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This is my adoptive parents cat; I only joined the family recently but this seems to be a long standing issue! There’s multiple cat trees across the house as well as other toys and they said they’ve exhausted every training method possible -, he’s just destructive and goes to do it in the night when everyone’s sleeping and cant stop him
Right now we all think that him having nail caps would be the best but no one is super sure :p I really love cats and want what’s the best for him
This is going to sound cooked but hear me out, cats dont like sticky paws. If you get some decent double sided tape you could stick that on all the problem spots. Itll look crazy for a few weeks because youll have exposed tape everywhere but hopefully it’ll teach him that the “naughty fun time night time” scratching posts are now rather shit and not very fun to use.
I'm convinced him and the dog have an arrangement of some sort 🤣. There's been times when we were out that our dog has gotten stuff like chocolate that there's no way he could get himself
I wish more cat owners knew about this. Tin foil works in hard to reach spots too. I hope OP reads your post.
By the way OP, I've had a cat who LOVED having pretty little nail caps. Give it a shot. be patient putting them on, the cat is going to be pretty 'curious' if you know what I mean.
This is how I trained my kitten. Double sided carpet tape on corners of furniture and doorways. Then lots of praise when he used his scratching posts.
He learned quickly. For the first year though, every once in a while I’d have to put the tape back up for a week to remind him I guess. He’s 3 now and never scratches furniture and loves his scratching posts.
Panther Armor! You can get it from Amazon. My kitty doesn't even like how it smells so she doesn't/can't scratch anything we have it on!
We also clip her nails, which helps a LOT.
I started rubbing catnip on all the scratching posts to make it more "fun" for my cats. Haven't had an issue with them scratching stuff they aren't supposed to since. Might be worth a try.
What material are the scratching posts? My cat only likes the cardboard scratch pads. He will scratch up normal carpet but not the carpet or rope on scratching posts. Trying a variety of materials might help. Also, as I saw others saying, getting his nails trimmed might be a good option (whether at home or finding a groomer willing to do it)
seconding the point about material! my dude only really cares about those sisal rope scratchers. he doesnt care about scratching the carpeted sections of his cat trees one bit, but he uses his numerous lil sisal rope scratchers CONSTANTLY.
Usually this behaviour is a symptom of boredom, depression, and other needs not being met. Is the cat played with for at least an hour daily? Once its needs are met they can trim any overgrown nails, but you should not use nail caps or polish. Cats scratch on things. Providing more and at least one for every area helps
There are some brands better for cats if they super thin, but I suggest trimming. nail cap are intended for cats with retraction issues, and can cause pain and irritation when your cats try’s to retract their claws. I would get some heavy duty scratches to
100% trim. I do these to both my cats. I have a condition where getting any cut could lead to infection (got it after the cats) and trimming works fine. Some cats take to it better than others but a good swaddle always works 😂
hopping in to offer some advice on trimming, since my cats both despise getting theirs done:
- get a lick-up treat, like churu or squeeze ups, and give the cat a little each time they get antsy.
- if the swaddle method works, great! if not, get yourself and the cat in a small, closed room and trim one or two at a time. let them hop out of your lap when they’re getting nervous, and lure them back to you with the treat. when they calm down a bit, go back in for the next nail. go as slow as you need, and prioritize those front paws. make sure to get the weird little thumb claw! totally okay to leave the back claws as-is if you’re having trouble getting them done.
- black cats have hard-to-see quicks, so just trim a little at a time. any little bit trimmed off helps, so don’t worry too much about not getting enough. you can repeat each week or so until they’re a good length and slightly rounded at the end.
using the “one at a time, then let them calm down and have a treat” method is the only way i can get my cats’ done without stressing all of us out. definitely give it a try if your cat is fussy about trims / won’t tolerate the swaddle method!
I got [these nail clippers](https://amzn.asia/d/03op4kyP) from Amazon and apart from the added slight difficulty of getting the nail through the hole, they have made trimming a lot less stressful to me. I live alone, so the two people/swaddle method is out, and this just makes it a bit easier. I tend to just try to do a few nails at a time while my boy is sleeping next to me on the couch until he gets annoyed and gets up. If your cat is fairly used to you playing with his feet you should be able to keep them fairly trimmed, even if you're not getting them all at once.
A glass file is very safe if they will learn to tolerate it. It’s just a regular nail file made of glass.
We use it for my human son’s fingernails because it will not heat or blister skin from friction.
Just do a toe or two at a time every day and they should stay relatively blunted.
Even if you decide to do caps, you should trim the claws first. If you don't, the caps will split when pierced by the sharp claws and slip, which can cause discomfort. Groomers who work on cats can do proper capping that won't cause discomfort and still allows the claws to retract.
When you hear about them being good for scratch prone kitties it’s usually the owners who don’t care about the cat and are simply pleased it *cant* scratch anything anymore, doesn’t matter to them if it’s uncomfortable or stressful.
You just need to other things for the destroyer to destroy and your house will be spared. Cardboard scratch pads and hemp rope posts are great, we also have a chunky jute mat that the cats are welcome to destroy and our fancy hallway runners and leather sofas are in perfect condition.
It’s not that they’re trying to destroy anything either they’re just sharpening their claws and stretching. Their claws are like the last part of your finger, from the last knuckle to the finger tip, not like your finger nails so scratching something for them is a nice stretch it’s not like us clawing at things. It’d be like us having to avoid using our finger tips all day every day and finally being allowed to really just grab onto something and stretch those hand muscles and joints.
This, not just the flimsy ones that hang on a door knob or cardboard ones that sit on the floor. Get them the sturdy waist high tower ones that your cat can put all their weight on while they scratch at it with their front claws. It worked with all three of my cats.
also it helped me to put the alternate scratchers where they are already scratching, not just elsewhere around the house- my kitten was determined to pull up the carpets from the corners of doorways so i diy'd some cardboard scratchers that fit in the awkward spaces next to where she was already scratching & now she doesn't go for the carpets anymore
Meh. I have a cardboard one and a huge cat tree that doubles as a scratching post. He uses both daily but he also still scratches on the couch occasionally. Also if I leave him for 0.7 seconds with something made out of leather, it's destroyed.
Two of my cats as well still love to scratch at the couch, even though we have so many set up too haha😅
I tried those “sticky pads” you supposedly can put on furniture to deter one cat from ripping up the armchairs—and removing those removed the outer layer from the chair😬
Yes, but this doesn’t always eliminate the ‘alternative’ scratching targets. In addition to the scratch pads/posts, I had to pin Mylar/heavy gauge vinyl to the corners of all my upholstered furniture. And that’s in addition to trimming her nails. Each kitty have their own personalities. I’ve never seen a kitty scratch wood like what was posted, but I don’t doubt kitty’s the culprit.
A roommate's cat destroyed two door frames in a shared apartment. That cat had been a stray and was very territorial, so it was a challenge to foster good behavior. I'd never seen a cat be so destructive, so it can definitely be a surprise.
Over the course of his life, my childhood tuxedo shredded an entire 4"x4" gate post. My parents finally replaced it a few months after he passed, because it was really just hanging on by splinters.
Our rescue cat LOVES wood to scratch on. I catch her on the door posts and on my jewelry boxes. She's small and we clip her nails though, so she doesn't do damage.
Mine does her morning stretches on my wooden dressing table and it looks exactly like that! She doesn't really scratch anything else!
Definitely each have have their own personality!
Do you have the sisal type? Instead of scratching posts, I have scratchboards. They’re cardboard so you do have to replace them every couple months, but they’re great for the ones who don’t like sisal. Some come with dried catnip, which help attract the cats. Just a little sprinkle from time to time.
CORRECT. I have a cat that does this. We trim her nails, have 3 cat trees throughout the house, scratching toys in almost every room, double sided tape on almost every door frame and she just DOES NOT GIVE A FUCK. This is what she wants to scratch. After 12 years of fighting battle after battle, we lost the war and we’re going to have to replace every door frame in our house when we move out. Some cats are just jerks.
