Pet Lovers

[violann]

After having cats for years and years and years, I've been wondering if very hard wood can make a good scratching surface. 

My feral is as happy as can be using some weathered old roots in the back yard, and both Poly and Buddie HAVE approached some of my old hard wood furniture in the past.

We can manicure Poly with the help of a Thundershirt, but Buddie is absolutely 110% impossible, and we've been trying to avoid having one of the local mobile groomers come, since Buddie is also the most anxious cat I have EVER met.

Soooo- your thoughts, Cat Ladies?

[gardenman]

In my experience cats will pick out whatever they want to use as a scratching post and ignore anything else. My two cats now love sisal rope wrapped posts which they destroy pretty quickly. (Note to self: I've got to find a cheap source for large quantities of sisal rope. Their post takes over a hundred feet of the 3/8 inch rope at each wrapping and I'm wrapping it a lot.) They've got a carpet covered post and a cardboard filled scratching thing they completely ignore. If your cats aren't currently scratching hardwood, there's likely to be nothing you can do to get them started doing it.

One of our earlier cats loved scratching wood, so much so that she destroyed a banister and several pieces of wood trim. I'd prefer a cat to scratch things other than wood given a choice.

I've long thought there's good money to be made if someone could come up with a tranquilizer dart gun for house cats like your Buddie. Give them a shot in the rump, watch them stagger around for a few seconds before collapsing, then race in and frantically groom them, clip the nails, apply flea meds, brush the teeth, then get the heck out of the way and watch from a distance as they wake up and stagger to their feet and wonder what happened. If dart guns are safe enough for endangered species, someone should be able to come up with one for house cats. There are enough unmanageable house cats out there to create quite a market. Sure, some might argue it's cruel, but let them come in and try handling the cat in question. The dart gun would pretty quickly look like a good idea to them.

[2blonde]

Gardenman......LOL!  Some here are going to chastise you for the tranquilizer thing........but I love it!  Anyone who could see my 4-1/2 month old "Al" would understand why I would love to be able to do exactly what you suggest.  Right now, he's really ticked off because I've shut the windows where he likes to sit (he doesn't understand it's gotten cold outside).  In retaliation, he's jumping all over everything (including me).

The toenail clipping ordeal is a real treat too.......I've resorted to wearing heavy garden gloves for that ritual!

[Tinkrbl44]

I take my kitty over to Krizers once a month (no appt necessary) and the groomer will cut his nails with him still  sitting in his carrier ... and the $10 cost is money well spent.   

Bogey doesn't like me fussing with his nails, so I let someone else be the "bad guy".  

[violann]

I WILL BE SECOND ON LINE FOR THE TRANQUILIZER GUN,  and there's no one who can be a bigger softie/sucker for a plaintive "MEOW" than I am.

Thank you all for your thoughts.

[Another new name Sue]

Our cat's claws have been trimmed since she was a kitten, so she gives us no trouble, actually purrs and loves the attention.  I keep them trimmed because she takes swipes at the dog.  I know some cats are really difficult about having their nails trimmed. 

[violann]

We attempted to trim Buddie's claws as soon as he came to us, but NEVER HAPPENED.

He did not like his claws clipped, and let us know how he felt as soon as he arrived!

[Tinkrbl44]

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@gardenman wrote:

In my experience cats will pick out whatever they want to use as a scratching post and ignore anything else. My two cats now love sisal rope wrapped posts which they destroy pretty quickly. (Note to self: I've got to find a cheap source for large quantities of sisal rope. Their post takes over a hundred feet of the 3/8 inch rope at each wrapping and I'm wrapping it a lot.) They've got a carpet covered post and a cardboard filled scratching thing they completely ignore. If your cats aren't currently scratching hardwood, there's likely to be nothing you can do to get them started doing it.

One of our earlier cats loved scratching wood, so much so that she destroyed a banister and several pieces of wood trim. I'd prefer a cat to scratch things other than wood given a choice.

I've long thought there's good money to be made if someone could come up with a tranquilizer dart gun for house cats like your Buddie. Give them a shot in the rump, watch them stagger around for a few seconds before collapsing, then race in and frantically groom them, clip the nails, apply flea meds, brush the teeth, then get the heck out of the way and watch from a distance as they wake up and stagger to their feet and wonder what happened. If dart guns are safe enough for endangered species, someone should be able to come up with one for house cats. There are enough unmanageable house cats out there to create quite a market. Sure, some might argue it's cruel, but let them come in and try handling the cat in question. The dart gun would pretty quickly look like a good idea to them.

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G-man, I have to give credit  where credit is due .... that's brilliant!   

[lolakimono]

@violann

My two have lots of surfaces- carpet, sisal, wood, cardboard.

They both love these-Pulp Friction catnip infused scratchers by Smartykat.  (I have found the best prices at Menards).

They also like these:

Petsmart Great Choice (reversible) scratchers

They don't use the wood/sisal/carpet much, but the boy cat likes to tear at the wall to wall carpeting.  Go figure!

[glamorgirl]

I have a feral cat ( took 2 years of patients to get her to be an inside cat. Bought all kinds of different scratching post that were left unused. Got a log of wood (not very attractive) but she loves it. Problem solved