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Help - I love my cat and have had him for about 10 years. But I recently had a new carpet fitted and he won't stop scratching the stairs - every morning at about 5.30am when he wants me to get out of bed and give him his breakfast, I hear him scratching the new carpet. I know I should ignore him, so he learns that this bad behaviour doesn't work - but my new carpet is being shredded! Has anybody any practical advice, please?
Has your schedule changed that kitty is wanting you to get up?
Has anything changed with the food or feeding routine that he could be complaining about?
Best suggestions I can give you.....
Keep the nails trimmed. If he won't let you do it yourself, schedule regular appointments with the groomer or vet.
Make sure he has plenty of scratching posts of different textures. Some cats have a preference for a particular material (sisal, cardboard, carpet covered, tree bark). Also make sure it's tall enough for the cat to stretch out fully on, and maybe also a horizontal one also. Put some catnip on the posts.
Try playing with the cat during the daytime if he's a hyper cat, and shortly before bed if he's not. This might wear him out enough he'll sleep until you get up.
Spray some bitter apple spray on the areas he's already scratching. Test a small area first to make sure it doesn't hurt your carpet.
If all of those fail, try spraying some Feliway spray on the scratched up carpet areas. You can find this product at some pet stores or mail order places.
Beyond that I'd say ask your vet for suggestions.
Good luck.
Hi - Thank you for your helpful advice. Nothing has changed in my routine and he does have a scratching post that I sprinkle with catnip powder. He's a big, lazy old boy, and never too keen on exercise! But I will definitely try the stuff to spray the carpet . Also, I've never had his nails trimmed - he's not an indoor cat and I was always worried that it might hurt him?