I found that if I kept my cat's claws trimmed, she didn't claw the furniture. However, she did claw the heck out of the trunk of a tree outside!

Put double sided sticky tape on all the surfaces that they jump on. They really hate getting stuck to it and will soon learn not to go there.

As for the box, I never found a solution for that. I kept it in the basement and cleaned it often. One tip -- put the empty box inside a trash bag. Pour the litter over the bag-lined box and then just remove the bag with the litter inside. You have to turn it inside-out as you remove it. Makes that chore less onerous.

And these are the many reasons I did not get another cat, although I do like them very much. I just got tired of the "upkeep".

We don't have cats now, but we used to have two. We kept the litter box in the "utility side" of the basement, with a cat/dog door in the door between the finished basement and the utility side. That way, they could get in easily and do their business. By the time they came back through their little door, they had already tracked the litter on the other side of the basement. Also, if we had company and we needed to corral the cats in some way, we could close the cat door and keep them in the other room for a while.

We also used the type of litter box that had an enclosure around it. Like a little "litter cabin."

I don't know if this works for cats, but it works for our dogs. When we don't want them to sit on a piece of furniture, we put a big piece of tin foil on the seat. Just one jump, and the rustling of the foil scareds them and they never go up again. I wonder if that would work w/ a coffee table?

Definitely keep the claws trimmed. One other hint I have it to get your kittens a heated bed, either one they can share or individual beds. I have several scattered throughout our home, so the cats sleep there instead of on our furniture - less of a cleaning hassle.

I have a new kitty too. She's about seven months old and quite frisky compared to the usually older cats we adopt. Somehow she is learning to use a scratching post. I scold her when she scratches on the furniture and she seems to be catching on. Have also been clipping the claws though I don't know how much that helps with tearing up the furniture. It helps with tearing up the people.

Having had cats for many years, I've long had a house that has nothing breakable anywhere that cats can go. So I have stuff on tables but nothing that can hurt a cat or that a cat can hurt. It's just the price I pay for having cats.

I've always kept the litter boxes in our utility room but for some reason this new cat wasn't always using them in that location. So I finally had to resort to putting one under the open stairway by our entry and family room. I'm really not liking that and all the litter tracking into our living space but I've tried everything else and this seems to be the only way to prevent her from choosing other random places on the floor. I'm hoping she grows out of it. In the meantime I'm just sweeping up the tracked litter every day. I don't find odor to be a problem as we scoop the scoopable litter several times a day.

With previous geriatric cats and this one I've read all kinds of stuff about placement of litter boxes including the fact you're supposed to have one on every level of the house. That is completely not feasible for me. I guess if I was building a house I might try to consider how to plan for that and I'd avoid having any carpet. I have managed to eliminate all the carpet from my house but making a practical place for a litter box on my main floor would require an addition.

Good luck!

We have scratch posts and pads. Some cats are horizontal scratchers and some are vertical scratchers. Buy a couple, put some catnip on them and put her on the pad and see what happens. To keep her off of tables/counters use a spray bottle. When she climbs up just a quick spritz and the message should soon be received.

Of course, my cats are perfect so no climbing on the tables. Except for that one night when I got up and was wandering around the house and found them both sound asleep on the DR table. :)

oh yea and that week we went on holidays and came home to find the leather couch torn to pieces. They had never touched the couch before but were obviously a little angry at us for leaving them to a sitter.

But we do find that the scratches pads do help.

blfenton, lol!! That is so funny!

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I will def try clipping their nails. I have been using a spray bottle and they have caught on so it is not as bad but they still love to test me.

I will def be getting a litter box that has a cover!

Be careful with the covered box. Some cats don't like them and won't use them. If a cat is peeing outside the box, one of the first things experts recommend - after a vet check - is to remove the cover on the box.

We kept a terry bath mat in front of the litter box all the time as the cloth helped clean the paws as he left the box and it could easily be picked up and shaken back into the kitty box. It was also easily washed. Not perfect but helpful.

