Conference misery::feline_v1

	 How about investing in a scratching post or cat tree? My 2 have
     one  of  each  and  it  seems to keep the furniture infairly decent
     repair.  (I've noticed that since Christmas, when their 'grammy and
     grampy' gave them the tree, that they don't even touch the couch at
     all!!)

	 If you  get a post, be sure it's tall enough so Patches can get
     a  good  stretch  in. Josh and Becky's is 3' tall and seems to work
     fairly  well.  (Something  tells  me  they want a bigger on though,
     since  when  they  walk up to it, they comfortably grab the top and
     then  start  to scratch - when they stand up and stretch they're at
     least 3' tall!!)

	 The trees  are  good  because  they give the kitty something to
     climb,  and  that's always good for muscles. (Becky likes to lie on
     her  side on the middle platform and chase her tail around the post
     -  silly girl!! It's really pretty funny to watch, since she chirps
     the entire time she's twirling.)

    Getting a "kitty playground" will help, but maybe the real problem
    is that the cat is lonely; how about getting her a companion or
    a pet like a hampster?
    
    Deb

>    is that the cat is lonely; how about getting her a companion or
>    a pet like a hampster?
    
	 and how  long  do  you  think she will keep that pet? Until she
     takes it out for dinner, perhaps? :-) :-) :-) :-)

    I think you will not only have to provide her with a good sturdy
    cat tree, you will also have to be diligent in your efforts to train
    her to use it.  A spray bottle of water is a great training tool.
    
    Normally I would also suggest getting her a playmate, but after
    having her as an only cat for 9 years, it may be asking too much
    to have her accept a new cat.  Only you would know for sure.  I
    have been able to introduce new cats to my 14 year old with no problem,
    but then he was a stray for awhile and is grateful just to have
    a home.
    
    If you decide to replace your shredded sofa, buy one in polished
    cotton or some other smooth fabric that won't be attractive to kitty
    claws.  Or use a cover over your sofa.
    Jo Ann

    RE: 3
    
    Actually, most cats will get along real well with another animal
    that you might think it would be a natural predator of; they seem
    to understand that the other animal is "family". I have some pictures
    of my brood when I was babysitting a couple of baby bunnies last
    year. My adult cats got a long real well with them (Argus was treating
    them as one of the kittens, grooming them after meals and everything).
    Panther and Eirene were a bit scared at first but toward the end
    of the week they were playing togeather real well.
    
    
    Deb
    
    P.S. Wasn't there an article in CATS or CAT FANCY about a year ago
    about getting a pet for your cat?

    Also, coupling another *tall* scratching post/tree/box etc with
    a spray on the furniture can help.  There are scents out on the
    market which cats do not like, but which are not too bad for humans.
    I prefer a lemon scent.  Some of the cats don't care, but some
    absolutely hate it, so when you are at work, they don't go around
    it.
    
                     Carol

    The reason scratching posts often fail is because the scratching
    is actually a way of marking their territory and they like to mark
    their favourite chair or sofa. 
    
    Please don't declaw it leaves cats defenceless and I think it's
    very cruel.
    
    My furniture is cotton and it seems to stand up to scratching very
    well, could throw an old cotton sheet over while you are out.
    
    On a different topic, have you ever thought of getting a second
    cat, it could keep the first one company while you are out.
    
    Ellen

    I have two 7 year old cats who stay indoors but are not declawed.
    Just recently I finally discovered an effective way to distract
    them from clawing the furniture to pieces.  Scratching posts never
    worked for me, either.  
    
    What has worked is nailing a small indoor/outdoor rug remnant about
    3 feet above the floor, on the door frame.  It's just the right
    height for the cats to be able to stretch out as they scratch --
    they love to do that -- and they like getting their claws into the
    fabric of the rug.  I replace the remnant every now and then.  There
    are only two nail holes which will be easy to repair, when I need
    to. The cats haven't touched the couch since I've been putting up
    rug remnants.
    
    It also has helped to keep their nails cut.
    
    

    RE: .8
    
    That sounds like a super idea. I've had bad luck with scratching
    post too. My little darlings claw at everything...furniture, rugs,
    doors, etc.
    
    Thanks for the idea.
    
    kathie

Hi,
	We did the same thing with our two cats, except inside of the dormer
window that they like to catch their sun baths in.  They, too, love it.
One thing about the kitties not liking the scratching post... have you ever
tried moving it to a different location??  I bought one of the scratch set
ups that has a big box on the bottom that cats can crawl into, a long beam,
and then a perch up top (all rug covered).  When it was in one location, I
might as well just used it myself since the boys weren't interested in it.
About a month ago we rearranged the furniture and left the scratching post
in a "temporary" place (of course, right in the middle of everywhere), need-
less to say... the cats love it now!  So, we left it there and have learned
to adjust to walking around it.  So, try relocating it.........

    Amen to the relocation theory. When our cat-tree was in the basement,
    only Chiun would use it, and only when somebody went downstairs;
    guess he wanted an audience (or someone to catch him if he fell?).
    
    When we got a new one and put it upstairs in a corner, Chiun would
    use it, but Abigail still wouldn't. And then at Christmas we moved
    it to make room for the tree, and in its new location *both* cats
    swarmed all over it. Abigail was delighted; she could jump off it
    to the chair or the couch, could sit up on it and see out the front
    window, and just loved it.

    So, location does matter. Now, if you can only get them to tell
    you where *they* want it...
    
