Auntjen, I feel your pain!! Can you make the office off-limits to the cats? Also, can you make their scratchers more desirable with catnip? I bought cardboard scratchers for my cats that came with bags of 'nip and the cats love it. Not that they've stopped aiming for the sofa, but it helps a lot.

AuntJen,
Not to dwell on the disgusting part, but are you certain that a "clingon" was the impetus for the arse dragging? My cat did the *exact* same thing (nice Turkish rug that I hauled back with me halfway around the world) and it turned out that my kitty had inflamed anal glands that needed treatment by the vet. Might that be the case here??

:O( (((U)))

No advice for the rug, but want to ditto learn as i go's comment about the anal glands.

I hope that the stain lifts.

Cats are so friggin' curious about new things in the house! They simply can't help themselves.

If it makes you feel any better, I spent all day yesterday painting and scrubbing and decorating my kids bathroom only to have my son throw up everywhere in there this morning, and then repeat the whole thing on a rug that may be old, but that I really love and want to have forever! The son is on the recliner sleeping, the rug is in the garage drying out and I've given up on the dream of having a bathroom upstairs that I can stand to walk into.

Jen there is prob HEMP in that Rug and the CATs are going for it. They Smell it and it drives them to go to it. I have had the same thing happen with things I have brought into my home.

I am betting on it.

Carmin

(((Aunt Jen)))

Bum-dragging is usually a sign of either impacted anal glands or parasites. They'll need checked.

I am sorry about your rug and know where you're coming from. I decided long ago my big, stinky, messy, sometimes-destructive Harry (74+ lb hunting dog) is far more important than any of the things he modifies or destroys. Just concentrate on the love they give and how bad you'd feel if you didn't have them.

Today Harry accidentally broke my large hand mirror. I had shards of glass all over the newly cleaned bedroom floor. Last night he ripped my new bottom sheet because he was wanting me to come to bed. When I didn't he decided to "dig out" a comfy spot for himself. Last week he chewed a hole in a pillowcase because I was on the phone too long.

I know these don't equate to a new wool rug, but the feelings are the same. During his puppy-hood he ate an entire sofa, several pairs of shoes, a couple of cell phones, the handle off of a teapot, kitchen utensils, hats...you get the idea.

Pets; ya gotta love them!

"Cushions? What cushions? Evil cushions must die!"

oh my...that is the worst. I've come to the conclusion as long as we have a dog we will never be able to keep things nice. It's the shedding here. But I also wonder why is it everytime he get's sick he has to run to the white shag rug under the coffee table before he ralphs?

auntjen , just remember how much you love your cats...it will help you handle all of this

We just got soft paws for our cat. They seem to work okay, but are pricey. Can't use them if your cats are outside any of the time. Don't waste your money on the sprays. We bought a highly recommended one and the cat walked up right after I sprayed and started scratching.

Our cat leaves the soft paws on, but I've heard some cats chew them off right away. Got in a bit of a squabble with the clerk at a pet store when I was looking for the soft paws. She had the attitude that cats and nice furniture don't mix and I should get one or the other but not both. Basically called me a bad pet owner.

Thanks so much for the commiseration. Caroline, that photo is just priceless! He has this look on his face like, "Who? Meeeee? Nooooo, not meeeeee!" LOL! Of course, you all know that I do love my furbabies fiercely, and I really wouldn't trade them for anything. Although on occasion I do fantasize about what it must be like to live in a house that's clean as a whistle, without traces of animal, like bits of litter tracked here and there, no matter how often we sweep, fur covering every chair, no matter how often it's wiped away ...

I appreciate the concern and suggestion about having them checked for anal gland issues, although based upon what I saw, this really looks to me like a case of somebody getting spooked in the box before completely finishing their business -- either that or the longhaired boy couldn't quite shake what managed to cling, so he used the rug as his "wiper." (Gawd, I'm totally grossing myself out here, and can only imagine what I'm doing to you guys!) I'll definitely keep a close eye on all of them (there are 7 of 'em!) to see if I notice any other scooting.

I think I will buy a couple of catnip-filled scratchers that hang from the doorknobs, as suggested. I had thought about spraying some of that "cat be gone" repellent on and around the rug, but am not sure how that might affect the rug itself. It does look like the stain lifted, thank goodness.

I suppose that as long as we share our homes with just about any living creatures, things are going to be messy and imperfect to some extent. But really, couldn't they urp and poop and otherwise destroy the things in the house that are easily replaced and/or we don't like all that much? Seems like they have a terrific knack for going for the very things we love most. ::sigh:: Ah well ...

Budge, come to think of it, I did use the spray repellent to try to keep them away from the Christmas tree the last time we put it up, but it only seemed to entice them to climb the darn thing. So no, I guess I won't be trying that.