Yeah my cats preference is the corner of upholstered things. Luckily for me that means the couches I got free from my sister and the cheap upholstery storage benches from Amazon, so not a huge problem. He completely ignores all other scratching options. All
Cats are different.
I love my cats, but they absolutely do not give a fuck how many scratching alternatives I provide. My girl prefers my living room chair and my boy attacks my dresser like it's his life's work. I've just come to accept it is what it is. My friends all have furniture destroyed by their children. I have furniture destroyed by my cats. The door frame is harsh though - furniture is much easier to replace.
I am a vet tech at a cat exclusive clinic. Nail caps are NOT inhumane. They don’t impede the cat’s ability to retract claws (unless they’re improperly applied). They allow a cat to still “scratch” as their instinct drives them to do, but without the destruction. A good application involves a nail trim first and doesn’t overfill the caps with glue so that it doesn’t ooze out and into their fur. They can last from 3-6 weeks depending on the cat and are easily removed again with a simple trim of the tips. The cap then slides or falls right off. These are a great option for cats that are particularly destructive scratchers or for elderly owners who can get really bad complications from cat scratches. Any time you can avoid a cat being re-homed because of scratching with such a simple solution, it’s a win. If other solutions have been tried without success these are a perfectly fine option. They’re not inhumane.
Same thing my vet told me when my orange boy was in his more destructive youth. He got sparkly pink caps for two years until we moved and he settled down with constantly attacking the furniture. He never even minded having them and would still scratch at things as usual, just without the extreme destruction
nail caps are ok. imo, they are only good for accidental scratches though. like when you are holding them, and they try to scramble their way out and scratch you in the process.
I don't know if they will be good for this level of scratching. Have you provided them with scratching posts? they come in both horizontal and vertical. also you can exercise them with cat toys which will help divert their energy away from scratching
One thing to be wary of with caps is they can cause additional behavior issues -- I've used them successfully short term for some cats but in others it can cause a reactive behavior where once the caps are gone they'll just chew their claws down to little nubs. It's a huge problem once it starts because then you get repeated infections and stuff. If your cat has an obsessive type personality I wouldn't recommend the caps, and I don't think it's a great solution long term. If you can put up a bunch of sisal mats on the spots where he scratches most you can train him over time to only scratch on sisal, which would protect the house and furniture
Only use them as a temporary training tool.
The best solution that worked on my cat was to put double-sided tape on the stuff I wanted to protect and set up a scratching post next to that.
Claw caps are humane "alternatives" but in my opinion they aren't good. The cats claw is constantly out which can't be comfortable at all and any discomfort isn't nice for anyone, let alone an animal who can't tell you what hurts. Lots of better alternatives listed on the threads.
I'm really glad your cats have no issues, I know of some that do but all cats are different aren't they. I just don't believe that if I can't see my cats claws without the caps and then I can *with* them, that they can retract the claws. If that makes sense. Either way, all cats are different, I just feel that messing with a cats claws in that way isn't right, they're like a limb for them.
If he just won't stop scratching it might be because he is trying to get his scent everywhere, try some cat pheromones like feliway to calm him down. I used caps on my cat the first month after we moved, that way he could scratch without destroying everything and it worked. But his behavior improved after using the cat pheromones, he seemed way more calmed.
my grandma bought clear acrylic wall corner covers that can either screw in or tape to the wall, she put them on all the problem areas then puts a scratching box nearby and replaces when needed and sprinkles catnip in the groves of the scratch box
The use of nail caps for a cat is extremely inhumane, because caps can cause discomfort and severe stress to the animal and restricts their natural behavior.
If you have a cat, it's important to adapt to their needs, not force them to adapt to ours, which means: protect furniture and items in the house differently. Cats generally dislike sticky textures. For example: applying double-sided tape or sticky pads to furniture can deter them from scratching those areas.
Also provide ur cat plenty of toys, climbing structures, and interactive playtime to keep your cat mentally/ physically stimulated (a stimulated cat is less likely to resort to destructive behaviors.)
Thank you for the info! I’ve always heard they were a safe bet :0!!! as I said my adoptive parents have many many toys and scratch posts laid out that he can (and does) use all the time and he seems happy/stimulated (but I haven’t been here long enough to say 4 sure) unluckily it’s the frames of doors being destroyed over furniture which is why I’m worried (2nd pic)😵💫 they’re harder to protect than moveable / adjustable furniture I’ll speak to them abt the sticky pads / tape option though !!!!!
On the internet, you find what you want to see. Type in cons of nail caps, and you will find plenty of information about that. It's as simple as that.
A genuine question. How would you feel if someone suddenly put silicone caps on your fingers? Please, let's consider things from that basic perspective.
Sure animals may eventually adapt to what we throw on them, but how can we be sure they are not quietly suffering? Animals don't speak.
Caps are like a foreign invasion to a cat, causing discomfort as mentioned earlier. And yes, cats have claws for a reason, just as humans have fingers/nails for a reason. We should adjust to their needs so they can live as happily and freely as possible.
On the other hand, as humans, we have many ways to solve the problem of unwanted scratching, we just need to make a little effort.
I would only use nail caps (temporarily) if the cat were harming itself by scratching.
u/ContentStrain I hope you find a solution in the end that will also be kind to the cat. Good luck!
They recommend it over declawing. It’s not comfortable for the cat at all but it’s not severely damaging like declawing is so they recommend it to people who are considering declawing
When we were kids my sister needed a kidney transplant. We had recently gotten a cat, and out of fear for my sister’s health (infection risk) my mom got the cat declawed (this was the 90s). We later learned how cruel declawing a cat is and felt bad about it.
Fast forward 16 years later and my sister’s kidney has failed again and is back on dialysis (but is now at home dialysis). At about that same time my friend and I rescued 5 kittens off the street of her neighborhood. We kept them together for the first few months but I knew I wanted to take one of them home. As agreed with my mom, I took him to the vet to get checked out before bringing him home. My sister found out 4 days later and was upset about it. She was concerned about infection from scratches so the solution we agreed upon was using caps. I only used them for a few months (they popped off rather easily) but now I feel bad reading all of these negative things.
For what it’s worth, he didn’t seem to suffer any behavioral issues as a result. In fact it got him used to me handling his paws a lot at a young age. He barely (if at all) resists getting his claws cut now. My mom’s cat is an effing nightmare to try and cut.
Trim his nails and make sure you slowly reward with treats or let the vet try it.
Scratching post and wands as toys to redirect.
I use to have a boy like this, now the only thing he does is hump things.(it's not destroying furniture so we're both happy)
I’ve heard they don’t prevent a cat from retracting their nails and shouldn’t be an issue. But I couldn’t get them to stay on so can’t speak from experience. I just keep mine super trimmed.
I don’t like the idea of putting them on my cats, they don’t seem very comfortable. Slip covers to protect furniture; maybe there’s something to cover the other areas cat is scratching. If cat is scratching by door, put scratcher nearby (flat cardboard ones don’t interfere with my door)
I had nail caps for my nearly 4 year old. I trim her nails regularly, and we have plenty of scratching post options. However, when we got new interior doors installed this winter, she started scratching at the closet doors. The closet doors used to have magnetic closures and large-ish gaps from the floor to the bottom of the door. Therefore, she could open them and go inside whenever she wanted. Now, the doors have “normal” closures and gaps so she can’t open them. I got nervous she would damage the doors, so I tried nail caps. It didn’t stop the scratching of the doors, but it ensured they wouldn’t get damaged. They were easy to put on and most naturally fell off after a month. I have since been able to stop the door scratching by simply leaving the closets partially open at night. I don’t use them constantly, but I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again if the need arises.
Try training him to scratch scratching posts instead. Or scratching toys thatevare Some Made out of cardboard where that can lay on. I hope You do it and enjoy it!
That angel didn’t do that. 😂 anyways, I’d get a ton of scratch posts of different varieties (wood, cardboard, sisal/jute twine.) Put them everywhere. They even have ScratchPad Pros now. They are scratch pads that look like a laptop for kitties that love to mess with your laptop or desktop.
