Dedham Veterinary Associates

DVA 326 Bridge Street * Dedham, MA 02026 * 781.326.2800

My Cat is Shredding My House… Now What?

Nail Trimming can greatly reduce the damage done to furniture and carpets. This procedure is easy for owners to learn and can be done every one to two weeks to keep nails blunt. If you are unsure of how to do this we can teach you.

Scratching posts should be provided for all cats. Cats naturally need to scratch and claw as part of their nail shedding and marking behavior. If there is nothing appropriate available they will turn to couches, oriental carpets, anything they can. Some cats prefer sissel or carpet covered posts. Others enjoy the corrugated cardboard variety. Experiment with different types of scratching posts to find the type your kitty prefers. Catnip can be used to lure your cat to the post. Praise and treats can be given when the cat scratches the post to encourage the behavior.

Feliway is a pheromone spray that can change cat marking behavior. Cats naturally emit this scent when they mark by rubbing with their cheek. When they smell this they want to re-mark the area in the same way. Cats can smell this pheromone but people can not. Feliway comes in a spray bottle or a diffuser. Both items can be found through pet product suppliers on the internet.

Soft paws are little rubber caps than can be attached to the nails. They make it impossible for a cat to puncture fabric or leather with their claws.

Physical deterrents such as contact paper sticky side up, aluminium foil, or a can filled with coins and taped closed balanced precariously on the edge of the item which is being clawed.

Laser declaw surgery is available at Dedham Veterinary Associates for cats whose improper clawing behavior is not acceptably controlled. Laser assisted surgery combined with aggressive pain control medications used at our facility makes the surgery easily tolerated by most cats. We recommend declaw surgery after cat owners have tried the above techniques, as most cats can be trained to claw appropriate surfaces.