# my cat is destroying my house !



## kelly12 (Nov 8, 2014)

Hello everyone,

I love my nearly 2 year old tabby i am at my wits end with him. He is ripping up my carpet at the living room door to the point its going bald ! I have got him to stop it when wer awake but as soon as its bed time he has a field day. Hes destroying my bed. I have a fabric frame round the bottom with drawers, he claws all the fabric and is obsessed with trying to get the drawers open so he can go inside and destroy it from the inside out ! Too. He claws the wallpaper untill he gets a big enough bit to fit in his mouth then i wake up to him pulling sheets of my wall paper off ! Not to mention the state of my leather couch He chews all my wooden bedroom furniture. So i thought it may have been his teeth but the vet said they were fine and now i have started brushing them.
he has 2 £80 cat trees one in the living room and one in the bedroom as these are his favourite places in the house. He climbs them and sleeps on them but only scratches them once in a while. I have a cat dancing toy that hangs from the wall so he can play with himself he used it 2s and has never looked at it since ! I got him a feathered long cat toy but hed rather watch me play with it. I have cat balls everywhere for him. I even have a cat scratcher that sits low to the floor and put that next to my bed to try tempt him on to that instead. As soon as we go to bed he thinks right what can i destroy  i dont have a clue what to do hes even an outside cat so its not like he doesnt have plenty to do. 

I am completely against declawing, and i couldn't give him up hes still my little man even though he drives me to despair 

Any advise would be greatly appreciated


----------



## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Oh dear, I feel for you 
It sounds like you have plenty for him to do - and if he has outside access too I'm surprised he is so bored 
Have you tried spraying the cat trees and scratchers with cat nip?
Only other thing I can think of is..... does he need a feline friend?


----------



## kelly12 (Nov 8, 2014)

Thanks for the reply. Exactly  lol. hes really unsociable with other cats. Very territorial. Otherwise i think it would have been a good option. I could try spraying his trees with the cat nip iv not tried that


----------



## Soozi (Jun 28, 2013)

kelly12 said:


> Thanks for the reply. Exactly  lol. hes really unsociable with other cats. Very territorial. Otherwise i think it would have been a good option. I could try spraying his trees with the cat nip iv not tried that


Agree with moggie14! for starters try spraying the cat trees with catnip but I have to say the aroma doesn't last long so be prepared to spray them every couple of days! You could try giving him Zylkene and plug in some Feliways! then use bitter Apple spray on the no go areas apparently they hate the smell. It must be a nightmare hope you can break the habit as I think that is what it has become. X


----------



## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

I do feel for you.
One point to make is that he is currently going through 'the terrible twos' and _should_ start to calm down as he matures.


----------



## Vanessa131 (Nov 16, 2014)

That sounds like my previous cat, she once inserted some knitting into a nice big hole that she had made in the back of a leather sofa, she started getting calmer when she was six, she was always bonkers though. 

You can get sprays which cats are supposed to not like to prevent scratching/chewing, as others have said you could try catnip spray on his cat tree etc. If he has a particular treat he likes you could always put a treat ball down at night. Are you not able to limit him to one room during the night?


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi Kelly, it does sound as though you have your hands full with this lively fellow!  I agree you cannot have him ruling the roost and destroying the house in this way.

As you know declawing in the UK is illegal, thank goodness. But what you can do is clip his claws. It is not painful or damaging to the claw as long as you just take off the tip. If you are unsure, ask one of the nurses at your vets to show you, so you can do it at home every few weeks. If your cat's claws are less sharp and pointy it will not be so easy for him to rip down wallpaper, and less fun for him to rip carpet.

You're going to have to put in some dedicated hard work to redirecting your cat's behaviour towards acceptable scratching places. But the rewards are there if you have the time and patience.

Firstly you say he is ripping up your carpet at the living room door. I imagine he is doing this when the door is shut and he wants to get in or out of the room? One of my 18 mth old cats does this. The best answer is not to shut the doors, so your cat can go in and out as he pleases, but keep the door ajar with a soft doorstop to prevent it closing.

If you really must have the door shut, the next best solution is to get a thin plank of wood the width of the door and tack it in place over the carpet at the entrance or exit to the room, or put both sides. I have had to do this outside my bathroom door to protect the carpet and it has stopped my cat scratching to get in, when I am having a shower.

The next thing is - buy lots of different scratchers, all the various textures :- sisal, corrugated cardboard, carpet. Get some for the floor (e.g. cardboard scratchers), some upright posts, and some for the walls. For a cat like yours you simply cannot have too many scratchers, so I would aim for at least 2 or 3 different types per room.

