Cat Repellent - Spray?

[lotus eater]

I have a serious problem with my (several) cats shredding the fabric or scratching the wood on the furniture, and urgently need to deter this behaviour. Is there anything available - in pet shops or elsewhere - that I can apply to the furniture that will help?

Would be mostgrateful for helpful suggestions.

[Rimmer]

Give them their own scratching place, a carpet glued onto a small plank of wood works fine, just put it on the floor and they stand on one end and tear the sh+t out of the other, worked for my nine cats.

[monty]

Yep, carpet works well, and rope as well, the type used on ships.

[lotus eater]

Thank you for those responses. I'm more than happy to buy them something like that. But then my next question becomes: how do I draw them to it as something to chooses over the alternatives - is there something that will draw them to it?

I ask the follow up question because 1) my (also 9) cats are bloody minded, and 2) I had brought them a (sort of sand papery) scratcher previously from a pet shop abroad and they completely ignored it.

I will certainly try the carpet and the rope. Will they necessarily draw them from other carpets nearby? Is rope so appealing that they will go to it - even when it's not at hand and in another room? Is there something to spray on these things to make them especially attractive?

I had hoped that they would get their scratching done on the trees outside, and be scratched out when they came in - until the next outing. But that hasn't worked, they obviously want to scratch at whim and umpteen times a day/night.

[Rimmer]

Thank you for those responses. I'm more than happy to buy them something like that. But then my next question becomes: how do I draw them to it as something to chooses over the alternatives - is there something that will draw them to it?

I ask the follow up question because 1) my (also 9) cats are bloody minded, and 2) I had brought them a (sort of sand papery) scratcher previously from a pet shop abroad and they completely ignored it.

I will certainly try the carpet and the rope. Will they necessarily draw them from other carpets nearby? Is rope so appealing that they will go to it - even when it's not at hand and in another room? Is there something to spray on these things to make them especially attractive?

I had hoped that they would get their scratching done on the trees outside, and be scratched out when they came in - until the next outing. But that hasn't worked, they obviously want to scratch at whim and umpteen times a day/night.

My cats never had a problem once they got the old piece of carpet that I glued onto a plank. Maybe you can use catnip to get them into the habit of scratching on it. If you can't find ship rope the ordinary hemp rope from a building shop works quite well but quickly shreds. I don't think that store bought scratching posts are any good, we had had them and the cat's just plain don't like them. They need a rough kind of weave to get them interested and something to really dig their claws into, the sort that you get for welcome mats maybe?

[lotus eater]

My cats never had a problem once they got the old piece of carpet that I glued onto a plank. Maybe you can use catnip to get them into the habit of scratching on it. If you can't find ship rope the ordinary hemp rope from a building shop works quite well but quickly shreds. I don't think that store bought scratching posts are any good, we had had them and the cat's just plain don't like them. They need a rough kind of weave to get them interested and something to really dig their claws into, the sort that you get for welcome mats maybe?

Have already bought a scratching post which uses rough rope and which the shopkeeper assures me will work. No immediate evidence of that chez-moi. Anyway will also be trying out you suggestion of carpet on a plank - need to get some carpet, have the plank and glue....

[londonthai]

first of all - when they approach the furniture to scratch just warn them and shout when they are starting to scratch. After that try to distruct them and bring their attention to something else, toy which they like to play with.

let them more go out to scratch wood and trees.

cats dislike citrus odours - buy some thai essential oils, even those used in the nose inhalers or in the tiger balm, and put on the furniture. Usually it's a plaesant smell for us. The added bonus that mosquitos don't like citrus

[Priceless]

My cats never had a problem once they got the old piece of carpet that I glued onto a plank. Maybe you can use catnip to get them into the habit of scratching on it. If you can't find ship rope the ordinary hemp rope from a building shop works quite well but quickly shreds. I don't think that store bought scratching posts are any good, we had had them and the cat's just plain don't like them. They need a rough kind of weave to get them interested and something to really dig their claws into, the sort that you get for welcome mats maybe?

Have already bought a scratching post which uses rough rope and which the shopkeeper assures me will work. No immediate evidence of that chez-moi. Anyway will also be trying out you suggestion of carpet on a plank - need to get some carpet, have the plank and glue....

Maybe they want some proper scratching furniture. How about something like this:

/ Priceless

[lotus eater]

first of all - when they approach the furniture to scratch just warn them and shout when they are starting to scratch. After that try to distruct them and bring their attention to something else, toy which they like to play with.

let them more go out to scratch wood and trees.

cats dislike citrus odours - buy some thai essential oils, even those used in the nose inhalers or in the tiger balm, and put on the furniture. Usually it's a plaesant smell for us. The added bonus that mosquitos don't like citrus

Am doing the first two, and will get the scents/oils. Thanks. Helpful.

