Maybe when I replace it with tile. :\

Put a scratching post or flat on the floor scratch pad in every room. Show a new cat where to scratch by scratching at them yourself. I don't have problems with either of our cats messing up the carpet. Mister Kitteh LOVES the corrugated scratch pads, and they're inexpensive.

[ImmBarb]

Put a scratching post or flat on the floor scratch pad in every room. Show a new cat where to scratch by scratching at them yourself. I don't have problems with either of our cats messing up the carpet. Mister Kitteh LOVES the corrugated scratch pads, and they're inexpensive.

My 3 cats love those things! Even the one who was declawed. They sleep on them all the time. We have to replace them 3 at a time or they fight over them.

[wolfie]

Never been owned by a cat, but something I've read about scratching posts/mats is to be sure they're a different material from the stuff you don't want to get scratched. It's easier to teach a cat "post is for scratching, the living room carpet isn't", if the post is made of wood, corrugated cardboard, or wrapped in sisal rope than if it's covered in carpet.

[Kittish]

Yep, wolfie, that's true. It's also better, at least until you learn what kind of scratchy stuff the cat like to provide some variety. As an example, Bittle Kittle doesn't care for the corrugated, she likes sisal. Kitteh, as I said earlier, loves the corrugated and sisal both. I'd like to find a good size chunk of tree trunk with bark still on, I bet they'd both love that.

Scratching is in part territory marking. If the cat has someplace he or she knows is theirs, they're not as likely to try to claim the furniture.

[Aragarthiel]

My mom's had dozens of cats over the years (there was one point when I was little where we had 26... yeah she doesn't let it get that bad anymore), and she's had amazing results with the corrugated scratching boards. She also has a toy that's kinda like a ball in a ring (they chase the ball in circles, they can bat at it but they can't get it out) with a carpeted board in the middle, and her Brat loves that one.

[Aria]

My mom's had dozens of cats over the years (there was one point when I was little where we had 26... yeah she doesn't let it get that bad anymore), and she's had amazing results with the corrugated scratching boards. She also has a toy that's kinda like a ball in a ring (they chase the ball in circles, they can bat at it but they can't get it out) with a carpeted board in the middle, and her Brat loves that one.

Those corrugated cardboard things are AMAZING. My cat has decided she likes them best flat on the floor, so she can jump right on and wail the hell out of it. The only downside is that I'm shelling out roughly 20, 30 dollars a month on her cardboard habit. OTOH, it would take a very, very long time to reach the value of the sofa...

[wolfie]

Scratching is in part territory marking. If the cat has someplace he or she knows is theirs, they're not as likely to try to claim the furniture.

Also, cats have scent glands in their faces that they use to mark territory. When a cat rubs its face on your legs, it's not being affectionate - it's saying "The food giver is MINE!".

[protege]

The only downside is that I'm shelling out roughly 20, 30 dollars a month on her cardboard habit.

20-30 dollars a month...for cardboard?


While I do have one of those large corrugated mice toys and at least one scratcher for them, my cats seem to prefer the carpeted scratching posts. That, and empty shipping boxes from work. Baxter gets a LOT of enjoyment out of boxes. He'll hide in there, and slowly rip it apart.

[Aria]

20-30 dollars a month...for cardboard?

Well, keep in mind that's Canadian, we pay more for everything. And she rips through them so fast, they barely last two weeks, if that. I sweep lot anyway, with the litter and fur, but also the little cardboard bits...

[KuariKaydrith]

I tend to grab empty cardboard boxes from work and take them home for my furry family. It saves me money and the cats and the rats love tearing the boxes apart. The cats get the big boxes and the rats get the smaller ones. It does mean that I can't really use cardboard boxes to store things in, but that just means I've also got a collection of plastic bins for all my crafty stuff, spare blankets, and what not.


The gray one is Ykaterina and the black one is Tynan. Both of them are spoiled rotten!

[Seanette]

Very cute kitties!

Got any rat pictures?

[protege]

Well, keep in mind that's Canadian, we pay more for everything.

Sooo that would be about $2 American? Just messing with you. I know how expensive those cardboard scratchers are. I quit buying them, because Baxter will shred them in relatively short order, and then carry the "remains" all over the house. The only time he gets them, is what I can turn in points for free ones. Otherwise, he's stuck with plain old cardboard boxes

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Beautiful baby . . .

As for the "attacking" . . . I know I have several who when they want attention will reach out and swat at you. George (one of Gidget's babies) will do this quite a bit. So will Pasquinel when the mood strikes her.

Some folks aren't used to that kind of cat behavior, sad to say. Also sad is that they don't realize what they are missing out on.

Their loss is your gain, Mike. Enjoy this one and give him all the love he can stand.

[Aragarthiel]

As for the "attacking" . . . I know I have several who when they want attention will reach out and swat at you. George (one of Gidget's babies) will do this quite a bit. So will Pasquinel when the mood strikes her.

My in-laws had a cat like that. When you weren't giving him enough attention, he'd climb up on the couch next to you and swat at your face. Then he'd start licking. If you ignored him long enough, he'd nibble on your knuckles. It was never hard enough to do any damage, just to get your attention.