They don't have to be expensive (cardboard scratchers from Zooplus are cheap & good value), but make sure the posts are tall enough for a cat to stretch fully, and stable so they don't wobble (again Z/plus has good ones).

Having invested in all your scratchers, and fixed some of them to the walls, you then rub all the scratchers every day with powdered cat nip (available Amazon). This is much stronger than spray-on stuff and lasts better.

If your cat is one who does not respond to cat nip then you will need to get hold of dried valerian, which cats usually like.

The next step is retraining your cat. This means _every single time without fail_ your cat goes to scratch any place he shouldn't, you immediately calmly pick him up, carry him to the nearest scratcher (which will not be far away), place him in front of it and gently paddle his paws up and down mimicking the movement he makes when he scratches.

You will need to be prepared to keep up this training for at least a month before he learns what it is you want him to do. Cats DO learn from redirective training but you must be consistent and patient, and never ever get annoyed with him, or it will be a lost cause.

Additionally if there are no trees in your garden for him to scratch outdoors I would fix up some outdoor scratchers for him. These could be logs of seasoned soft wood, e.g. pine, which are nice to sink claws into.  Lay them flat on the ground and make sure they're big enough for him to stand on to brace himself with his back legs.

Finally, as a lot of the damage seems to be happening at night, I recommend you start restricting him to one room at night and having a set routine so he is settled quietly at bedtime.

Choose a good sized room (not bathroom or utility room) where he can do least damage to fixtures and fittings, perhaps the kitchen, if it is a room with a door. At bedtime, settle him there with his bedding, water, litter trays and a dish of wet food for supper. You could leave a radio on low, playing classical music.

For the first few nights you may need to sit in the room with him for half an hour at bedtime, quietly ignoring him, until he's finished his routine of eating, grooming and is ready for sleep. When he is quiet you can tiptoe out of the room without speaking to him and shut the door. Then when you go to bed shut your bedroom door so he can't hear you and try to attract your attention.

It may take a week or 10 days to get him used to this bedtime routine, but I promise you he will, if you are firm and keep strictly to it.

If he continues to be destructive in the daytime to your bed I would shut him out of your bedroom for the time being.

I am not promising your cat will ever be perfect in his indoor behaviour, but I can promise there will be definite improvements if you follow the tried-and-tested routines above.


----------



## kelly12 (Nov 8, 2014)

Thank you for everyone's reply. I could limit him to one room. Hes digging up the carpet when the door is open ! I would be happier if it was shut but that's a good idea about the wood. Ah iv been shouting at him when hes been digging up the carpet and now i feel bad lol chillminx Thank you so much for all your advice i will be putting all youv said into practice tonight. I was really at my wits end just wish i would have asked sooner might have saved some of my furniture lol


----------



## kelly12 (Nov 8, 2014)

Thank you for all your replys. The door is open i think he just enjoys lifting the carpet up  but the wood is a good idea. I didnt relise cats had terrible 2s aswell lol i could limit him to one room at night that would be an idea too. Chillminx thank you so much for your reply I will be putting these into practice tonight  i have been shouting at him when hes been clawing the carpet and now i feel bad lol i am whiling to put in the time so hopefully he works with me. I will let yous all know how i get on. Thanks again


----------



## kelly12 (Nov 8, 2014)

kelly12 said:


> Thank you for all your replys. The door is open i think he just enjoys lifting the carpet up  but the wood is a good idea. I didnt relise cats had terrible 2s aswell lol i could limit him to one room at night that would be an idea too. Chillminx thank you so much for your reply I will be putting these into practice tonight  i have been shouting at him when hes been clawing the carpet and now i feel bad lol i am whiling to put in the time so hopefully he works with me. I will let yous all know how i get on. Thanks again


Reason for double post i thought the 1st one didn't send


----------



## kelly12 (Nov 8, 2014)

Hi Guys, 

just a quick update about Leo and my house. well since i have been picking him up every time he digs the carpet and taking him to his scratching post without saying anything he has really picked it up, on occasions he trys to have a dig but i just place him there straight away i cant believe how quick he learnt the carpets not for scratching. I put sticky tape on it at night and leave him with a treat ball incase he gets bored and its worked. i have also got him in a bit of a routine getting him tired at the same time as me so he comes to bed with me and gets up with me and hes so much better behaved. He only chews the bedroom furniture if i have a long lie now too. so great news all round 

Thank all of you for your advice !


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Very pleased to hear of the improvements! Well done you for persevering! and well done Leo for being a much better behaved boy! 

I think your results are proof that cats can/do change their behaviour if they are taught what is expected of them in a calm, consistent manner.