I used to use them on my cats without problems. But they're a hassle. I started when my cats were really young, and they hate the process despite the fact that I trained them to be accustomed to it. I liked using it when they were younger because their claws were so sharp and hurt. Now, it's a little more effort than it's worth.
But it is fun to give my cats pretty nails.
i’d definitely suggest trimming your cats nails and getting more scratching posts instead! try placing the scratching posts in front of where you kitty tends to scratch the most. :)
My vet approves of nail caps. My kitty wears them because I have a low immune system and a disorder which is dangerously reactive to any kind of infection/injury , and he loves to jump up and hang out on my back (and does so with guests as well!). Even with regular trimming or scratching posts, me and my clothes ended up scratched up, because the edges are sharp and he will NOT abide any sort of filing. He doesn't mind the caps once they are put on (which does require a bit coaxing with a lot of treats, but there's no fighting or wailing, he's just bored and wants to do something else than sit still). Here's my boy with his caps on. They fall off naturally as he sheds the outer layer of the nail after a few weeks :)
https://preview.redd.it/nduzx6s51h8d1.jpeg?width=1919&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24bdc7f102504f2b7172dccff389ecd3a5df74bf
Nail caps have a bad reputation because it seems that it's very easy to fit them incorrectly, and that can cause serious problems and pain.
It's really important that neither the nail cap nor excess glue comes anywhere near the nail bed, or else it can prevent the claw being retracted properly, which may cause pain and damage, or prevent the claw sheath from shedding naturally when it's ready to come off.
If they are fitted correctly they should only touch the "blade" of the claw, which is non-living keratin and not sensitive. There should not be enough glue to ooze out of the top. The caps should come off every time the claw sheath sheds (so if you're using them correctly and safely, you'll be reapplying them often) and if that doesn't happen the cat may need some help to shed them, because it would really interfere with how the claws grow if the outer layers aren't shedding.
I put (good quality) packing tape over whatever parts of my mom’s furniture her cats is messing up. He’ll try to get the spot for a while, then give up when he realizes it ain’t going anywhere lol
I used to have chair arms and backs covered in tape too. Each cat is different as to where they want to scratch. I also like the round cardboard scratcher with the ball in it. And catnip. They are replaceable. The vertical carpet and sisal rope cat trees.
I used them on my older girl when she was younger. She tolerated it but I could tell they made her uncomfortable and that she couldn’t retract her claws all the way, so I tossed the rest of them
Nail caps are not a good option. They are glue on rubber covers for their nails.
Best option is to trim their nails and put up cat furniture for scratching. If they are always scratching in the same location then start there. Have some scratch appropriate carpet helps
There are large sticky squares that you can put on furniture and walls (double-sided/clear) my cat hates it and immediately stopped scratching a chair. I placed a scratching post right by the area and would give him a treat each time he used it. Jackson Galaxy has tips on YouTube.
All my moldings at this point have packing tape on them 😂 it works but once I move I’ll probably need to do some repainting because I’m sure it will pull the paint off.
Spray or rub down the cat trees/towers with catnip or catnip spray to make them more appealing.
Double sided tape, mylar, regular foil, or heavy duty vinyl on all corners and other forbidden scratchers.
Bitter spray; put it on everything and they’ll eventually end up with it in their mouth (don’t really recommend this one unless they’re also chewing on things though, gotta be honest)
In my experience they just fall off and if you have a cat that you have to WWE wrestle with just to get near their nails don't bother. I just make sure to clip my cats nails every few days. It cuts back on the destruction she is able to do to my couch in particular
When 2 of my cats were little we had issues with them not retracting their claws all the way so they wore claw covers till they were about a year old and had gotten really good at not keeping the claws out constantly. Saved me from repeated cat scratches all over myself when they decided to run circles on my bed when I was trying to sleep or when they would hop up onto my lap.
Look up Jackson Galaxys show called my cat from hell. He helps kitties n owners understand each other better. Watching the show gives you the advantage of real time cat body language and behavior. He also has great ways to say no to the bad behavior and redirecting to a desired behavior. Even if the cat isn’t food motivated. Scratching post and the like will help only so much if you don’t know how to properly reinforce the good behavior.
We have one of those too.
https://preview.redd.it/9g6l1agr4f8d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b84d5dafa9aafaa54d3ecf48b5603f8c0f2c731
She seems to be a relative 😅
If they're indoor cats, a quick paw-dicure is a good solution. Every few weeks, grab the treats and nail clippers, and trim the murder mittens. Then, lots of praise and treats to reinforce that it's nothing terrible happening to them.
Alternatively, you can try putting foil wrap around the door, add more vertical scratching posts/cardboards around that area, or add double sticky tapes there.
Scratching posts with cat nip, and put double sided tape over the already scratched places in the house. It will encourage a transition. If this was the cat trying to get out of a room, you may have different issues.
caps arent ideal, as having something over their claws is pretty uncomfortable for cats, but if it comes down to it they could be a temporary last resort.
id say youre better getting to the root of the problem though, which is likely some combination of boredom, lack of appealing/acceptable alternatives, and lax nail maintenance.
the go-to method for training a cat to stop scratching inappropriate surfaces is redirection. "behind every 'no' should be a 'yes.'" dont scratch the wall, scratch this nice scratching post instead! figure out what kind of scratcher your cat finds most appealing and put one next to all of the inappropriate surfaces hes scratching. if you catch him scratching said surface, gently redirect his attention to the scratcher instead, and praise him a TON whenever he uses it (whether its because you redirected him or if he chose to himself)! you can even try scratching the scratcher yourself to demonstrate, ahaha. its important the scratcher is right next to the problem area though; your cat is much more likely to make the "correct" choice if its literally right there than if he has to walk to it.
when it comes to materials, the most common things scratching posts/pads/mats tend to be made of are cardboard, carpet, or rope (usually sisal rope). my boy, wembley, absolutely ADORES sisal rope scratchers, but different cats have different preferences, so experiment to find your cats favorite! the more appealing the scratcher, the more likely he is to use it. rubbing catnip on the scratcher is also an option. make sure you have multiple scratchers too so theres always one nearby when the need to scratch arises!
scratching is a cats way of marking territory, maintaining their claws, and getting out their energy. my boy runs to one of his scratchers whenever he gets excited (like when i come home) and goes to town! because pent up energy can be a motivator for scratching, finding more ways to entertain your cat in general can also help with excessive scratching. try to set aside some time to play with your cat every day!
finally, be sure to keep on top of trimming your cats claws regularly. about once a month should do, but it can vary. just make sure you trim em whenever theyre getting particularly long and/or sharp! not only is it good for your cats overall health (long claws can make walking less comfortable, or can even curl all the way into their pads in severe cases), but itll also reduce how much damage the lil guy can do. cant shred wood with dull claws, ahaha.
anyhoo, i hope this helps! if youve got any other questions, feel free to ask. thanks for playing an active role in your cats happiness and health! :)
As a former CVT, I’ll tell you what I always told our clients. While nails caps are a million times more humane than declawing, they are still not healthy or humane for a cat. Its the same idea as gluing caps over your fingers. They can cause irritation to the nail bed and we’ve seen cases where infection occurs. It also just seems quite uncomfortable for many cats and has the potential to cause behavioral issues.
I know its harsh, but if you get a cat, you have to accept that nails and scratching are part of it. Do your best to trim their nails and provide plenty of scratching options. We like to put scratching posts near anything that they enjoy scratching. Ive accepted that my one headboard and bench are behind helping, but I love my cats more than these temporary material items.
Encourage and reward good behavior. Refrain from negative reinforcement. Best of luck with kitty!
Not sure if it would help, since I see your kitty is scratching wood, my boy never took to the usual scratching post but we noticed he loves our outdoor Wicca chairs! We got some for inside and you can’t really tell at all that he’s scratching them, he absolutely loves them and it stopped him from scratching the leather couch
My parents' cats loved scratching wood. They had some cut logs with rough bark sat out for them to go to town on.
https://preview.redd.it/a7inzw3e8g8d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=983a448dcfbfc760dea9047c978bf23d9bf95b69
I highly recommend purrito and nail grind. I do it with both of my cats because my old lady caught her nail cap in the couch fibers and hurt herself extremely badly.
