Cats and Curtains

[mum2A&L]

Any suggestions on stopping a cat climbing curtains?

Lady is about 7 months old, and had a phase of scratching the bottom of the curtains but 'grew out' of it after a month. THe last few days she has started again. The problem is, she can now reach the top of the curtains, and we have quite high cellings. Im worried she will fall funny and hurt herself.

Anyone got any suggestions on stopping her? Ive tried telling her off (clapping my hands together and saying no), which works for that attempt to scale the curtains, but she starts again after a while. I can't lock her out of the room, as she just sits by the door meowing.


any ideas?

 

[Lyn_no3]

i know this is no help but i'm having the same problem with one of my kittens hmm wonder if there is any thing we can do to stop them

 

[Flame]

I am having the same problem with my youngest cat, although she isnt really a kitten anymore just the spawn of satan!

She jumps up the curtains, she terrorises the other two cats, she knocks things on the floor on purpose and she sprays everywhere when she is in season (thinking of getting her done before the baby gets here) she even tries to climb the windows and occasionally the wardrobe mirror. And you cant lock her out cause she has this heartwrenching cry and just sits whining and scratching at the door sounding sorry for herself until you let her back in again to start all over again. She walked all over me last night when i was in bed, the little rat.

My other two are usually ok but dont like to shut out of the bedroom and jump up and down and scratch frantically to get in and out, so our bedtimes are very disturbed.

But i love them all the same.

Sorry thats not really helped solve your problem

 

[mum2A&L]

just the spawn of satan!

Its a good thing they are so cute

I ended up distracting her from the window with treats! seems to have worked, but give it a few hours and she will be climbing them again.


She tends to sleep on my hip at night. She was lying on my bump the other day and baby kicked. Lady wasn't impressed!

 

[Kas]

Few ideas as my Elvis was a feral kitten and was very unruly in the house, you could for one cut their nails so they cant grip on to the curtains or material of anysort, stops them clawing wall paper too. Secondly keep a bottle of water with a spray mist nozzle on it and when u see them climb skoosh them with the water. You can buy the bottles from local £1 shops, wouldnt be advisable to use old detergent bottles. Hope that helps you out XKelX

 

[Flame]

Few ideas as my Elvis was a feral kitten and was very unruly in the house, you could for one cut their nails so they cant grip on to the curtains or material of anysort, stops them clawing wall paper too. Secondly keep a bottle of water with a spray mist nozzle on it and when u see them climb skoosh them with the water. You can buy the bottles from local £1 shops, wouldnt be advisable to use old detergent bottles. Hope that helps you out XKelX

Instead of clipping their nails you can buy little rubber things that you can put on their claws, i bought them for my little cat until she grew out of them, they look really cute to, especially when you put differant colours on each nail.

There is one problem with the water bottle, for me anyway, bengal cats are well known for liking water, so when you squirt her with the water she likes it and wants more. But we did used to do that with the other two cats but we used a water pistol.

 

[cassi]

spraying a cat with water is really cruel, they hate it and its not a proper method of disapline for a cat its a scare factor and in the end it will be worse for you because you are just turning them to be afraid of water and it wont help your relationship with them either...also putting things over there claws so they are physically restrained from clawing and doing natrual things that cats do i would say was abit cruel too.

I would say cut her nails maybe and when she climbs the curtains bring her down, look at her and say no and gently tap her on the nose (dont whack her one lol) if she dosnt do it again then give her a treat and say well done, if she does do it again then put her outside the room and let her sit at the door for 10 mins, then let her in and repeat, she will get the idea in the end. you can also get pet training spray to spray on things you dont want clawed but it dosnt stop them it deters them you need to keep training her along side it aswell. Good luck
Cassie

 

[angiemum2b]

Well I have a ferrel kitten as well ... very naughty as we speak she is diving under my sofa wiv claws bare!!!! little sod!!!

Anyway i had same problem with her not so long ago, climbing curtains, scratching corner of newly hanged wallpaper, etc.
So I went to pets at home and they had a long purple feather on a rope and stick, I hang on the living room door and when ever she walks past it the wind she brings wiv her moves the feathers and she just dives on that instead!

No more climbing or scratching! and it only cost £1.99 bargain!!!

 

[Becks&Riley]

Grr my cat ruffles in the blinds its so annoying!!

 

[Flame]

spraying a cat with water is really cruel, they hate it and its not a proper method of disapline for a cat its a scare factor and in the end it will be worse for you because you are just turning them to be afraid of water and it wont help your relationship with them either...also putting things over there claws so they are physically restrained from clawing and doing natrual things that cats do i would say was abit cruel too.