There are a number of different kinds of mats available that are supposed to help trap the litter as the cat leaves the box, but I've not tried any of them.

Two cats hereabouts ...

Best solution for our house was to locate the litter box in the bathtub of the master bath -- hidden by swing of the door -- and easily cleaned by us and accessed by all cats .... We don't use this tub so this REALLY solved the problem for us!

Yes -- Do place a rubber boot tray under the litter box (in regular locations) to catch some of the litter -- and have a scratch mat nearby for the extra "covering" motions ....

Yes! Do watch if you choose to use a covered litter box -- our cats did NOT like it at all ....

Yes! Try to have several scratching posts or mats or toys around the whole place ... and trim their claws ... or find a place that does that job for you ....

Keep toys (smaller balls etc.) around too ... and be sure to have lots of playtime AND then have quiet time too ....

Yes -- placing tin foil on table and counters or pads with double-sided tape on the edges of counters helps too ...

And -- add old towels in places where you DO want them to be cozy-comfy ....

Great ideas! dedtired, does the sticky tape work for adult cats too?

I bought a minky blanket for my cat and he won't walk on it and jumps off quickly when I put him on it. Weird. I thought he would love it.

I've had cats for almost fifty years now. I named our daughter after my first precious calico. They are my babies and I care for them as if they were human.
I'm not sure why, but we never had any trouble with any of them being destructive until the four we have now. Shortly after I bought four new upholstered chairs for the ladies parlor I noticed they were starting to rip the backs up. The one cat we had before these four was declawed before we got him. I intended to keep him as an inside cat because of that, but he had other ideas. Despite his only having hind claws he had more kills than any other cat I ever had. He used his front paws like we use our hands in grabbing them by curling his pads around his kills.
So when my four (two years old at the time) cats were destroying our new furniture I looked into having them declawed. I know it's a very unpopular procedure and never would have given it a thought had Max not done so well. So I called and talked to our vet about just what they do and how it affects the average cat, just incase my Max Cat was rare in it not affecting his lifestyle. I was satisfied with her reply and arranged to do each of the cats for the next four weeks. They all did just fine never acting as if they were in pain at all. Most wanted to jump the first day home. That was four and a half years ago and they are happy as clams. Three of the four were always getting their claws stuck in the upholstery and would cry until I'd come and press their paws to retract the claws, so really they're better off declawed as even trimmed claws got caught.
You can call me cruel if you want, but in my experience my cats were better off without their front claws.

We got 2 kittens (aka the Monsters) in June and both are about 7 months now. Because my husband is really against it, we tried to go the no declaw route for several months, even spent a small fortune on a large cat tree but it didn't help. Not only were they drawing blood when they scratched us, but they were completely wild acting and destroying our furniture. I have to agree with Justgottabme, while it may not be the most popular of choices, it turned out to be the best one for us. Once we had them declawed, they settled down and were no longer as aggressive with their play.

I should add too that we only had the fronts done and not the rears. For a variety of reasons that is what the Vet recommended.

I'm so glad I'm not alone on this lukkiirish!
I must add that I was told much of the cost to de-claw is for the anesthesia so the younger you do it the less it costs. It cost us $130 each to do three of kitties because they are biggens.... At the time they were 14, 16 and 18 #s. The little guy at just 8 #s cost only $80. Kittens quite often only cost about $30 each.

Wow, I used to pay about $300 for declawing many years ago. Last time I asked (desperate) it was about the same.

Never had a problem with my declawed kitties, only the clawed ones! If you happen to go that route, have it done with laser surgery only.

Well, I wasn't going to say anything against declawing because I didn't want to start a debate, but since a few people now have spoken in favor of it, I feel I should for the benefit of those who may read this in the future.

Declawing is a cruel practice. It has been outlawed in most European countries and lots of vets in the U.S. won't do it anymore. I am in rescue, and can tell you that quite a high number of cats surrendered to shelters for inappropriate elimination are declawed; the litter hurts their feet so they stop using the box, and then they get dumped at the shelter. One of my rescued-from-the-streets cats was declawed when found and he won't use litter. The only boxes he'll go in are the ones with only those puppy training pads in them.

