How to keep cats from scratching? Do dogs and cats get along?

I don't know how to keep them from scratching. Do get the kitten the biggest scratching post you can come up with, and drop the kitten in the middle of it so she has to climb up or down. She'll get the idea. Very likely, she will scratch other things as well. I have heard that squirting them with a spray bottle trains them where not to scratch. I'm pretty sure it trains them where not to scratch when you stand behind them with a spray bottle in your hand.

They will still scratch if you keep their claws trimmed. It's a cat thing. Dull claws are less destructive.

A kitten might not be able to scratch through genuine leather. A grown cat can, kittens grow up pretty quick.

Some cats and dogs get along well. Others don't. At one time, I had a fairly large German Shepherd and a cat. Both females. The dog liked the cat; the cat didn't like the dog, but wasn't afraid of her at all. It's kind of an individual thing.

Your dad's right.


No, that wouldn't really stop it, that would only minimize the damage slightly. You'll need to redirect the cat's natural urge to scratch to something like a scratching post. Or you could get the cat declawed, although a lot of people object to that and it's an expensive procedure.


A cat can -- and will -- scratch through just about anything that isn't metal or stone.


You can never tell how two animals are going to get along until you put them together. Some cats and dogs get along quite well, others never really warm up to each other. Golden retrievers are usually sweet-tempered dogs, but there's no telling what it will do when faced with a fuzzy little intruder. Likewise, there's no telling how a kitten will react to a dog unless it has already been socialized around dogs.

Theoretically.

I think we are pretty much on the same frequency, here.

We had three cats over the years, two of them arriving as kittens, and I remember no scratching from them in the house... and I would remember. We never bought a scratching post and our furniture stayed fine. On the other hand, they were all indoor/outdoor cats and their nails were naturally abraded by some concrete paths we had. The bad part about all this, if letting them be outdoors works for more than just our cats years ago, is that many cats go after birds, and this a serious concern to many people. (Again, I remember only two birds being brought to our door and never found any other dead bird evidence in our yard I gardened a lot in). Also, depending on where you live, animal predators can get to the cats outside, or automobiles can harm them. People feel strongly one way or another on these issues, just as with the matter of declawing.

Personally I'm strongly allergic to cats, though I am very fond of them, and so have made do by enjoying other people's cats when I see them. There are some not very allergenic cat varieties though.

I own a cat and dog so I have a bit of experience on the matter.

What many others have said - one thing I'd suggest with the scratching post - I found the cardboard ones the best - many come with catnip and you sprinkle the cat nip into the cardboard. This will attract the cat to use the scratching post.

I did have both my cats declawed. I had specific personal reasons with this that I will not get into. (Yes - I will now get lots of hate mail.) If you do, do this while they are young and some vets will not do it. It isn't always necessary though to keep a cat from clawing furniture - some of it depends on the cat and how well you are able to train it from clawing on things it should not.

My dog loves the cat, but the cat does not like him - there really is little problem. Just sometimes funny when the dog tries to get the cat to play wit him.

But we had the cat first. Getting a kitten, it is more likely to get along with the dog. I've had many friends that have cats and dogs - sometimes it takes a trial period where they "fight" - working out their turf issues and then suddenly it seems to end. Worst case I've seen is where they tolerate each other.