Worth noting that he may have a few slip-ups occasionally when he forgets. Just go back to the method you have used, and he will soon get the hang of it again. Eventually he will just use his scratchers all the time.


----------



## Melissafletcher13 (Oct 15, 2021)

kelly12 said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> I love my nearly 2 year old tabby i am at my wits end with him. He is ripping up my carpet at the living room door to the point its going bald ! I have got him to stop it when wer awake but as soon as its bed time he has a field day. Hes destroying my bed. I have a fabric frame round the bottom with drawers, he claws all the fabric and is obsessed with trying to get the drawers open so he can go inside and destroy it from the inside out ! Too. He claws the wallpaper untill he gets a big enough bit to fit in his mouth then i wake up to him pulling sheets of my wall paper off ! Not to mention the state of my leather couch He chews all my wooden bedroom furniture. So i thought it may have been his teeth but the vet said they were fine and now i have started brushing them.
> he has 2 £80 cat trees one in the living room and one in the bedroom as these are his favourite places in the house. He climbs them and sleeps on them but only scratches them once in a while. I have a cat dancing toy that hangs from the wall so he can play with himself he used it 2s and has never looked at it since ! I got him a feathered long cat toy but hed rather watch me play with it. I have cat balls everywhere for him. I even have a cat scratcher that sits low to the floor and put that next to my bed to try tempt him on to that instead. As soon as we go to bed he thinks right what can i destroy  i dont have a clue what to do hes even an outside cat so its not like he doesnt have plenty to do.
> ...


I don't want to sound like a know it all but I had the exact same problem but with 2 cats, at the same time. The truth is your cat may not be very happy. My female cat had never scratched anyone in her whole life, but my male cat has attacked me to the point of permanent scars. She was timid and lovely to humans, but hated other cats. He was distant and unpredictable but was great with cats. The only thing they had in common was they were both outdoors. Both of mine are bengals, so they are large and large clawed. And not to mention the noise they make. I would be more than happy to show all three things. They could not be left alone when indoors, but they were a team outdoors. Indoors she was nervous of him and he would attack her to get his own way. They destroyed my house. The bed frames, wallpaper, door paint, curtains, knocked things of sides. And what made it worse was my male cat can open doors and attacked, so moving him and closing him out didn't work. I decided to make them indoor after a realising my female was being bullied outside by another male cat, he bit her and gave her an abcess. Broke my heart, made them indoors immediately. I didn't want them to get hurt or to hurt others cats. My female was very vocal and distant at first. They've both been indoors for 2 years now. They get along so well, he no longer attacks, no more anxiety, no more behaving territorial. Also my furniture has been spared. The worst they do is scratch the door. I play with them 1hr each, hand feed treats. With playing its about patient and the right rhythm. I tried a playing method for my girl because she became lazy when she was indoors. Nothing was interesting to her. Until she realised every time she caught the toy (pray) she got a treat. She's so playful now, honestly it took forever and sometimes they still go to the door and meow but I try and block it out. Trust me when I say domestication and learning your cat is the most fulfilling relationship you can have. Now I can actually tell my cat that I don't want them to do it and they more often then not won't. I actually taught my cats sit and paw whist she was indoors. (Because she a cutie that never sleeps and I wanted to mentally drain her) and because he used to scratch for treats and it made ut unpleasant. Now they are happy, safe, health, lovely fluffs to be around and I try 10x harder for them now than I every bothered to when I let them out. Rember even if it feels stupid sometimes and people judge cats live averagely ¼ of our lives and they deserve a good little life. hope this helps (also side note cats live him habit i.e. loops. For example my cat used to jump of her litter box on my shelf and she was so heavy it fell down off the wall beneath her. I was so worried (then when I realised she was fine) very angry. I had told her time and time again not to get up there. I realised there was nothing I could do, but break the cycle so I bought a water spray (it's harmless, we are 80% water, we bath in it, they drink it) a little sprits won't hurt. Whenever she jumped on he litter tray and looked at the shelf i would jump up with the pray bottle and tell her not to do it first, if she looked through me at it or attempted again I prayed her. She ran away and sulked. But now she doesn't do it and we are great. And so is my furniture lol. Good luck


----------



## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

kelly12 said:


> Thanks for the reply. Exactly  lol. hes really unsociable with other cats. Very territorial. Otherwise i think it would have been a good option. I could try spraying his trees with the cat nip iv not tried that


Does he scratch things outside as well ? Cats leave a scent from their claws when they scratch and it also leaves a visual mark so if he is territorial , it could be something to do with that . They often top up their chosen places so it can be difficult when trying to teach them to scratch on a post etc instead of the carpet.

Have you tried a plug in Feliway , that can help to calm cats.