I've never tried soft paws ... How long do they generally stay on? Oh, and that store clerk was definitely overstepping her bounds with her comments! How rude!

WE have been using soft paws for about 3 weeks now.. they time would line up with the new leather furniture that I got and they decided to claw ( I almost threw up!).. We have 3 indoor cats who use them.. I would suggest the med size for all but the most huge cats ( mine are 14 lbs and wear the med size. I also suggest ordering from the website since the glue is much fresher and there is no chance of getting the older design. My cats loose about 1 cap per cat per week and at first they try to chew them off but if you distract themwell for the first hour or so then they do fine. ( I scatter cat nip on the floor.. this makes them VERY distracted :) It's about $18 for 40 caps.. so while not cheap it's much cheaper than new furniture. The one thing to watch for is nail over growth.. and if that happens just start trimming the cap and nail and soon it will loosen and you will be ready for a new cap!

Maddiemom6

What a drag, it's ok to be upset! I'd be upset too! The thing about cats though is usually they don't drag so unfortunately taking them to a vet to be checked is really good advise.

That said, we don't really allow our cats on the furniture (or counters), to give them an alternative, we bought a hemp treated grass rug from CostPlus and then sprinkled catnip on it. The cats loved it. It was great for scratching, had an attractive smell and was comfy to lay on. Now it doesn't happen often but if we catch them on the furniture, we make sure their rug has catnip on it, and then we gently spray them with a water bottle. (It's actually such a habit now that they run the minute they see us reach for it!)

I don't think you can allow them on the rug but train them not to scratch, it's a mixed signal to them. You may have to just train them to stay off of it entirely. Just keep that bottle in their sight! HTH-Good Luck!

You know there might be some scent in that rug that the cats can smell that you have not noticed that is causing them to act this way. Plus certain textures just begged to be scratched. My 7 cats can testify to that. The loosely woven fabric on my desk chairs are shredded. Loose fabrics or nubby materials are natural scratching areas. I had to put cotton duck slipcovers on my sofa to prevent scratching otherwise that upholstery would be history.

Sorry about the destruction!

I feel your pain, auntjen.

Maybe turn it into a wall hanging?

Visit your local PetSmart and ask for cat repellent spray. There are several, "Stay Away," "Boundary," "No-Stay" and "Keep Off!" are the names of several brands.

I can't personally vouch for any of them -- all cats are different -- but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Another one to commiserate with you -- we have issues with bum-dragging here too! Drives me buggy!

Jan (no help at all .... I threaten to take away their last lives -- and the cats just roll over and yawn!)

You can make your own scratching posts and use whatever fabric or rug your cats like. Our cat preferred upholstered chairs to the store bought scratching post. So, we made a flat base of plywood, big enough to balance a 2 x 4 piece, and covered it with fabric. Then took foam and stapled it to a 2 x 4 piece and covered that with uphostery fabric. You can rub catnip on the foam or fabric. Then bolt the 2 x 4 to the base and take your cat to it and entice him to use it.

Some of you are talented enough to make a nicer one than we did. You could also put a finial on top or dangle something for the cat to play with.

Ah I'm sure you're very frustrated!! Did it all come out?

I would maybe try the soft paws. We used that on Mossimo for awhile but he didn't like it one bit. I did consider trying that scat stuff. Bought two sided sticky tape for the furniture that worked for awhile but Shorty saw me pulling it off one day and now they're back on top squishin it. Not sure you'd want to cover your new rug completely with two sided tape. New little Gizmo squatted a little too low in the litter the other night and had a huge glob stuck to her rump. I'm just glad I was away and caught her before it ended up all over the house. Eek. This was the night before Thanksgiving (late!)

I don't have cats but I feel your pain. I have an adorable 5 year old Bichon Frisee who is very smart and house trained, until we go on vacation. I have no advice to give you, I wish I did.

AuntJen, I feel your pain. I like the catnip idea on their scratching posts and to let the cats know this is YOUR rug and not theirs.

I have 4 little dogs. The fourth one is so cute at 4 lbs and is so lovable but BAD!! She is spayed but due to her heart murmur she was not spayed until after her 2nd heat and by then she had started this marking behavior. She is the only one of my 4 dogs that lifts her leg to mark everywhere in my home especially anything new and it is upsetting to me. I had my carpets cleaned 3X last week! She is so used to all my wood samples and tile samples everywhere that she is leaving them alone. I am ready to buy her panties. She is totally house trained and will tell me when she wants to to outside and if I am busy she will use the puppy pads BUT she loves to have hear scent on everything! I finally put something on top of her favorite spot to mark and the rug is not being marked today so maybe the pad underneath it has that smell? I can't wait to get rid of this rug.

I am so close to making my final decision on the tile and floor. :)

So sorry about your rug... thanks goodness Lexi no longer is biting my window trim since she is now almost 3.5 years of age but I must get it fixed and repainted. I was waiting for her biting stage to pass.