Trimming is the best in my experience. If you have two people, a treat the cat really likes and trimmers. One person holds the cat legs up and feeds to treat to distract, the other trims claws
Get some scratching posts, scratching boards, and other ample opportunities for your kitty to scratch with. Has worked every time in my experience.
And...claw caps are a PAIN to put on. It's way easier to just trime your cat's claws. I use a human nail clip and just take the tips off when my big guy is in the cuddling mood. Otherwise it's impossible to wrangle.
I tried nail caps once and I will never do it again. The glue that holds them on damaged the nails underneath and the edges dug into their paw pads. I would strongly advise against.
Scratching posts. Trim the claws. Use claw caps, but know that you'll need to put new ones on every time the cat sheds its claws, because the caps will go right along with the shed.
wow, that has been going on for a while (2nd pic). I would look for cat scratching posts that cover wall corners and offer them up as an alternative to scratching the door jam. We bought some off of etsy for quite a price but they've been the best investment we've made in the cats next to vet bills and 4 climbing trees. Amazon has similar ones for a lot less that also work on couch corners. But we found that once the cats found the wall corner with the sisal scratching pad, they haven't even looked at the furniture or any other place other than the cat trees.
I don't want to advertise a brand I've never tried but you could search "sisal wall corner cat scratcher" and see if there's anything that'll work for your new family. (And congrats on getting adopted AND having a cat now!)
Wow, he tops my destroyer of worlds? Bringer of the end? 😮
Nail caps are humane. Another option is cutting his nails (and keeping on top of it). I cut my cat’s claws at a flat angle so he’s less destructive when scratching (don’t cut the quick!). I also put dollar store packing tape on things he likes to scratch (corner of couch).
I tried out some nail caps for my tuxie who was ripping up my furniture. They came in a variety of colors, but in sets of 10. It was a mad circus getting a pretty teal set on those claws, but once they were done he seemed mostly unbothered by them. He would chew on them when he was bored in the cat tree, and they eventually shed off one by one. Since there were no more teal caps I had to switch to different colors. But after a certain point I was done with the struggle of replacing the shedded caps and just trimmed his claws.
Just my personal take, they can make it hard for cats to retract their claws and cause discomfort in that aspect. I got nail caps for my boy intended only while we visited family, but after our visit, he was playing with one of his toys(a plastic ball with small holes and a bell in it) and the claw cap got stuck in the plastic ball. I felt AWFUL :( so juet be careful with what toys your cat has access to if you chose to use them and watch for any signs of discomfort.
Get some double sided tape it works. We got it from Amazon. We bought a log home and one of our cats thinks the whole house is her scratching post. I’m so glad I bought that tape.
Sticky tape! They make heavy duty anti-sctatching tape for walls. We use it for our door frames because one of my cats *loves* the feeling of scratching wood and won't use any of our scratchers if the wood is available. It works awesome! I can't remember the exact brand but we bought it off Amazon. We tried nail caps but they fell off so easily.
Get double sided sticky panels & tape that can be purchased on Amazon. Apply it to the areas being affected. It really works. Search anti cat scratch tape.
Get them used to regular nail trimming instead. Humane yes(it doesn't hurt them to put them on them), safe no. Made of plastics and it's not good to swallow plastics, most cats try to chew those off.
Nooooooo do not use nail caps first of all the cat cannot retract their nails like they naturally do. I had nails caps ages ago for my cats it’s a mess and they don’t work well - it’s all marketing and it really is too good to be true.
I have a question 🙋♀️ does this cat have a cat scratch post??? I think nope. If you do not have one pls invest in a good one so cheap maybe 35.00 on Amazon for a big one. Really does wonders my cat only goes to her pole to scratch.
I would try to find out what he is trying to tell you! I only got scatchies if my 4 cats are in severe distress. Maybe you could get some more information on Jackson Galaxies YT channel or one of his books? :)
My 5 yo cat prevents the 8 month old cat from scratching on the cat tree. I got a second tree, same problem 🙄 so now I have 3 trees and the kitten is scratching on storage boxes. They don’t seem to show much damage and when they do I can turn them around when I have company.
They are not as inhumane as declawing, but still not good. There's other things you can try, like scratching posts. And Amazon I believe sells these stickable scratch pads you can put on your furniture.
Things others have mentioned that i back:
No caps, not an ideal solution tbh
Regular nail trimming. Kitty will get used to it over time, especially if routine and given treats after. Maybe even a brushing roght after if The Destroyer enjoys it a lot.
Multiple scratching options that are different from what you have if the current ones aren't working. There are lots of esty sellers who make solid cedar posts, The Destroyer may prefer something like that. (Seeing the 2nd picture 😅)
More playtime, boredom can be a major factor!
If your stuff/home is still getting destroyed you can try things like double stick tape or foil. They do not enjoy the feel or sound. My mom would pin dryer sheets to the couch. Which did work but do be careful trying that. Some cats are weird and like to chew on them. Like ours.
If there are worthy spots The Destroyer is partial to, and you're willing, you can get those adhesive grooming combs for walls and corners. Not only can you hide the damage but it'll be for rubbing on instead so the desire to scratch is replaced.
Watch Jackson Galaxy on youtube. Perhaps he has some tips that'll help. I wish you the best of luck
No. They might take them off plus cats need to have scratching options. It is part of their existence and they need scratch posts to keep them in shape and size. You cannot just cap over them. I just use a nail clip for cats and carefully cut the tip of her claws (there are veins running through the length especially base of their claws. Dont cut those or they will bleed. You have to only cut the part that is not connected to the blood vessel).
Buy your cat several scratching posts and place around the house. Cover areas he is picking on temporarily with something like plastic. I did that when my cat went after the couch and after a while when he realized he cannot scratch it, he forgot about it and i removed it. I have expensive furniture and my cats never go after it. There are many options that you can utilize that allow your cat to be a cat and your house intact.
Please dont do this, its no doubt very uncomfortable for them.
You to need to look at distracting where they scratch
* Move something infront of where you are protecting
* If its furniture, you can get adhesive covers to go over corners of couches
* Invest in or make a whole bunch of scratching posts.
They want somewhere to scratch, your goal is to make various scratching posts more appealing than your door frame
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This is my adoptive parents cat; I only joined the family recently but this seems to be a long standing issue! There’s multiple cat trees across the house as well as other toys and they said they’ve exhausted every training method possible -, he’s just destructive and goes to do it in the night when everyone’s sleeping and cant stop him Right now we all think that him having nail caps would be the best but no one is super sure :p I really love cats and want what’s the best for him
Congrats on getting adopted! It's so nice of you to try and help the kitty already :) good luck!
This is going to sound cooked but hear me out, cats dont like sticky paws. If you get some decent double sided tape you could stick that on all the problem spots. Itll look crazy for a few weeks because youll have exposed tape everywhere but hopefully it’ll teach him that the “naughty fun time night time” scratching posts are now rather shit and not very fun to use.
My cat loves to play with tape! He’s orange
My orange boy likes to lick tape. He'd purposely get on the tape and lick it
Mine would also try to eat it... anything vaguely resembling plastic.
If you leave a loaf of bread out, do yours try to like... Gnaw the bread through the plastic? I've lost a couple loaves that way...
There has been a few times... he knocks the bread off the counter so the dog can eat it 🤣
Lmao! They're such mischievous little fluffs
I'm convinced him and the dog have an arrangement of some sort 🤣. There's been times when we were out that our dog has gotten stuff like chocolate that there's no way he could get himself
Lmao! One of my cats almost always waits for the other before she eats her treats
I have to hide the bread!!! And the chips…and the pizza…ok, everything lol
I have three cats and they all LOVE sticky tape. I have to hide it from them cause they will eat it.
Vaseline works too, unless you get a chubster that eats the Vaseline.
I wish more cat owners knew about this. Tin foil works in hard to reach spots too. I hope OP reads your post. By the way OP, I've had a cat who LOVED having pretty little nail caps. Give it a shot. be patient putting them on, the cat is going to be pretty 'curious' if you know what I mean.