Cats who have been declawed often live with phantom pain - much like a person who has had a limb amputated. After all, when a cat is declawed, they don't just pull the nail out, but they lop off a section of bone, too. As a preservation mechanism, cats usually don't show discomfort or pain, so you won't know that they're having problems. Declawed cats often develop gait problems and other issues related to not being able to walk naturally anymore after their feet are so drastically changed. Hope this is enough info that anyone considering declawing will do their research before proceeding.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Paw Project

I have known so many cats over the years who were declawed and they did not have any discomfort other than some post op recovery. They were happy well-adjusted animals. Physical pain does show and restricts their activities, as they stop movement when the pain occurs. Have never seen those problems with declawing other than post op.

I'm not saying it never happens, likely due to subpar surgical techniques a lot of the time. My vet has talked about a place he worked where the vet would do a butcher job using a conventional scalpel and leave bone fragments and junk in the foot. So you have to be careful who you let do the job, that they use laser and are meticulous in the way they do things.

I would prefer not to declaw but, following rescue shelter mandates, they have proven to be so destructive. I think claws put a lot of kitties out of domestic homes which is a shame. Cats are awesome pets otherwise. Euthanasia or living on the streets is not a good alternative, imo.

Very well said snookums2 As you stated there are more than one way to declaw. The procedures that destroyed a cats paw pads are for the most part a thing of the past. If you first talk to your vet about the procedure they use (please check link below) you can be self assured your cat will be perfectly fine after a day or two of recovery.
That is why I discussed their procedure before I took my first can in. Using a very old procedure they did often cut off part of the pad which I believe is what kinberlyrkb is talking about and agree is a horrible thing to do to a precious cat. Our Vet does not use that procedure. She removes the claw and the very small bone it grows from. This procedure leaves the cats paw pads intact. You can see that in a drawing in the article linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Declaw Surgery

Snookums2, the vet we took our pets to for declawing is mostly a surgical center, though they do a few other things, it's mainly a pet surgical center. I believe that is part of why the cost are less than elsewhere. It could be our location in the Midwest too. I'm not sure where you are located, but I know things are higher on the coasts.

The female vet does the cats and male vet does the dogs. They both love animals passionately. Their office is nothing fancy with a very small waiting room, but you can tell how much they and their staff love their patients and care for their patients human family.

Last time I was there a the female vet walked outside with a Mom, Dad and two teen children for their pet was found to have cancer and she wanted to talk to them privately. I peeked out the glass door and saw how compassionate she was with this family. When she finally came back inside her eyes were filled with tears. I cannot see a woman like that doing any procedure that would cause undo harm to any animal.

This post was edited by justgotabme on Sat, Nov 9, 13 at 10:46

Snookums2, the vet we took our pets to for declawing is mostly a surgical center, though they do a few other things, it's mainly a pet surgical center. I believe that is part of why the cost are less than elsewhere. It could be our location in the Midwest too. I'm not sure where you are located, but I know things are higher on the coasts.

The female vet does the cats and male vet does the dogs. They both love animals passionately. Their office is nothing fancy with a very small waiting room, but you can tell how much they and their staff love their patients and care for their patients human family.

Last time I was there a the female vet walked outside with a Mom, Dad and two teen children for their pet was found to have cancer and she wanted to talk to them privately. I peeked out the glass door and saw how compassionate she was with this family. When she finally came back inside her eyes were filled with tears. I cannot see a woman like that doing any procedure that would cause undo harm to any animal.

I haven't tried these, as our Boo is 20 years old and no longer frisky, but I am researching because we know we'll always want a cat in the house. We want to get a pair of Balinese traditional kittens someday, and breeders are recommending softpaws. They are plastic claw covers, and they look pretty cool.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soft Paws

Too allergic to cats to have-'em indoors, so I have nothing to offer here...;-)
Other than....kitty-pix are required aren't they?!?!?!