    -b

    We have ours in our bedroom and it makes for a great view out the
    sliding glass door and the bay window.  The cats love it.  My husband
    built this tree for our cats and it is 9 feet high with three shelves,
    one on each side of the tree and a platform on the top with a hole
    cut in the middle so they can climb through.  We have a cathedral
    ceiling in the bedroom and the living room so those are the only
    two rooms the 9 foot tree will fit in.
    
    When Joui was a kitten she would climb to the very top of the tree
    and then sit up there and cry because it was so high up and she
    was afraid to climb back down.  She eventually came up with a method
    of climbing down that she still uses.  She will plant her front
    paws firmly on the post and then pivot/swing her backside down onto
    the post until she is in the upright position and then climb down
    backwards!  It is the funniest sight.  Kinda hard to explain here
    in writing.
    
    Jo Ann
    

      My cat also was not crazy about the carpet I put on a cellar
    beam from top to bottom. So I turned it inside out. Now the burlap
    side is showing and he loves it! It gives them a better grip than
    some of those high pile carpets they use for scratching posts.

    Our cats like to be in the same room as we are.  They will use
    the post if it is conveniently located.  One of our 6 cats is a
    Balanese (a very active, youthful breed of cat), who insists
    on having the very tallest post available.
    
    Cats like carpet that is looped.  They usually don't want the
    stuff attached only at one end of the yarn.  Thats why I make
    my own posts; I can choose the right carpet.  Ours won't use
    the post for scratching if it isn't the looped type of carpet.
    
    Our posts now look like wool sweaters rather than like carpets.
    
    I also found that some cats like carpet padding below the
    carpeting on the post.  When they claws go in deep, they like
    them to sink into foam rather than hard wood.  This is not
    always necessary though.
    
    In making a post, it helps to put a large, carpeted, plywood box
    at the bottom to make it bottom-heavy.  Our Balanese gets a
    running start and trys to knock over the post whenever possible.
    The box adds enough weight to keep it from falling over and dammaging
    furniture.
    
    Bill
    

    Hi,
    
    Thanks for all the advice about what to do with Patches loving my 
    furniture so much.  After ruling out another pet because she is
    spoiled rotten and a one person cat and not having her declawed 
    because she is so old, I decided to purchase a tall scratching post 
    and give that a try.  I went out scouting the other day keeping
    in mind nothing but the best for my baby, discovered that a good
    one with all the little attachments would run me into 65+ dollars
    easy.  I might love her to death but I've got to draw the line
    some where, even thou it looked like exactly what she needs.
    I mentioned the cost to someone and they mentioned to have one
    made.  Forgetul me, my brother has his own construction business
    and would have no problem getting the carpet and everything else
    to make me one.  So, its on order and will let you all know how
    it works out.  
    
    Thanks,
    Jude
      

    I made a little scratching post for Taboo (she died after 2 months)
    which I continued to use for Mielikki.  Problem was, as you have
    pointed out, as she grew she liked it less and less as she couldn't
    stretch.  Now she has returned to furniture, which is not a good
    example for her half sister, Ishtar, who just joined us.  I tried
    the spray on the furniture, but it killed my lungs.  I have seen
    the jungle gyms around, but they cost a fortune.  The vet bills
    are bad enough.  The other day I was in Dogs Etc and saw a unique
    jungle gym.  Instead of carpet on the post, it was wrapped tightly
    with Sistle (sp?), which is a course type of rope, often used to
    make those macrame plant hangers.  The store owner said the cats
    who turned their nose up at carpet scratching posts loved this kind.
    Also, the wool sweater look of a used post does not occur, the ones
    they had on display have been used by their cats at night for a
    year or so and they looked new.  The ledges did have carpet on them,
    as it is more comfy to lie on.  Cost?  $100.  The guy said that
    buying the materials and making it yourself is as much as buying
    it already made.  I think that's just a sell job.  Anybody know
    what the costs are for pieces of rug, Sistle rope and wood?
    
    

    If your thinking of making one yourself, another idea I have seen
    used is to use a heavy thick tree limb with bark and mount that
    so the cats can stretch up to it.  
    
    Can anyone better explain what I'm talking about!!!   
    
    either way, it's probably lots less expensive to make one yourself
    
    cin
    

    A friend of mine made a scratching tree out of the pole of an old
    pole lamp (to anchor it so the cats couldn't knock it over - there
    is a terrible story somewhere in this file of a kitty that died
    when a scratching tree fell on it, poor critter) with the lamps
    removed, some old wire spools (we used to be able to get them from
    the shipping/receiving area of DEC - haven't tried lately, though),
    and sample carpet squares salvaged from a carpet store, which she
    stapled to the wire spools.  I don't know how long it took her to
    make this creation, though - might have taken a long time, since
    those carpet squares are pretty small! - but the price was right
    (free, except for the staples).
    
    However, her cats still clawed the furniture (especially the roll
    top of an antique desk she was very fond of) and she got them declawed
    (no, I wouldn't do that, either, but hers are strictly indoor cats
    and didn't seem to really notice that their claws were gone - my
    cats are both smarter than those two are, anyhow!).
    
    I imagine that you could do the same sort of construction job with
    a spring-loaded pole, wire spools, a big ball of sisal twine, and
    a lot of glue, but it would sure take a while!
    
    I took the easy way out: when we bought a new sofa, we also bought
    a carpetted cat tree.  The critters, after they got used to it,
    mostly use the tree these days.  (now, if I could just get them
    to only upchuck hairballs in places that have vinyl floors....
    Nebula left Paul a "present" on the bedspread the day I left on
    a business trip, which didn't impress him much!  He sort of prefers
    dogs anyhow, but I already had the cats long before we married.)