I would say cut her nails maybe and when she climbs the curtains bring her down, look at her and say no and gently tap her on the nose (dont whack her one lol) if she dosnt do it again then give her a treat and say well done, if she does do it again then put her outside the room and let her sit at the door for 10 mins, then let her in and repeat, she will get the idea in the end. you can also get pet training spray to spray on things you dont want clawed but it dosnt stop them it deters them you need to keep training her along side it aswell. Good luck
Cassie

I dont mean to be nasty but that doesnt always work, the amount of times i have tried that, the "naughty step" really isnt something that works on animals.
Spraying them with water isnt cruel, it doesnt harm them in anyway it just makes them sulk a little (unless your Freya) and also i have seen it on a pet behaviour tv programme. The rubber nails have been designed by a vet and i dont think they would have been allowed to sell them if they were cruel, they dont stop them doing what they normally do it just prevents the threads and scratchmarks in your home and the climbing of the curtains.

If you have a cat and that has worked for you then well done you must have one easy cat to handle, but in the majority of cases that just isnt so, especially if they are a bit on the wild side.

 

[mum2A&L]

Rubber nails!!! oh i am going to have to see if they have these on ebay!

I think i will suggest to OH that he cuts her nails she would have my eyes out!!

as for water - i don't agree with it either. just scares them. Plus makes her long fur look funny, and i have to spend ages brushing her to make her look pretty again.

Ive spent a small fortune on toys for her, and all she does is pull them apart and get bored in 10 mins. Then, got a cheap bag of feathers for a craft thing i was doing with my cousins, and she goes mad for them! 30 ish feathers for a £1!!! oh and she pulls tissues from the bin and plays with them. she is an odd cat!


I woke up this morning and she was lying round my head licking my hair! She is a soppy cat really

 

[mum2A&L]

I found them!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Soft-Claws-nail-c ... dZViewItem

ive sent the link to my OH, and he said no

 

[Kas]

well ive worked with animals for years now, and weve always advised the water scoosh elvis never had a strop wiv me im on not meaning soak the cat just one quick scoosh is efficent, hitting any animal on the nose no matter how small a tap can cause the animal to lose its sense of smell. Ive been told as well by dog behaviourists to scoosh a dog when it bark excesively. It might not work with everyones cat, but elvis is an indoor and outdoor cat and wiv our scottish weather hes well used to gettin wet XkelX

 

[mum2A&L]

it can't hurt to try. I will try the sitting her outside the door + the no thingy for a week and see if that helps. if not, i will get the sqirty bottle out.

she is sitting watching me type like she could never do anything wrong!

 

[cassi]

spraying a cat with water is really cruel, they hate it and its not a proper method of disapline for a cat its a scare factor and in the end it will be worse for you because you are just turning them to be afraid of water and it wont help your relationship with them either...also putting things over there claws so they are physically restrained from clawing and doing natrual things that cats do i would say was abit cruel too.

I would say cut her nails maybe and when she climbs the curtains bring her down, look at her and say no and gently tap her on the nose (dont whack her one lol) if she dosnt do it again then give her a treat and say well done, if she does do it again then put her outside the room and let her sit at the door for 10 mins, then let her in and repeat, she will get the idea in the end. you can also get pet training spray to spray on things you dont want clawed but it dosnt stop them it deters them you need to keep training her along side it aswell. Good luck
Cassie

I dont mean to be nasty but that doesnt always work, the amount of times i have tried that, the "naughty step" really isnt something that works on animals.
Spraying them with water isnt cruel, it doesnt harm them in anyway it just makes them sulk a little (unless your Freya) and also i have seen it on a pet behaviour tv programme. The rubber nails have been designed by a vet and i dont think they would have been allowed to sell them if they were cruel, they dont stop them doing what they normally do it just prevents the threads and scratchmarks in your home and the climbing of the curtains.

If you have a cat and that has worked for you then well done you must have one easy cat to handle, but in the majority of cases that just isnt so, especially if they are a bit on the wild side.

trust me all 4 of my cats are NOT easy to handle, they do exactly the same things but i had read books by alot of proper and well known cat trainers who all state that water spraying is cruel and shouldnt be done and can have bad behavioural consequences and rebelling so its a lose lose thing.

If you know how to train a cat properly and stick to it then the above things WILL work. and sorry i meant just above the nose .. this has no danger.

the rubber things well when my female moggy spreads her scent around she likes to push her claws out to hold her in the same place so i would never dream of restricting that.

 

[mum2A&L]

well im open to anmy suggestions. Going to try them one by one and see what happens.

Do you think if i try a 'technique' for a week and it isn't improving that is long enough to try something different?

Saying all this she will stop tomorrow!! ha