Saturday, 19 October 2019

Cat ignores scratching mats and posts and still goes for the carpet

I've had my cat for over 4 years. We recently moved to a new apartment, and she is frequently trying to scratch the carpet. In our old place, she literally never tried to scratch it, but that might be because this carpet is more plush.

All the other posts I've found are from people who haven't tried all the things I have. These are the things I've tried to get her to stop:

  • sisal scratching mats placed over the areas she scratches (she lays on them, but always tries to get at the carpet surrounding them)
  • sisal scratching tower with carpeted base (she'll use this one sometimes, but not consistently)
  • carpet scratching post (she loves sitting on the base and occasionally will use it, but prefers the carpet over the stairs or at the edges of the rooms)
  • blankets and mats all over my room (these have helped some, but she still tries to scratch the carpet)
  • double-sided tape at the edges of rooms and around the posts and mats (these act as a deterrent, but she quickly finds another spot)
  • apple cider vinegar and water mixture, lightly sprayed on the areas she shows interest in (works for like a day for the specific area, but she keeps finding new spots)
  • catnip on the scratching mats, posts, rugs, etc. (she'll be interested for like a minute then go away)
  • giving her a treat when she uses the things she's supposed to
  • using her favorite toy on the mats and posts
  • trimming her claws more frequently

No matter what I do, she still goes for the carpet. At first I thought she was bored and lonely, because I got a new job, my roommates are rarely home, and my friends almost never come over. So I tried purposefully spending more time with her, and being in the living room area for a bit every day. That helped a little, but she still wakes me up at about 6-7 every morning with her scratching at the carpet, which is making me incredibly tired, especially because she won't calm down and go to sleep until about 1 in the morning.

I've been here long enough that I don't think she is marking her scent, but I could be wrong. I'm waiting on some calming cat pheromones to arrive and I'll test those out on a blanket, because I've heard that can help cats stop scratching at things. I'm also debating on getting a rug, but that would only help my room. I've been researching those cat claw covers, but I've already spent so much money on things to try to solve this.

She's the light of my life, so I'm not willing to get rid of her. The emotional toll would be too much. Is there anything else that I should try? Should I just give up and accept that I'll lose my security deposit and probably need to make a claim with my renter's insurance? My housing management has been historically kind of awful, and I still have 10 months of my lease, which is a very long time to be waking up at 6 AM to lock my cat in my room.

submitted by /u/froggocelot
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/dk4k5f/cat_ignores_scratching_mats_and_posts_and_still/

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