ETA just realised this is a very old thread from 2014. .

Please dont spray your cat with water. You can use a clicker to train your cat .


----------



## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Melissafletcher13 said:


> I don't want to sound like a know it all but I had the exact same problem but with 2 cats, at the same time. The truth is your cat may not be very happy. My female cat had never scratched anyone in her whole life, but my male cat has attacked me to the point of permanent scars. She was timid and lovely to humans, but hated other cats. He was distant and unpredictable but was great with cats. The only thing they had in common was they were both outdoors. Both of mine are bengals, so they are large and large clawed. And not to mention the noise they make. I would be more than happy to show all three things. They could not be left alone when indoors, but they were a team outdoors. Indoors she was nervous of him and he would attack her to get his own way. They destroyed my house. The bed frames, wallpaper, door paint, curtains, knocked things of sides. And what made it worse was my male cat can open doors and attacked, so moving him and closing him out didn't work. I decided to make them indoor after a realising my female was being bullied outside by another male cat, he bit her and gave her an abcess. Broke my heart, made them indoors immediately. I didn't want them to get hurt or to hurt others cats. My female was very vocal and distant at first. They've both been indoors for 2 years now. They get along so well, he no longer attacks, no more anxiety, no more behaving territorial. Also my furniture has been spared. The worst they do is scratch the door. I play with them 1hr each, hand feed treats. With playing its about patient and the right rhythm. I tried a playing method for my girl because she became lazy when she was indoors. Nothing was interesting to her. Until she realised every time she caught the toy (pray) she got a treat. She's so playful now, honestly it took forever and sometimes they still go to the door and meow but I try and block it out. Trust me when I say domestication and learning your cat is the most fulfilling relationship you can have. Now I can actually tell my cat that I don't want them to do it and they more often then not won't. I actually taught my cats sit and paw whist she was indoors. (Because she a cutie that never sleeps and I wanted to mentally drain her) and because he used to scratch for treats and it made ut unpleasant. Now they are happy, safe, health, lovely fluffs to be around and I try 10x harder for them now than I every bothered to when I let them out. Rember even if it feels stupid sometimes and people judge cats live averagely ¼ of our lives and they deserve a good little life. hope this helps (also side note cats live him habit i.e. loops. *For example my cat used to jump of her litter box on my shelf and she was so heavy it fell down off the wall beneath her. I was so worried (then when I realised she was fine) very angry. I had told her time and time again not to get up there. I realised there was nothing I could do, but break the cycle so I bought a water spray (it's harmless, we are 80% water, we bath in it, they drink it) a little sprits won't hurt. Whenever she jumped on he litter tray and looked at the shelf i would jump up with the pray bottle and tell her not to do it first, if she looked through me at it or attempted again I prayed her. She ran away and sulked. But now she doesn't do it and we are great. And so is my furniture lol. Good luck*


As pointed out by @kimthecat the above thread is 7 years old but incase anyone is reading it @Melissafletcher13 please don't advise spraying a cat with water it will only make it fearful ,it is not helpful .


----------



## Melissafletcher13 (Oct 15, 2021)

buffie said:


> As pointed out by @kimthecat the above thread is 7 years old but incase anyone is reading it @Melissafletcher13 please don't advise spraying a cat with water it will only make it fearful ,it is not helpful .


Its water, my cat baths. But thank you for the dramatic advice. Its a cat, not a blind ant. Most cats actually get over water spray. And it stops working eventually. I have worked with cats my whole life. I have 2. Dont need your advice. They're lovely and loving. I dont spray the cat, I spray near it as a warning, vets actually advise it. Cats bath, get rained on, drink water and are 80% water. Its not a lighter.


----------



## LinznMilly (Jun 24, 2011)

Melissafletcher13 said:


> Its water, my cat baths. But thank you for the dramatic advice. Its a cat, not a blind ant. Most cats actually get over water spray. And it stops working eventually. I have worked with cats my whole life. I have 2. Dont need your advice. They're lovely and loving. I dont spray the cat, I spray near it as a warning, vets actually advise it. Cats bath, get rained on, drink water and are 80% water. Its not a lighter.


Whether or not cats are 80% 90%, or 100% water or bathe in it, it can't be nice for a cat to have a trigger gun pointed at them and sprayed with water by their own owners. And it if stops working eventually, then you've had to do it so much your cats have learned to ignore it.

The fact that cats get rained on is no excuse to squirt them with water, either. One is natural, can't be avoided (and if my mum's two cats is any indication, then they don't particularly like being out in the rain, either). The other is a deliberate attempt to punish the cat by the person who's supposed to love them most.


----------