[lotus eater]

My cats never had a problem once they got the old piece of carpet that I glued onto a plank. Maybe you can use catnip to get them into the habit of scratching on it. If you can't find ship rope the ordinary hemp rope from a building shop works quite well but quickly shreds. I don't think that store bought scratching posts are any good, we had had them and the cat's just plain don't like them. They need a rough kind of weave to get them interested and something to really dig their claws into, the sort that you get for welcome mats maybe?

Have already bought a scratching post which uses rough rope and which the shopkeeper assures me will work. No immediate evidence of that chez-moi. Anyway will also be trying out you suggestion of carpet on a plank - need to get some carpet, have the plank and glue....

Maybe they want some proper scratching furniture. How about something like this:

/ Priceless

They are too young - even in cat years - to take to the sort of advanced S&M you suggest.....

[Groongthep]

Spraying them with 00-Buckshot has proven effective in keeping them off my property.

Just kidding

[Goinghomesoon]

I have a serious problem with my (several) cats shredding the fabric or scratching the wood on the furniture, and urgently need to deter this behaviour. Is there anything available - in pet shops or elsewhere - that I can apply to the furniture that will help?

Would be mostgrateful for helpful suggestions.

We use "No Scratch Spray" which is a herbal formula and smells okay to humans. Costs 280 baht a bottle at the pet shop in the parking lot of the main Villa Supermarket in Sukhumvit. I spray it on our couch and also on our silk covered dining chairs and it doesn't mark, so it gets my 'thumbs-up'. Our cat HATES it and runs away when she sees me coming with the bottle. Sounds expensive but we've been using the same bottle for about 6 months.

[sorensen]

When I use to have cats (9 in total) water was an effective and fun tool to training the cats......

Food was an other good motivater

[lotus eater]

I have a serious problem with my (several) cats shredding the fabric or scratching the wood on the furniture, and urgently need to deter this behaviour. Is there anything available - in pet shops or elsewhere - that I can apply to the furniture that will help?

Would be mostgrateful for helpful suggestions.

We use "No Scratch Spray" which is a herbal formula and smells okay to humans. Costs 280 baht a bottle at the pet shop in the parking lot of the main Villa Supermarket in Sukhumvit. I spray it on our couch and also on our silk covered dining chairs and it doesn't mark, so it gets my 'thumbs-up'. Our cat HATES it and runs away when she sees me coming with the bottle. Sounds expensive but we've been using the same bottle for about 6 months.

Thank you for that response. I very much want to get hold of this. Please give me any details on the bottle that could help in my (helpful) pet shop getting it for me - that will be more practical than my going to Bangkok (I live in Chiangmai.)

(I hesitate to ask you for a pic of the label, but of course that would be the best - especially of it is in thai.)

[lotus eater]

Just to report the progress I've made....

The rope-wound post I bought is being used by some of the cats - but even those don't yet use it exclusively. A couple of the cats never use it. My wood furniture, particularly the carved surfaces, continue to be attacked. I'm trying to find citrus and/or other sprays for these. (Any specific info, or type of shop, for such citrus sprays would be helpful.)

[londonthai]

any pharmacy/drug store, as well as thai herbal shops do have oils/lotions/creams/balms with citrus/eucaliptus/camphore. For us there are nice/tolerable smells, cats hate them

[lotus eater]

any pharmacy/drug store, as well as thai herbal shops do have oils/lotions/creams/balms with citrus/eucaliptus/camphore. For us there are nice/tolerable smells, cats hate them

Thanks for the reply.

Coincidentally yesterday I bought as an experiment a non-deet based mosquito repellant and noticed that it is based on citronella and eucalyptus. Maybe it will work for the cat problem too. In any case I am going to look for a strong citrus/eucalyptus/camphore spray from a herbal shop scents shop - as you suggest.

[ozsamurai]

Scratching posts are a great start, but if you have multiple cats, they will each have their own favorite place to declaw with their own scent on it, so in multiple cat houses, there is still going to be the odd sneaky one who takes a swipe at the lounge suite. To prevent it, use the citrus air freshner until you find a citrus oil. Although it is ugly, wrap the favorite areas in aluminum foil, this will stop them from clawing it immediately. Remove it only when a new spot has been established. I have found in the past a nice bark log for a post is appreciated, but whatever you have in place, it MUST BE SOLID and not move or most will not use it.

Oz

edit

Whoever said yell at them is dead wrong, cats will just put it in their memory banks for ways to attract your attention, scratch couch, he pays attention to me, I'm hungry = scratch couch.

Edited December 31, 2008 by ozsamurai

[Goinghomesoon]

Thank you for that response. I very much want to get hold of this. Please give me any details on the bottle that could help in my (helpful) pet shop getting it for me - that will be more practical than my going to Bangkok (I live in Chiangmai.)

(I hesitate to ask you for a pic of the label, but of course that would be the best - especially of it is in thai.)

There's a picture of the label on this website, it is made by a company called Cat Lover - www.ozpetshop.com.au/product_info.php/products_id/1150 The product is Australian-made. I have no idea where to get it in Chiang Mai though...sorry.