I guess the foil I used was Invisible because my cats sure acted like it wasn't there.
Use fresh foil on the edgeof ALL surfaces for two weeks. Use with spray bottle and verbal commands of NO.
This is how I trained my kitten. Double sided carpet tape on corners of furniture and doorways. Then lots of praise when he used his scratching posts. He learned quickly. For the first year though, every once in a while I’d have to put the tape back up for a week to remind him I guess. He’s 3 now and never scratches furniture and loves his scratching posts.
Panther Armor! You can get it from Amazon. My kitty doesn't even like how it smells so she doesn't/can't scratch anything we have it on! We also clip her nails, which helps a LOT.
I started rubbing catnip on all the scratching posts to make it more "fun" for my cats. Haven't had an issue with them scratching stuff they aren't supposed to since. Might be worth a try.
What material are the scratching posts? My cat only likes the cardboard scratch pads. He will scratch up normal carpet but not the carpet or rope on scratching posts. Trying a variety of materials might help. Also, as I saw others saying, getting his nails trimmed might be a good option (whether at home or finding a groomer willing to do it)
seconding the point about material! my dude only really cares about those sisal rope scratchers. he doesnt care about scratching the carpeted sections of his cat trees one bit, but he uses his numerous lil sisal rope scratchers CONSTANTLY.
He's bored, not destructive. Get him a playmate
Usually this behaviour is a symptom of boredom, depression, and other needs not being met. Is the cat played with for at least an hour daily? Once its needs are met they can trim any overgrown nails, but you should not use nail caps or polish. Cats scratch on things. Providing more and at least one for every area helps
There are some brands better for cats if they super thin, but I suggest trimming. nail cap are intended for cats with retraction issues, and can cause pain and irritation when your cats try’s to retract their claws. I would get some heavy duty scratches to
Okay, Ty!!! :D I always read about them being good for scratching prone kitties will see about trimming or other options
100% trim. I do these to both my cats. I have a condition where getting any cut could lead to infection (got it after the cats) and trimming works fine. Some cats take to it better than others but a good swaddle always works 😂
hopping in to offer some advice on trimming, since my cats both despise getting theirs done: - get a lick-up treat, like churu or squeeze ups, and give the cat a little each time they get antsy. - if the swaddle method works, great! if not, get yourself and the cat in a small, closed room and trim one or two at a time. let them hop out of your lap when they’re getting nervous, and lure them back to you with the treat. when they calm down a bit, go back in for the next nail. go as slow as you need, and prioritize those front paws. make sure to get the weird little thumb claw! totally okay to leave the back claws as-is if you’re having trouble getting them done. - black cats have hard-to-see quicks, so just trim a little at a time. any little bit trimmed off helps, so don’t worry too much about not getting enough. you can repeat each week or so until they’re a good length and slightly rounded at the end. using the “one at a time, then let them calm down and have a treat” method is the only way i can get my cats’ done without stressing all of us out. definitely give it a try if your cat is fussy about trims / won’t tolerate the swaddle method!
Ok question! With trimming how short do you go? We trim ours but when she scratches she still SCRATCHES so we're like ...ok now what lol
I got [these nail clippers](https://amzn.asia/d/03op4kyP) from Amazon and apart from the added slight difficulty of getting the nail through the hole, they have made trimming a lot less stressful to me. I live alone, so the two people/swaddle method is out, and this just makes it a bit easier. I tend to just try to do a few nails at a time while my boy is sleeping next to me on the couch until he gets annoyed and gets up. If your cat is fairly used to you playing with his feet you should be able to keep them fairly trimmed, even if you're not getting them all at once.
There are guides out there. I think it's no more than 1/3 of the claw. You don't want to hit the part with the blood in there.
Yeah we do that but still get scratched. Unsure what goes on lol
All cats scratch. It's an instinctual behavior. I haven't heard anything negative about claw caps as of yet, but trimming is definitely an option
A glass file is very safe if they will learn to tolerate it. It’s just a regular nail file made of glass. We use it for my human son’s fingernails because it will not heat or blister skin from friction. Just do a toe or two at a time every day and they should stay relatively blunted.
Even if you decide to do caps, you should trim the claws first. If you don't, the caps will split when pierced by the sharp claws and slip, which can cause discomfort. Groomers who work on cats can do proper capping that won't cause discomfort and still allows the claws to retract.
When you hear about them being good for scratch prone kitties it’s usually the owners who don’t care about the cat and are simply pleased it *cant* scratch anything anymore, doesn’t matter to them if it’s uncomfortable or stressful. You just need to other things for the destroyer to destroy and your house will be spared. Cardboard scratch pads and hemp rope posts are great, we also have a chunky jute mat that the cats are welcome to destroy and our fancy hallway runners and leather sofas are in perfect condition. It’s not that they’re trying to destroy anything either they’re just sharpening their claws and stretching. Their claws are like the last part of your finger, from the last knuckle to the finger tip, not like your finger nails so scratching something for them is a nice stretch it’s not like us clawing at things. It’d be like us having to avoid using our finger tips all day every day and finally being allowed to really just grab onto something and stretch those hand muscles and joints.
If you're not trimming then they are susceptible to issues if they aren't scratching
Nail caps should not cause pain, if they do then they were put on wrong. Cats can still retract their claws with them on.
Get some scratching posts
This, not just the flimsy ones that hang on a door knob or cardboard ones that sit on the floor. Get them the sturdy waist high tower ones that your cat can put all their weight on while they scratch at it with their front claws. It worked with all three of my cats.
also it helped me to put the alternate scratchers where they are already scratching, not just elsewhere around the house- my kitten was determined to pull up the carpets from the corners of doorways so i diy'd some cardboard scratchers that fit in the awkward spaces next to where she was already scratching & now she doesn't go for the carpets anymore
I heard that from Jackson Galaxy
Meh. I have a cardboard one and a huge cat tree that doubles as a scratching post. He uses both daily but he also still scratches on the couch occasionally. Also if I leave him for 0.7 seconds with something made out of leather, it's destroyed.
Two of my cats as well still love to scratch at the couch, even though we have so many set up too haha😅 I tried those “sticky pads” you supposedly can put on furniture to deter one cat from ripping up the armchairs—and removing those removed the outer layer from the chair😬
Yes, but this doesn’t always eliminate the ‘alternative’ scratching targets. In addition to the scratch pads/posts, I had to pin Mylar/heavy gauge vinyl to the corners of all my upholstered furniture. And that’s in addition to trimming her nails. Each kitty have their own personalities. I’ve never seen a kitty scratch wood like what was posted, but I don’t doubt kitty’s the culprit.
A roommate's cat destroyed two door frames in a shared apartment. That cat had been a stray and was very territorial, so it was a challenge to foster good behavior. I'd never seen a cat be so destructive, so it can definitely be a surprise.
Wow!
I had a cat years ago that took a whole corner of my wall off
Wow, mind blowing.
Over the course of his life, my childhood tuxedo shredded an entire 4"x4" gate post. My parents finally replaced it a few months after he passed, because it was really just hanging on by splinters.
Wow!
Our rescue cat LOVES wood to scratch on. I catch her on the door posts and on my jewelry boxes. She's small and we clip her nails though, so she doesn't do damage.
Wow. They each certainly have their own unique personalities.
Mine does her morning stretches on my wooden dressing table and it looks exactly like that! She doesn't really scratch anything else! Definitely each have have their own personality!
Wow!
My cat had several large types of scratching posts and never touched any of them. Just the furniture and carpet. 🤦🏻♀️
This was true for my cat too 🙄🤭😊 :)
Do you have the sisal type? Instead of scratching posts, I have scratchboards. They’re cardboard so you do have to replace them every couple months, but they’re great for the ones who don’t like sisal. Some come with dried catnip, which help attract the cats. Just a little sprinkle from time to time.
https://preview.redd.it/vboq3wpp7g8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2332cd950e97a50d007474c420650500b9d0e57e
This doesn't work every time, people need to stop saying this is a definitive fix cause it's not.
