Household Destruction
|
|
|
|
Household Destruction |
Household Destruction by Tooth & Nail
Destruction by tooth usually refers to chewing on houseplants and pica (which is the eating of dirt or other inappropriate substances. Destruction by nail is simply, scratching the furniture or rugs. (Scratching people or other animals would be under the category of aggressive behavior).
By Tooth
This problem can be managed by turning table-top plants into hanging plants or by putting them in a room that is kept off limits. Another option is to distract your cat by making the
Houseplants harder to reach and growing flats of catnip and wheat grass in a more readily accessible area. Some people spray their plants with an anti-chew agent specially formulated for plants such as bitter apple spray. If it works for your cats, great! Personally, my cats didn't mind the stuff at all. Another method is to attach balloons and/or double-stick tape to the planters. Cats avoid sites of loud noises (popped balloons) and surfaces that feel tacky to their touch. In cases
involving pica, the cat should be examined by a veterinarian to make sure he is not suffering from any sort of physiological problems. If there are none, try keeping objects that the cat is
attracted to in drawers or closets. Also try distracting the cat away from desired objects by providing him with plenty of toys. Some experts feel that the chewing of inappropriate items is
a sign of boredom and isolation. Increasing the amount of exercise the cat gets and rotating his toys just might bring about a change. Attempt to train a cat exhibiting pica behavior
through dietary measures. Put him on a premium quality dry food with adequate fiber in it. Feed only that food and no other supplements or treats and keep the cat away from his former
pseudo-food items for at least 2 weeks. The introduction of a second cat as a playmate may also alleviate the problem, but this should only be considered if you truly desire second cat. (Adding a cat to a household is stressful to the existing cat and numerous misbehaviors such as fighting and household soiling may result.
By Nail
Now, let's deal with the number one destruction complaint -- scratching the furniture. Cats need to scratch in order to remove the dead nail sheaths from around their claws. This allows
new nails to grow out. Provide a sturdy, wide-based and rough-textured post covered in sisal. If you have the room, and the dough, There is some excellent cat furniture out there
made of wood, sisal and upholstery. Prices range from $50-$300 depending on size, design etc. Since I got one, (mine was about $100.00) my cats have been much happier and scratch it -
and only it (okay, Junebug still slips every once in a while). Place the furniture near the cat's favorite napping place because the urge to scratch is strongest upon awakening. The sound of human nails running over a scratching post often entices a cat to it. Praise the cat if this occurs. Dragging a ribbon or other interactive toy over or around a post also often gets a cat heading in the right direction. Make her new furniture attractive to her by anointing it with catnip, (use fresh catnip leaves, the spray doesn't work as well) her favorite treats and favorite toys. Make your furniture unattractive. Double sided masking tape on the arms and corners the best way I've found to do this. When the cat goes to scratch the area, she feels the tackiness of the sticky tape which, to her is totally repulsive. Leave it on for 3-6 weeks. It may look tacky (no pun intended), but it will not harm your upholstery). After you remove the tape, the cat will still associate the area with the tacky feeling and will avoid scratching. If claws are kept blunt, a cat who strays from the scratching post from time to time (Junebug) will do little to no damage. You can get results by trimming the nails every about once month. Trimming the cat's nails will keep them blunt and minimize the damage done by any scratching.
By providing for a cat's physical and mental needs through the use of kitty greens, appropriate scratching posts and challenging interactive toys, most household destruction problems can be avoided and you cat will be a happypet.