Conference misery::feline_v1

    Does the cat have an indoor scratching post?  IF not, you should
    provide one and make sure its very stable and tall enough for the
    cat to stretch up on.  That's how they like to scratch.  You could
    also put some catnip on the new post and buy some ?Bitter apple? or
    one of those other products to repel cats, near the door.  I have 
    a friend who didn't want to put that right on her sofa so she soaked
    dishtowels in it and draped them on the couch where the cat was
    scratching.
    
    Also, you could trim her nails which will help a little.  If you do
    get her declawed she MUST become an indoor only kitty.  (I agree with
    you about not declawing).  Good luck.  Let us know how you're making
    out.
      Nancy DC

    Another thought - how about getting a heavy rubber matt and putting
    it over the area that is being scratched now.  Kitty may just move
    it, but its worth a try.
     
    Do that inconjunction with the post and repellant.

    Trimming her nails every two weeks will probably solve the problem
    completely (maybe).  
    
    E.

    My dad sent me a cardbord box shaped scratch pad that has catnip in it
    and my cat LOVES it!  They advertise them in the newspapers sometimes.
    My dad sent away for it about a year ago and it's still in tact.  At 
    about six months my cat got tired of the scratch post she had and
    resorted to the couch arm.  Now, whenever she gets the urge she digs
    into her pad.
    
    Ginger

    A scratching post for an indoor cat is a must.  I agree that the
    rubber mat over the area is a good idea.
    

    What would I do? Well... I'd never give my cats away to save my 
    dusty-turquoise-that-doesn't-match-anything-and-shows-every-speck-
    of-lint carpet! :-)  Seriously, though, I feel that I get more from 
    my cats than I ever could from the carpet, furniture, or any other 
    inanimate object. Cats can be trained; carpets, furniture, etc. can 
    usually be repaired.

    It is true that a cat needs something to scratch, and the suggestions 
    in the previous replies are excellent. The way I read your note, 
    though, you are saying that your kitten claws the carpet near the 
    door(s) when it wants to go out of the house or into a room, as 
    opposed to scratching to sharpen its claws. I can sympathize; I have 
    one that does that, too. 

    My cats (except for Cubby) get shut out of the bedroom at night so 
    we humans can sleep. Toby has a habit of scratching the carpet outside 
    the bedroom door at about 5:00 each morning. First I tried keeping 
    a plant spray bottle filled with water next to the bed, and when Toby 
    started to scratch I'd get up, open the door and zap him with a couple 
    of squirts of water. He then learned to scratch the carpet and then 
    jump back a few feet when he heard me get up. If I went back to bed, 
    he'd be back at the door scratching. This would go on until I got up 
    and put him in the basement until it was time to get up.

    My next tactic was to buy some balloons, thinking I could tape an 
    inflated balloon to the door where Toby scratches, he would pop the 
    balloon and scare himself and not scratch anymore. Unfortunately, I 
    never got my act together enough to make this work, forgetting to 
    bring the balloons up to the bedroom at night, or remembering the 
    balloons and forgetting the tape, or deciding at the last minute 
    that being awakened at 5 a.m. by a loud pop would be worse than his 
    scratching the carpet. 

    Finally, I just resigned myself to getting out of bed at 5:00 when 
    Toby started to scratch, picking him up, bringing him down to the 
    basement and locking him up there until it was time to get up. After 
    a couple of days Toby caught on and, when I got up, would run 
    downstairs and hide under the livingroom furniture so I couldn't catch 
    him. So, I'd bring the spray bottle, spray him out, then put him in 
    the basement. Then he got conditioned so that when I got out of bed 
    and headed for the stairs he would just run right down to the basement 
    without any prompting from me. This morning I noticed that Toby waited 
    outside the bedroom door until I got up at my normal time and DIDN'T 
    SCRATCH THE CARPET AT ALL! He finally seems to have learned that 
    scratching the carpet will get him put in "jail". 

    I agree with you about the declawing; I wouldn't do it, either. It 
    also might not stop the scratching, although it would probably lessen 
    the damage. For the time being, you could try putting masking tape
    over the areas where the kitten is scratching to protect them. Try
    squirting with a water bottle or popping a balloon from the other
    side of the door when the kitten scratches to go in/out, or, if you
    have a cat carrier, put him in the carrier in a room by himself for 
    a while. 

    I hope you will try training your kitten, who is at a good age for 
    this. Finding the right method may take some trial and error, and 
    training may take a while but when it works, you have the satisfaction 
    of having outsmarted a cat!

    Good luck!

    Windy Linda -- and Misty, Cubby, Toby, Tweetie and Peanut

    Oh, yeah, if you try the "balloon trick", don't let the kitten eat
    the broken balloon or he could get very sick.
    
    Linda
    

    I had the same problem - my two cats prefer to sleep outside in
    summer, but come in, through the cat flap around 5am to wake me up. 
    I used to leave the bedroom door open until they learnt how to 
    remove the duvet between them. Once I started shutting the bedroom
    door they scrapped at the carpet and the wallpaper until I let them
    in. 
    My solution was a large pile of heavy books which worked surprisingly
    well. They were too heavy for them to move & stopped them getting
    at the carpet.
    
    Now they just sleep outside the bedroom door until I get up and
    I've been able to do away with the books. The only problem with
    doing this was remembering not to trip over the books when I 
    opened the bedroom door in the morning! I imagine any heavy object
    would work as well.
    
    
    Rosemary

    I have this problem with the stud cat and the girls.  Kalliste (the
    stud cat) is in a carpeted bedroom, and when the girls are in season,
    they try to dig their way under from their side while he trys to
    dig his way out from his side.  My solution was to go to Home Depot
    and buy about 12 feet of plastic hall runner, and then cut a piece
    large enough to fit under the door.  I cut grooves in it to go around
    the door jambs, and this is what holds it in place.  Occassionally
    Kalliste is able to pull it somewhat into his room, but he has never
    managed to pull it all the way out from under the door.  The girls
    aren't quite as strong (or determined I guess).
    
    As I get older, I am finding that my views on things change.  I
    think that in *this* case, I would rather see the cat indoors only
    and declawed and the whole family happy, than either the cat being
    outdoors and declawed, or worse yet, without a home.  No flames
    please.             
    
    Jo

    re:  9
    
    Agree!!  Declawing is sure better than death.
    
    E.