Conference misery::feline

    My dear departed Miss Flea used to do that.  She left one door jam
    looking like a relief map of the Alps.  Finally, we cut strips of
    thick mylar and drilled two holes top and bottom in the mylar.  We
    then attached the strip with finishing nails (really thin and leave
    hardly a mark in the wood) to the door jams.  The mylar was a bit
    expensive, but at the end of it we only had to replace the molding 
    around one door.
    
    May the purr be with you, and the best of luck.

    The Pet Supply Depot on Rt9 in Shrewsbury has a variety of things that
    are supposed to discourage this.  I'm thinking of apple bitters for the
    biting problem.  Take a ride up there, I think they'll come up with
    something for you.  The staff is very helpful.
    
    Chris

    I agree with the apple bitters, we used it to keep our baby from
    ripping up the rug.  The only thing with apple bitters is that you
    have to spray the area at least once a week or the smell and taste
    wears away.
    
    Good luck,
    
    Pam
    

	My sister used duct tape, folded upon itself so that it stuck to
	the woodwork and presented a sticky surface that cats *hate*.  I
	think her Sophie is pretty well-cured now :^}

    Try rubbing some Murphy's oil soap into the wood, it has a very strong
    smell that should keep your kitty away from it (plus it will help
    restore some of the wood surface she has damaged). My kitten used to
    use the exposed wood beams that ran up the walls of my apartment as her
    spare scratching post. I used to reprimand her everytime she did it
    (and reinforce with a spray bottle of water), or pick her up and bring
    her over to her scratching post, put her little paws on it, praise her,
    and then give her a treat. Fortunately she has *never* scratched any
    of my furniture with this method. Good luck!

    I have a similiar problem, but our cat has taken to clawing the
    textured wallpaper. 
    
    We live in an apartment with offwhite, special order,raised textured paper
    that she seems to think is wonderful to use as a scratching post.  Also,
    this weekend she let out a yowl, and ran as fast as she could down the
    hall and jumped over 6 ft high, at the paper (claws out) causing a
    10 in gash in the paper.  She was acting like a cat possessed
    (there was NOTHING on the paper)  
    I've read these notes and I can't  see how I can
    put mylar around the whole apartment.  She seems to love the hallway
    the best (it runs about 25 ft)
    
    I spray the paper with the CAT NO, which she hates, but the smell
    doesn't last.  I will be replacing a lot of the paper, but 
    I'm wondering if noters have other ideas to keep her from scratching.
    I keep her claws clipped short.
    
    I'm at my wits end, as the estimate to repaper is 
    over $500 just for the hall (and the paper is VERY expensive, special
    order), and I worry that she will start on the rest of the apartment.
    
    We are going away for 3 weeks in December.  I am quite worried
    that she might take the opportunity to really do damage.
    (no one to stop her and sometimes if cats are unhappy about
    you being away, they let you know about it by doing the things they
    know they're not supposed to)
    
    Any suggestions are welcome.
    
    -lz
    

    lz,
    
     How about getting your kitty a friend? That might keep her from using
    your walls as a toy, and give her company when you are away! I think
    that having a friend to play with usually keeps them occupied, and can
    save your wallpaper? Especially stuff as expensive as yours. I'll bet
    it's gorgeous though! (cat marks excluded of course!)
    
    Yonee (who imagines you figured this would be the stock answer!  8-} )

    She does have a friend. her HUGE black (and little bits of white)
    brother, Merlin.   THey play all the time, (as well as box
    over things that each feels is THEIR property and the other can't
    touch)    
    
    He doesn't claw the walls (he does about everything else, including
    hiding, watching me swing my legs under the covers to go to bed so he can 
    run and strafe me, (jumps under the covers and grab my legs)  (it always
    makes me scream in surprise)  I can image that's why he does it, a
    joker he is...probably goes off laughing "I knew I'd surprise her heh,
    hheh"
    
    ANyway, she doesn't seem bored.  She is very tactile and she
    just seems to like the way the wallpaper feels.  She has a 
    scratching box, and a post too.
    