How about you turn the rug over to the other side if the pattern shows through. Cats don't like the smooth side. It's worth a try and then after a few weeks try turning it back to the right side. They may forget it by then. Very often they scratch anything that is new and textured in a home.

Caroline, I have an English Pointer that's allowed in the house! Love your German Shorthair! These are the best dogs ever. Mine just finished whacking a tea pot I had on the table with her tail. Broken in shreds when it went flying. lol

Jen, what about spraying the rug with something from a pet store? If you're too far from a pet store, there's petco.com online.

Even if your cats don't go out and they happen to catch a mouse inside, that's where they get worms. I'd be checking the hineys of all the cats often, just in case. It could have been what you described also. I have shoulder length hair and I'll just leave it at that. hee.

Its not uncommon for cats to eat/suck wool. Siamese cats are known to have a wool fetish. I'm not sure the common deterents (spraying them with water) will stop them. If that also fails you might try a ScatMat. I doubt even that would stop some cats. My cat knows when she's not allowed to do something, she just does it anyhow with her ears down and a body posture bracing herself for any negative consequences.

Here's the link to a page I created for some friends with some info on soft paws if you are interested. We keep them on 3 of our cats - my sofa would be shredded without them.

Here is a link that might be useful: soft paws info

Let's see, one Persian cat, two sofas, having two rugs professionally cleaned, once had diarrhea all over new beige carpet in BR, dumped in the guest bathtub right before guests arrived (and I did not know until they asked for something which to clean the tub with), leather chairs used for scratching poles that I have to move them so that the scratched side does not show (and this happened within hours of bringing them in new), cats that "spray" (who never have before) because you brought a new piece in the house that must have reminded them of another cat, but what a dog who ate the window facing off 4 days after paying someone $4000 to paint all the wood trim in the house and that same dog at the corners off my (real wood)(real antique) real armoire that I had just had retrofitted for a TV. After he was finished with that, he ate the corner round molding in the guest room. Then you find after all that, if you had put Secret deodorant on all the wood, the dog would not have bothered it. Kids that vomited on sofas and the only way to get rid of the odor was to give the almost brand-new sofa and another in good condition, inherited sofa, to someone who just needed one so bad, odor did not matter. C'est la vie.

We had our cat declawed....best thing i ever did:) Here is my kitten story....I am babysitting two 9 week old kittens for a friend. They are in my master bathroom. I cant mix them with my cat, she would never allow these strangers in our house, but she doesnt know they are here, at least not yet. In one week they have....destroyed a set of towels, by trying to climb the walls with them, knocked over and chipped 2 vases that were around the tub, which I had placed in the tub to avoid being knocked over. The were clawing my bath rugs so I turned them upside down and put them in the tub, they got in the tub and clawed the rubber backing. I had to remove my vanity chair and another set of decorative towels. Twice they unraveled a roll of toilet paper, now I shut the toilet room door. The climbed inside a drawer, dont know how they opened it but they climbed in behind the drawer. I paniced one night when I went in the bath room and couldnt find them. I saw the vanity drawer open but they were not in it, then I had to get down to look, up and behind the drawer, there were two cute little faces. I could not get the drawer out, but luckily the were able to climb back, I dont know how they got back there, there was only 2-3 inches of space between the top of the drawer and the drawer above it. One morning one of them clawed onto my husband while he was brushing his teeth in his underware...clinged right into his but. God makes them cute for a reason. They go home Tuesday:)

Wow! Many of you have your own "pet horror tales" that rival -- or even surpass -- my own! I know I shouldn't be comforted by your misfortune, but misery loves company I guess!

Last night I discovered a bottle of Boundary beneath the kitchen cabinet that I'd forgotten about. I don't think this is what we used on the Christmas tree to try to keep them from roosting in it like chickens, but at any rate, I grabbed it and sprayed all around the rug before bedtime. It seems to have done the trick, as the cats haven't even been on the rug that I can tell. Certainly no telltale signs of them trying to continue to shred it to death in the night. I've resprayed the area this morning, and you can bet I'll be keeping a watchful eye to see what transpires next!

Thanks to all who sympathised with my little rant. I know we all adore our critters (animal and human! ;-)), but oh how we wish they weren't destructive!

Re the issue with claws (dogs and cats), has anyone tried using the Pedi-paws? On the TV ads, they make the claws look smooth, shorter and rounder, plus doesn't hurt the nail like when trimming them with nail clippers. They would still claw things, but it might do a lot less damage to stuff.

Check online for a product that has a motion sensor on it. I've used one on my kitchen countertops and it worked pretty well. It sprays a deterent when the cats set off the motion sensor. Scared the heck out of them. No more countertop visits! It was $35 but it worked. I wish I could remember what it was called...