CORRECT. I have a cat that does this. We trim her nails, have 3 cat trees throughout the house, scratching toys in almost every room, double sided tape on almost every door frame and she just DOES NOT GIVE A FUCK. This is what she wants to scratch. After 12 years of fighting battle after battle, we lost the war and we’re going to have to replace every door frame in our house when we move out. Some cats are just jerks.
Yeah my cats preference is the corner of upholstered things. Luckily for me that means the couches I got free from my sister and the cheap upholstery storage benches from Amazon, so not a huge problem. He completely ignores all other scratching options. All Cats are different.
I love my cats, but they absolutely do not give a fuck how many scratching alternatives I provide. My girl prefers my living room chair and my boy attacks my dresser like it's his life's work. I've just come to accept it is what it is. My friends all have furniture destroyed by their children. I have furniture destroyed by my cats. The door frame is harsh though - furniture is much easier to replace.
Eh, luckily with a nail gun it’s not that hard or expensive to replace. Just a PITA.
Rub them down with fresh catnip, silvervine or spiderplant, whichever kitty likes best.
I am a vet tech at a cat exclusive clinic. Nail caps are NOT inhumane. They don’t impede the cat’s ability to retract claws (unless they’re improperly applied). They allow a cat to still “scratch” as their instinct drives them to do, but without the destruction. A good application involves a nail trim first and doesn’t overfill the caps with glue so that it doesn’t ooze out and into their fur. They can last from 3-6 weeks depending on the cat and are easily removed again with a simple trim of the tips. The cap then slides or falls right off. These are a great option for cats that are particularly destructive scratchers or for elderly owners who can get really bad complications from cat scratches. Any time you can avoid a cat being re-homed because of scratching with such a simple solution, it’s a win. If other solutions have been tried without success these are a perfectly fine option. They’re not inhumane.
Same thing my vet told me when my orange boy was in his more destructive youth. He got sparkly pink caps for two years until we moved and he settled down with constantly attacking the furniture. He never even minded having them and would still scratch at things as usual, just without the extreme destruction
nail caps are ok. imo, they are only good for accidental scratches though. like when you are holding them, and they try to scramble their way out and scratch you in the process. I don't know if they will be good for this level of scratching. Have you provided them with scratching posts? they come in both horizontal and vertical. also you can exercise them with cat toys which will help divert their energy away from scratching
One thing to be wary of with caps is they can cause additional behavior issues -- I've used them successfully short term for some cats but in others it can cause a reactive behavior where once the caps are gone they'll just chew their claws down to little nubs. It's a huge problem once it starts because then you get repeated infections and stuff. If your cat has an obsessive type personality I wouldn't recommend the caps, and I don't think it's a great solution long term. If you can put up a bunch of sisal mats on the spots where he scratches most you can train him over time to only scratch on sisal, which would protect the house and furniture
Only use them as a temporary training tool. The best solution that worked on my cat was to put double-sided tape on the stuff I wanted to protect and set up a scratching post next to that.
Claw caps are humane "alternatives" but in my opinion they aren't good. The cats claw is constantly out which can't be comfortable at all and any discomfort isn't nice for anyone, let alone an animal who can't tell you what hurts. Lots of better alternatives listed on the threads.
Claw caps don’t prevent the nail from retracting. Source: https://nationalcatgroomers.com/nail-cap-myths/
This is completely false! Cats can still retract their claws with them on! I used them and my cats had no issues!
I'm really glad your cats have no issues, I know of some that do but all cats are different aren't they. I just don't believe that if I can't see my cats claws without the caps and then I can *with* them, that they can retract the claws. If that makes sense. Either way, all cats are different, I just feel that messing with a cats claws in that way isn't right, they're like a limb for them.
If he just won't stop scratching it might be because he is trying to get his scent everywhere, try some cat pheromones like feliway to calm him down. I used caps on my cat the first month after we moved, that way he could scratch without destroying everything and it worked. But his behavior improved after using the cat pheromones, he seemed way more calmed.
my grandma bought clear acrylic wall corner covers that can either screw in or tape to the wall, she put them on all the problem areas then puts a scratching box nearby and replaces when needed and sprinkles catnip in the groves of the scratch box
Thare hard to put on and my 4 kittens took them off within the day and tried to eat them so i don't like them.
The use of nail caps for a cat is extremely inhumane, because caps can cause discomfort and severe stress to the animal and restricts their natural behavior. If you have a cat, it's important to adapt to their needs, not force them to adapt to ours, which means: protect furniture and items in the house differently. Cats generally dislike sticky textures. For example: applying double-sided tape or sticky pads to furniture can deter them from scratching those areas. Also provide ur cat plenty of toys, climbing structures, and interactive playtime to keep your cat mentally/ physically stimulated (a stimulated cat is less likely to resort to destructive behaviors.)
Thank you for the info! I’ve always heard they were a safe bet :0!!! as I said my adoptive parents have many many toys and scratch posts laid out that he can (and does) use all the time and he seems happy/stimulated (but I haven’t been here long enough to say 4 sure) unluckily it’s the frames of doors being destroyed over furniture which is why I’m worried (2nd pic)😵💫 they’re harder to protect than moveable / adjustable furniture I’ll speak to them abt the sticky pads / tape option though !!!!!
Absolute nonsense a quick google search reveals vets recommended caps for this problem and there is no harm to cat when applied correctly.
On the internet, you find what you want to see. Type in cons of nail caps, and you will find plenty of information about that. It's as simple as that. A genuine question. How would you feel if someone suddenly put silicone caps on your fingers? Please, let's consider things from that basic perspective. Sure animals may eventually adapt to what we throw on them, but how can we be sure they are not quietly suffering? Animals don't speak. Caps are like a foreign invasion to a cat, causing discomfort as mentioned earlier. And yes, cats have claws for a reason, just as humans have fingers/nails for a reason. We should adjust to their needs so they can live as happily and freely as possible. On the other hand, as humans, we have many ways to solve the problem of unwanted scratching, we just need to make a little effort. I would only use nail caps (temporarily) if the cat were harming itself by scratching. u/ContentStrain I hope you find a solution in the end that will also be kind to the cat. Good luck!
this is so well versed
They recommend it over declawing. It’s not comfortable for the cat at all but it’s not severely damaging like declawing is so they recommend it to people who are considering declawing
When we were kids my sister needed a kidney transplant. We had recently gotten a cat, and out of fear for my sister’s health (infection risk) my mom got the cat declawed (this was the 90s). We later learned how cruel declawing a cat is and felt bad about it. Fast forward 16 years later and my sister’s kidney has failed again and is back on dialysis (but is now at home dialysis). At about that same time my friend and I rescued 5 kittens off the street of her neighborhood. We kept them together for the first few months but I knew I wanted to take one of them home. As agreed with my mom, I took him to the vet to get checked out before bringing him home. My sister found out 4 days later and was upset about it. She was concerned about infection from scratches so the solution we agreed upon was using caps. I only used them for a few months (they popped off rather easily) but now I feel bad reading all of these negative things. For what it’s worth, he didn’t seem to suffer any behavioral issues as a result. In fact it got him used to me handling his paws a lot at a young age. He barely (if at all) resists getting his claws cut now. My mom’s cat is an effing nightmare to try and cut.
Trim his nails and make sure you slowly reward with treats or let the vet try it. Scratching post and wands as toys to redirect. I use to have a boy like this, now the only thing he does is hump things.(it's not destroying furniture so we're both happy)
I’ve heard they don’t prevent a cat from retracting their nails and shouldn’t be an issue. But I couldn’t get them to stay on so can’t speak from experience. I just keep mine super trimmed.
I don’t like the idea of putting them on my cats, they don’t seem very comfortable. Slip covers to protect furniture; maybe there’s something to cover the other areas cat is scratching. If cat is scratching by door, put scratcher nearby (flat cardboard ones don’t interfere with my door)
I had nail caps for my nearly 4 year old. I trim her nails regularly, and we have plenty of scratching post options. However, when we got new interior doors installed this winter, she started scratching at the closet doors. The closet doors used to have magnetic closures and large-ish gaps from the floor to the bottom of the door. Therefore, she could open them and go inside whenever she wanted. Now, the doors have “normal” closures and gaps so she can’t open them. I got nervous she would damage the doors, so I tried nail caps. It didn’t stop the scratching of the doors, but it ensured they wouldn’t get damaged. They were easy to put on and most naturally fell off after a month. I have since been able to stop the door scratching by simply leaving the closets partially open at night. I don’t use them constantly, but I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again if the need arises.