    I can't remember if I mentioned it, we rent the apartment, so we will of 
    course repair the walls...though my husband says he can't understand
    why people like wallpaper...it would be so much cheaper to
    repaint if you had tenants.    Our landloard is very fussy,
    she redid the entire apartment..new everything.  We have
    marble tile floors.  (they are gorgeous)  On the other hand I
    have to buff them every day, because the kitties leave there little
    marks where they tread  (you can see how creatures of habit and
    smell they are,  they always follow the same paths)
    
    thanks for the input
    -lz
    
    ps...the female is named Gwen  (gwenivere and Merlin..  they are my
    husbands cats, and he was an English lit major)
    
    

    
    <sigh> What's the name of this spray-on cat repellant, and where can I
    buy some in the Maynard-to-Nashua area?  Pamina has been shredding my
    dining room wallpaper in two spots - I finally moved chairs in front of
    the areas in the hopes that this would discourage her while I looked
    for cat repellant and replaced the wallpaper - but I discovered this
    morning that she's switched her attention to the woodwork right next to
    one of the spots.  It's easier to replace the wallpaper than the
    woodwork 8^/.  But I've replaced the paper twice already.  And I've had
    to drape an afghan over one of the chairs in the living room because
    she scratches that, also.
    
    She has a scratching pad, darn it!  I'm so angry 8,^I.  The other two
    don't ruin my house like this.  I need help, fast, before I throw
    myself out the window.
                       

    Pamina probably would prefer a different type of scratching device.
    I have two horizontal scratching cats and two vertical scratching cats,
    and one sisal scratching cat and 3 carpet scratching cats.  You
    mention a scratching "pad" - I would invest in a tall, stable
    carpet covered scratching post and place it in front of one of the
    offended areas.  Scritch it yourself with fingernails to demonstrate
    to Pamina how to use it.  Also rub some catnip on the top of the post
    to encourage her to stretch up there, and put her claws on the carpet
    for balance, etc.
               

    
    Thanks, Karen.  I don't know why that didn't occur to me, that she
    prefers vertical to horizontal.  Argh, again.
    
    I'll make a pet shop run tonight.
    

    Indoor NO! is a spray on cat repelant that you are thinking of. A
    citrus based spray or rubbing black pepper would also repell the cat.
    
    Deb

    
    ...citrus based spray?  I saw something in the supermarket recently
    that was an orange spray, don't know what it was for.
    
    I briefly considered putting little socks on her front feet 8^).
    

    You also could take an orange peel and rub it on there. Panther had
    some surgery a few months ago and was trying to rip out the stiches.
    The vet suggested rubbing some orange peel around the area and that
    kept him away from it (and thus he didn't have to use an elizabethan
    collar).
    
    Deb

    
    Citrix peels work wonder, my cats will not go near any.
    
    They also love vertical scratching surfaces (pretend trees?), 
    except for the older cat who has mild arthritics. For the
    older cat, we just get carpet remnants and jelly roll the
    carpet inside out to the size of a pillow. When one surface 
    wears out, we re-roll it exposing a new surface. I am sure 
    some cats may like the carpet right side out.  
    
    
    Eva

    
    Well, last night I didn't have the opportunity to do any shopping
    because of rehearsal, so when I got home I took my Murphy's Oil Soap
    and treated every
                     single
                           doorframe.
    
    Argh 8^).  I was just going to do the one she'd attacked, but thought
    that maybe she'd just transfer her affection to another, so I did the
    whole house.  Hopefully today or tomorrow I'll be able to do the citrus
    spray (or oranges) and vertical tree bit.  
    
    I really, really appreciate the tips.
    

    Just a quick warning abmout Murphy's Oil Soap.  
    
    Keep an eye on your cats while you're using it.  A breeder friend 
    cleaned her hard wood floors with Murphy's Oil Soap and didn't realize 
    until later than one of her cats had followed along behind her licking 
    the floor.  He went to the emergency hospital shortly afterwards and it 
    was touch and go with him for a few days.  They did manage to flush the 
    Murphy's out of his system with fluids, etc. and he will be okay.
    
    Apparently, the Murphy's is okay when it's dry but if they get into it
    while it's still wet it can cause problems.  That cat is now locked in
    another room when my friend is cleaning the floors and only let out 
    after the floors are dry.
    
    Jan
              

    Jan -
    
    Thanks for the warning.  I use Murphy's Oil Soap on all my woodwork.
    
    It's advice like this that makes this notes conference so incredible!
    
    Gita

    You're very welcome.  I also appreciate the little bits and pieces of
    valuable information that can be picked up by just reading this file.
    
    Jan

    
    Thanks, Jan!