So sorry auntjen! You've gotten some good suggestions. All I can say is-- those stinky cats...stinkers with fur...that's what they are!

I completely understand your frustration as many years ago had a newly upholstered sofa shredded by one of my fav cats. He was still a fav altho the sofa certainly wasn't any longer. Have since only had microfiber and tight weave velvet upholstery.

I've posted a link to a product I've heard works altho I haven't tried it.

Here is a link that might be useful: possibly worth a try

Sorry, didn't notice that co. is no longer carrying the product. Others still are tho.

Here is a link that might be useful: lots of other sites

I feel your pain, AuntJen. I have two small wool Oriental rugs, that were my grandparents. I have lots of large imitation Oriental rugs. My cat Fred prefers the real ones--maybe it's the wool? But they are the only ones he scratches on. Sigh.

If your cats like to scratch horizontal surfaces, I'd recommend the cardboard scratching pads. They're not that expensive and my cats love them. (I have to have two, one for Fred and one for the other cat, who was declawed by a former owner, but who insists on equal rights.) Not all cats like to reach up to claw things. My guys even sleep on them.

On the other hand, the most comfortable chair in the house (another hand-me-down from my grandparents) has been shredded by Fred and his predecessors. It's in my study, because it is not fit to be seen by random visitors. Someday, after Fred passes on, I'll get it reupholstered. In the meantime, I just keep trimming off the ragged threads.

I agree with Carmin and the rug has hemp or something else in it. I bought a carpet for in front of the front door and the cats completely shredded the thing within a week. This wasn't your usual scratch the furniture type thing. There was something in that rug that drove them to it. I replaced the rug after that and they were no longer interested.

I read somewhere - but I don't remember where - that citrus air spray would keep cats away from scratching furniture. Might work on the rug - wouldn't cost much and might be worth a try. Good luck.

Was JUST today talking to my vet about the pedi-paws.. she says that the idea is great but the motor is totally underpowered.. she says to save your money and get a real Dremel with a sanding wheel.. that is what they use at the clinic!

Maddiemom

I know this thread is very serious concerning all the damage our pets can do. But I'm cracking up at some of the posts! gk5040 and patricia43 especially.

The nearest I have to something like that was when our daughter had a pet parrot. I'm not a *bird person* but she is. We left his cage door open so he could get out and sit on his perch on top when he wanted. One day we left the door open by mistake and left for a shopping trip. When we got home he had chewed up most of the window sills in the house. I'm not talking little pecks..it was major demolishment of the whole window sills.

I can so relate to your frustrations! At the same time, I do see humor in it all. What we put up with for the love of our animals.

I feel very lucky!

With 2 dogs and 5 cats in the house, the worst damage is cat scratch marks on a leather sofa. And some scratches on doors and molding from the big fat Bailey cat, that thinks he should be allowed in closed rooms.

The dogs are really well-behaved compared to some of yours! Thank goodness! And the cats aren't really too bad.

And I agree AuntJen ... I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a clean house with no litter, toys or hair scattered around. And in my case, hay seed .. I have 3 mini-donk's, and the hay seed sticks to everything I wear, and of course is added to the rest of the mess in the house!

But since I love them all so much, I just deal with it.

My cats have always been pretty good in the potty area (thank god) although they have taken down a fewoutfits I used to hang on the back side of my door when I lived in a condo...the worst damage was to a 1930's cashmere coat...it has shread marks where they used it to climb (and then get stuck on) the top of the door when they were kittens.

But now we have a puppy. We've moved to the new house and have found out that he not only likes his pee pad (used by his breeder) but he feels anything on the floor is a giant pee pad. Today I'm putting the sheepskins down in the library (because it looks awful) and I'll be spraying with a natural spray that is supposed to keep him from pooping or peeing on it. I'm a neurotic decorator when it comes to rugs. They (IMO) need to be included in any good design, but now I can't put any down because of this freaking dust mop we now own. So...we'll see how the natural stuff works! I'll let you know....although my kitties don't feel the need to pee on every horizontal surface...so maybe to them it won't matter.

I feel your anger and frustration as I have 5 cats total and 3 of them in a war to mark my home their territory. I spend 3 or more hours cleaning scrubbing, washing etc daily to no avail but I did solve them using my furniture scratching posts by buying some cat furniture that hangs on the walls. I added the rope used on most scratching posts sold today, by wrapping any parts of the furniture and gluing it on. I don't know why but that solved the scratching behavior destruction. If u grind up the rinds of citrus fruit into powder and sprinkle over into and around the furniture they love to scratch they should decide to go find another post as they all hate the citrus smell. I would advise that u don't do this while they are watching just to avoid them putting 2 and 2 together. Easier to avoid possible future issues. Hope this works for u...good luck and anything I can share to help I am grateful to do.

Well, thanks. I was surprised to see this thread today though, since I posted it 11 years ago! 😯