Sprinkle catnip on the scratching post.
NO cat can resist catnip.
If you want a house that smells like cat piss get a cat. Tell her it’s her problem otherwise.
Scratch pad is very important. I would spend the money and buy a tower of some kind. Cats like it and will generally use it, but the pads are touch and go.
Some cats like them and some don’t, but almost all will use a tower.
Not to worry, you’ll be trained before long.
Canvas bag, cinderblock, river - problem solved.
As someone here already mentioned the squirt gun idea is very effective. The best part of using the squirt gun is that they don’t typically associate being squirted with the person doing the squirting. When training my cats to not scratch the couch, after squirting them they would usually run to me for protection from the evil squirt gun that just happened to be be in my hand.
One of my cats used to want to sharpen claws on the end of the couch. I purchased a cheap scratching post at Walmart and placed it right in front of the spot she was working on. It worked like a charm and she transferred to the scratching post. I just left it there for a few months and then moved it a few feet away and she followed it. Had not more problems. I think they prefer the post to the pad because it duplicates scratching on the trunk of a tree.
It always surprises me when I see the comments from mental midgets about all kinds of cruel things you can do to cats, if not to stop or modify behavior, just for fun.
I expect it from 11 year old boys, but it is pretty creepy from people old enough and interested enough to post on FR.
Some are kidding, and it is usually evident and we can laugh, but from a lot of them if you call them on it, they just say “Hahahaha...I was only kidding...” which is a typical liberal response when you criticize them for saying what they are really thinking.
Catnip...scratching post...water pistol..all good ideas. Do NOT declaw. Any vet willing to perform such surgeries should lose their license.
Sprinkle catnip (as prev. mentioned) on the post and place the post next to her cat bed......
Get a thick cardboard scratchpad from the pet store. All cats love them!
Go ahead and declaw. best thing I ever did while owning cats. Current cats are not declawed because they are outside cats and have manners when inside.
Inside cat? Snip snip.
Had to put my 15 year old best kitty friend and fur child down yesterday. He was good boy and brought Mrs Clamper and I much joy. He will be missed
I have found that most cats will do that more frequently in the first few weeks of a new home. As you say, she stops and runs away if you scold her. That activity should taper off a bit as time goes on, especially if she is an older cat rather than a young kitten.
Also, never get a cat "declawed" as it is more akin to having your fingers cut off at the first joint, rather than trimming your finger nails. And yes it can cause a lot of problems for them later in life, not to mention that it will be completely defenseless if she happens to slip outside of your house now and then.
FWIW...Our family was offered a temporary position in Japan back in 2000 but had to turn it down. The reason we turned it down was because two of our sons had severe allergies to nuts, shellfish and certain antibiotics, requiring Rx Epi pens to be on person at all times. The language barrier as well as the need to read all consumable ingredient labels proficiently and the fact that at that time - carrying Epi pens was prohibited, made our decision to refuse the offer.
Maybe your guest needs a different type of scratcher? This is the one Max and Tweety like, especially with some potent catnip: http://www.petsmart.com/supplies-training/scratchers/grreat-choice-cat-scratcher-zid36-5160975/cat-36-catid-200086?_t=pfm%3Dend_cap%26pfmvalue%3DBEST%2520SELLERS
Trimming claws helps a lot! Get a good cat-claw trimming tool and ask your vet or a PetSmart groomer to give you a quick lesson. It’s easy and cats feel better with trimmed claws.
Declawing is a painful mutilation. Please don’t consider.
When I was a kid, we had an indoor/outdoor cat. That cat sharpened claws on the furniture. It especially loved the drapes on the sliding glass door.
Cat would start clawing on the drapes, and Dad would get up, swat the cat, and toss it out the door.
Finally the cat learned that this was the way to get let out of the house. So when he wanted out, he’d go claw the drapes, duck his head, and wait to get tossed out the door.
squirt gun. every time she scratches where she’s not supposed to, squirt her.
on a side note, you MUST feed her a really high quality food which will save you grief, heartache and vet bills in the future. We really like FROMM brand, grain free. I also recommend a scoop of canned food every day as well which gives oily fat that helps skin, coat, brain, etc.