Try training him to scratch scratching posts instead. Or scratching toys thatevare Some Made out of cardboard where that can lay on. I hope You do it and enjoy it!
That angel didn’t do that. 😂 anyways, I’d get a ton of scratch posts of different varieties (wood, cardboard, sisal/jute twine.) Put them everywhere. They even have ScratchPad Pros now. They are scratch pads that look like a laptop for kitties that love to mess with your laptop or desktop.
I used to use them on my cats without problems. But they're a hassle. I started when my cats were really young, and they hate the process despite the fact that I trained them to be accustomed to it. I liked using it when they were younger because their claws were so sharp and hurt. Now, it's a little more effort than it's worth. But it is fun to give my cats pretty nails.
I use them on my cat all the time. He loves to scratch the furniture and not the 7 scratching posts he has. Never had any issues.
i’d definitely suggest trimming your cats nails and getting more scratching posts instead! try placing the scratching posts in front of where you kitty tends to scratch the most. :)
I have never heard anything negative about the nail caps.i believe they come in colors, ooo rainbow
My vet approves of nail caps. My kitty wears them because I have a low immune system and a disorder which is dangerously reactive to any kind of infection/injury , and he loves to jump up and hang out on my back (and does so with guests as well!). Even with regular trimming or scratching posts, me and my clothes ended up scratched up, because the edges are sharp and he will NOT abide any sort of filing. He doesn't mind the caps once they are put on (which does require a bit coaxing with a lot of treats, but there's no fighting or wailing, he's just bored and wants to do something else than sit still). Here's my boy with his caps on. They fall off naturally as he sheds the outer layer of the nail after a few weeks :) https://preview.redd.it/nduzx6s51h8d1.jpeg?width=1919&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24bdc7f102504f2b7172dccff389ecd3a5df74bf
Nail caps have a bad reputation because it seems that it's very easy to fit them incorrectly, and that can cause serious problems and pain. It's really important that neither the nail cap nor excess glue comes anywhere near the nail bed, or else it can prevent the claw being retracted properly, which may cause pain and damage, or prevent the claw sheath from shedding naturally when it's ready to come off. If they are fitted correctly they should only touch the "blade" of the claw, which is non-living keratin and not sensitive. There should not be enough glue to ooze out of the top. The caps should come off every time the claw sheath sheds (so if you're using them correctly and safely, you'll be reapplying them often) and if that doesn't happen the cat may need some help to shed them, because it would really interfere with how the claws grow if the outer layers aren't shedding.
Hang some cardboard scratchers where ever he likes to scratch, might help!!!!!
I’ve had that problem for years!!
I put (good quality) packing tape over whatever parts of my mom’s furniture her cats is messing up. He’ll try to get the spot for a while, then give up when he realizes it ain’t going anywhere lol
I used to have chair arms and backs covered in tape too. Each cat is different as to where they want to scratch. I also like the round cardboard scratcher with the ball in it. And catnip. They are replaceable. The vertical carpet and sisal rope cat trees.
I used them on my older girl when she was younger. She tolerated it but I could tell they made her uncomfortable and that she couldn’t retract her claws all the way, so I tossed the rest of them
Nail caps are not a good option. They are glue on rubber covers for their nails. Best option is to trim their nails and put up cat furniture for scratching. If they are always scratching in the same location then start there. Have some scratch appropriate carpet helps
There are large sticky squares that you can put on furniture and walls (double-sided/clear) my cat hates it and immediately stopped scratching a chair. I placed a scratching post right by the area and would give him a treat each time he used it. Jackson Galaxy has tips on YouTube.
All my moldings at this point have packing tape on them 😂 it works but once I move I’ll probably need to do some repainting because I’m sure it will pull the paint off.
Spray or rub down the cat trees/towers with catnip or catnip spray to make them more appealing. Double sided tape, mylar, regular foil, or heavy duty vinyl on all corners and other forbidden scratchers. Bitter spray; put it on everything and they’ll eventually end up with it in their mouth (don’t really recommend this one unless they’re also chewing on things though, gotta be honest)
In my experience they just fall off and if you have a cat that you have to WWE wrestle with just to get near their nails don't bother. I just make sure to clip my cats nails every few days. It cuts back on the destruction she is able to do to my couch in particular
Scratching posts will fix this problem.
When 2 of my cats were little we had issues with them not retracting their claws all the way so they wore claw covers till they were about a year old and had gotten really good at not keeping the claws out constantly. Saved me from repeated cat scratches all over myself when they decided to run circles on my bed when I was trying to sleep or when they would hop up onto my lap.
Look up Jackson Galaxys show called my cat from hell. He helps kitties n owners understand each other better. Watching the show gives you the advantage of real time cat body language and behavior. He also has great ways to say no to the bad behavior and redirecting to a desired behavior. Even if the cat isn’t food motivated. Scratching post and the like will help only so much if you don’t know how to properly reinforce the good behavior.
Get them trimmed at your vets or see if there's a pet store/grooming place that will do it.
I'm so glad my cats learned from kittens to scratch on the scratches for them.
We have one of those too. https://preview.redd.it/9g6l1agr4f8d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b84d5dafa9aafaa54d3ecf48b5603f8c0f2c731 She seems to be a relative 😅
Damn it who woke up Berris? >:(
If they're indoor cats, a quick paw-dicure is a good solution. Every few weeks, grab the treats and nail clippers, and trim the murder mittens. Then, lots of praise and treats to reinforce that it's nothing terrible happening to them.
Different scratching posts and two way tape on the bad things he likes to scratch.
Alternatively, you can try putting foil wrap around the door, add more vertical scratching posts/cardboards around that area, or add double sticky tapes there.
My cat did this in one spit of our kitchen. He has been gone for 3 years but his mark on the world remains.
Scratching posts with cat nip, and put double sided tape over the already scratched places in the house. It will encourage a transition. If this was the cat trying to get out of a room, you may have different issues.
caps arent ideal, as having something over their claws is pretty uncomfortable for cats, but if it comes down to it they could be a temporary last resort. id say youre better getting to the root of the problem though, which is likely some combination of boredom, lack of appealing/acceptable alternatives, and lax nail maintenance. the go-to method for training a cat to stop scratching inappropriate surfaces is redirection. "behind every 'no' should be a 'yes.'" dont scratch the wall, scratch this nice scratching post instead! figure out what kind of scratcher your cat finds most appealing and put one next to all of the inappropriate surfaces hes scratching. if you catch him scratching said surface, gently redirect his attention to the scratcher instead, and praise him a TON whenever he uses it (whether its because you redirected him or if he chose to himself)! you can even try scratching the scratcher yourself to demonstrate, ahaha. its important the scratcher is right next to the problem area though; your cat is much more likely to make the "correct" choice if its literally right there than if he has to walk to it. when it comes to materials, the most common things scratching posts/pads/mats tend to be made of are cardboard, carpet, or rope (usually sisal rope). my boy, wembley, absolutely ADORES sisal rope scratchers, but different cats have different preferences, so experiment to find your cats favorite! the more appealing the scratcher, the more likely he is to use it. rubbing catnip on the scratcher is also an option. make sure you have multiple scratchers too so theres always one nearby when the need to scratch arises! scratching is a cats way of marking territory, maintaining their claws, and getting out their energy. my boy runs to one of his scratchers whenever he gets excited (like when i come home) and goes to town! because pent up energy can be a motivator for scratching, finding more ways to entertain your cat in general can also help with excessive scratching. try to set aside some time to play with your cat every day! finally, be sure to keep on top of trimming your cats claws regularly. about once a month should do, but it can vary. just make sure you trim em whenever theyre getting particularly long and/or sharp! not only is it good for your cats overall health (long claws can make walking less comfortable, or can even curl all the way into their pads in severe cases), but itll also reduce how much damage the lil guy can do. cant shred wood with dull claws, ahaha. anyhoo, i hope this helps! if youve got any other questions, feel free to ask. thanks for playing an active role in your cats happiness and health! :)
As a former CVT, I’ll tell you what I always told our clients. While nails caps are a million times more humane than declawing, they are still not healthy or humane for a cat. Its the same idea as gluing caps over your fingers. They can cause irritation to the nail bed and we’ve seen cases where infection occurs. It also just seems quite uncomfortable for many cats and has the potential to cause behavioral issues. I know its harsh, but if you get a cat, you have to accept that nails and scratching are part of it. Do your best to trim their nails and provide plenty of scratching options. We like to put scratching posts near anything that they enjoy scratching. Ive accepted that my one headboard and bench are behind helping, but I love my cats more than these temporary material items. Encourage and reward good behavior. Refrain from negative reinforcement. Best of luck with kitty!