Faron

Ah yes! Pictures should be required. Good point Faron.

I haven't read the whole thread but I recommend a tall, sturdy scratching post put in front of each area where they like to scratch.

We have 3 of the SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Posts and our cats love them. Most posts are too lightweight and will get knocked over if cats really go at them, but these never do.

I would also suggest at least one horizontal scratcher, too. There are many brands of the cardboard scratchers but you can also get a SmartCat one that is more likely to stay put. It's called SmartCat Bootsie's Combination Scratcher.

Here is a link that might be useful: SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post

I thought I would post some pics of the kittens. They are so adorable!!!

{{!gwi}}

Please do!!

Another

One more

Love them! They look so sweet and innocent.

Thanks Nancy. They are the best! I adore them.

Oh Aktillery Thank you so much for sharing their pictures!They are just so precious! I just want to kiss there cute little faces! And the Mommy too! What a sweet Mum she is.

The calico is muted like my Katie was. I still miss her and she's been gone since '78. I named our daughter after her, I loved her so much.

Heh, they all look so innocent, lol. They are adorable! So beautiful.

Thanks you guys!

Just got, I'm so very sorry for your loss. It's one of the most difficult things to lose a pet.

Awwww....they are so sweet. Even though my new kitty is seven months old, she is very kitten like. It is fun and so adorable as I haven't had a "baby" kitty for about 35 years. I can see why you wanted to keep those two!

Congrats Gibby! Yeah kittens/cats are wonderful!

Atktillery- they hardly look like the little trouble makers you were describing. They just look like sweet little angels!
PS thank you for being so kind as to take they and their mom in.

OMG, they are so sweet and snuggly.

We now have two cats, and had them declawed a few months ago. They are doing perfect and we are all happy now! My friends have declawed cats for years, and they seem very well adjusted and happy. I tried the soft claws first, but they kept chewing them off. Our cats get lots of love and hugs!

As far as the kittly litter box-UGH! I scoop twice a day, and most days I don't smell anything unless I'm right by it. I don't care what it cost, if there was a kitty litter that worked even 95%-I'd buy it.

Love going to bed at night with my kitties at my feet!

I am going to check with my vet regarding declawing.

I got a larger covered litter box with a scentless litter. I also placed a pad in front of it. That's working out really well!

I had to post another pic too! ðÂÂÂ

Little SueB looks so much like her mamma!

Oh what a precious picture! Lucky kitties that they found you aktillery!

RE: declawing . . .when my husband's cats started ruining everything (we had plenty of acceptable things for them to scratch), we talked to a cat clinic about declawing. We said we would abide by what they said regarding whether or not to do it. They said it as long as the pain management was good, it was fine.

Our cats didn't change AT ALL. They were just as perfect as always.

I've read plenty of sad stories on a cat forum I was on where cats where having behavioral issues . . .and they were not declawed.

However, as a compromise, I now only adopt cats that are already declawed. I'd be willing to get one intact, but DH is not. It really limits your options this way, though. I would rather just walk into a shelter and pick out a friend vs. pick among the ones w/o claws (front).

My friend, a vet, says if someone is going to declaw, she thinks it should be done early in life. She says cats can start with destructive behavior at any point, too. One of my friend's cats was like this-- she only started destroying things when she was about 9!

Our cats have never had litterbox or behavior issues. Temperament seems to be key in that department, along with health.

I use a wall-mounted scratching post, OkoCat litter, and hide the litter box in a table. You also need to teach them manners. I "hiss" at my cat when he is doing something I don't like. He gets the message and stops. If, for some reason, he doesn't, I physically move him. He also had a few litter box issues at first, so we crated him with a litter box in the crate when we weren't watching him. It helped a lot.

To help prevent table-jumping, I built him floating shelves he can climb on. We also keep his food dish up there.

The images below are all from my living room.