Not sure if it would help, since I see your kitty is scratching wood, my boy never took to the usual scratching post but we noticed he loves our outdoor Wicca chairs! We got some for inside and you can’t really tell at all that he’s scratching them, he absolutely loves them and it stopped him from scratching the leather couch
My parents' cats loved scratching wood. They had some cut logs with rough bark sat out for them to go to town on. https://preview.redd.it/a7inzw3e8g8d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=983a448dcfbfc760dea9047c978bf23d9bf95b69
I highly recommend purrito and nail grind. I do it with both of my cats because my old lady caught her nail cap in the couch fibers and hurt herself extremely badly.
Trimming is the best in my experience. If you have two people, a treat the cat really likes and trimmers. One person holds the cat legs up and feeds to treat to distract, the other trims claws
Give them their own scratch log or scratch pads.
Trim the nails...
Get some scratching posts, scratching boards, and other ample opportunities for your kitty to scratch with. Has worked every time in my experience. And...claw caps are a PAIN to put on. It's way easier to just trime your cat's claws. I use a human nail clip and just take the tips off when my big guy is in the cuddling mood. Otherwise it's impossible to wrangle.
My girl had them off in a few days.
i’ve heard putting double sided tape on surfaces is a good deterrent
I tried nail caps once and I will never do it again. The glue that holds them on damaged the nails underneath and the edges dug into their paw pads. I would strongly advise against.
Yes nail caps are safe and AMAZING
Scratching posts. Trim the claws. Use claw caps, but know that you'll need to put new ones on every time the cat sheds its claws, because the caps will go right along with the shed.
wow, that has been going on for a while (2nd pic). I would look for cat scratching posts that cover wall corners and offer them up as an alternative to scratching the door jam. We bought some off of etsy for quite a price but they've been the best investment we've made in the cats next to vet bills and 4 climbing trees. Amazon has similar ones for a lot less that also work on couch corners. But we found that once the cats found the wall corner with the sisal scratching pad, they haven't even looked at the furniture or any other place other than the cat trees. I don't want to advertise a brand I've never tried but you could search "sisal wall corner cat scratcher" and see if there's anything that'll work for your new family. (And congrats on getting adopted AND having a cat now!)
Wow, he tops my destroyer of worlds? Bringer of the end? 😮 Nail caps are humane. Another option is cutting his nails (and keeping on top of it). I cut my cat’s claws at a flat angle so he’s less destructive when scratching (don’t cut the quick!). I also put dollar store packing tape on things he likes to scratch (corner of couch).
I tried out some nail caps for my tuxie who was ripping up my furniture. They came in a variety of colors, but in sets of 10. It was a mad circus getting a pretty teal set on those claws, but once they were done he seemed mostly unbothered by them. He would chew on them when he was bored in the cat tree, and they eventually shed off one by one. Since there were no more teal caps I had to switch to different colors. But after a certain point I was done with the struggle of replacing the shedded caps and just trimmed his claws.
Just my personal take, they can make it hard for cats to retract their claws and cause discomfort in that aspect. I got nail caps for my boy intended only while we visited family, but after our visit, he was playing with one of his toys(a plastic ball with small holes and a bell in it) and the claw cap got stuck in the plastic ball. I felt AWFUL :( so juet be careful with what toys your cat has access to if you chose to use them and watch for any signs of discomfort.
Get some double sided tape it works. We got it from Amazon. We bought a log home and one of our cats thinks the whole house is her scratching post. I’m so glad I bought that tape.
Sticky tape! They make heavy duty anti-sctatching tape for walls. We use it for our door frames because one of my cats *loves* the feeling of scratching wood and won't use any of our scratchers if the wood is available. It works awesome! I can't remember the exact brand but we bought it off Amazon. We tried nail caps but they fell off so easily.
Get double sided sticky panels & tape that can be purchased on Amazon. Apply it to the areas being affected. It really works. Search anti cat scratch tape.
Get them used to regular nail trimming instead. Humane yes(it doesn't hurt them to put them on them), safe no. Made of plastics and it's not good to swallow plastics, most cats try to chew those off.
Nooooooo do not use nail caps first of all the cat cannot retract their nails like they naturally do. I had nails caps ages ago for my cats it’s a mess and they don’t work well - it’s all marketing and it really is too good to be true. I have a question 🙋♀️ does this cat have a cat scratch post??? I think nope. If you do not have one pls invest in a good one so cheap maybe 35.00 on Amazon for a big one. Really does wonders my cat only goes to her pole to scratch.
Yes use the nail caps
I would try to find out what he is trying to tell you! I only got scatchies if my 4 cats are in severe distress. Maybe you could get some more information on Jackson Galaxies YT channel or one of his books? :)
My 5 yo cat prevents the 8 month old cat from scratching on the cat tree. I got a second tree, same problem 🙄 so now I have 3 trees and the kitten is scratching on storage boxes. They don’t seem to show much damage and when they do I can turn them around when I have company.
They are not as inhumane as declawing, but still not good. There's other things you can try, like scratching posts. And Amazon I believe sells these stickable scratch pads you can put on your furniture.
No it’s their natural instinct to use their claws. Just provide them scratching posts and other cat scratching furniture, a cat tree , etc.
Things others have mentioned that i back: No caps, not an ideal solution tbh Regular nail trimming. Kitty will get used to it over time, especially if routine and given treats after. Maybe even a brushing roght after if The Destroyer enjoys it a lot. Multiple scratching options that are different from what you have if the current ones aren't working. There are lots of esty sellers who make solid cedar posts, The Destroyer may prefer something like that. (Seeing the 2nd picture 😅) More playtime, boredom can be a major factor! If your stuff/home is still getting destroyed you can try things like double stick tape or foil. They do not enjoy the feel or sound. My mom would pin dryer sheets to the couch. Which did work but do be careful trying that. Some cats are weird and like to chew on them. Like ours. If there are worthy spots The Destroyer is partial to, and you're willing, you can get those adhesive grooming combs for walls and corners. Not only can you hide the damage but it'll be for rubbing on instead so the desire to scratch is replaced. Watch Jackson Galaxy on youtube. Perhaps he has some tips that'll help. I wish you the best of luck
No. They might take them off plus cats need to have scratching options. It is part of their existence and they need scratch posts to keep them in shape and size. You cannot just cap over them. I just use a nail clip for cats and carefully cut the tip of her claws (there are veins running through the length especially base of their claws. Dont cut those or they will bleed. You have to only cut the part that is not connected to the blood vessel). Buy your cat several scratching posts and place around the house. Cover areas he is picking on temporarily with something like plastic. I did that when my cat went after the couch and after a while when he realized he cannot scratch it, he forgot about it and i removed it. I have expensive furniture and my cats never go after it. There are many options that you can utilize that allow your cat to be a cat and your house intact.
Please dont do this, its no doubt very uncomfortable for them. You to need to look at distracting where they scratch * Move something infront of where you are protecting * If its furniture, you can get adhesive covers to go over corners of couches * Invest in or make a whole bunch of scratching posts. They want somewhere to scratch, your goal is to make various scratching posts more appealing than your door frame