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Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral)/Cats - claw sharpening on carpet

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Expert: Dear Tabbi - 9/15/2008


Question
The cat from next door is trying to take us over.  He is a cat who spends a lot of time outside, but also has indoor accommodation with his owners, who feed him well but are not often home.  
Whenever he gets into our house, beyond the kitchen, the first thing he does is sharpen his claws on my hall carpet!  He is making a complete mess of it and I always chase him out when he does it, but I am wondering WHY does he do it when he has access to trees etc. outside, and probably also a scratching post at his own home?

Answer
Valerie,

My guess is that he loves the feel and the smell of your carpet. He may be leaving his 'mark' at your house. It is also a feel-good, make-myself-at-home response to being in your house.

Try using a water spray bottle when he does it or slap a rolled newspaper loudly against something. That way he will associate scratching with a loud noise or water which he won't like.

If he is tame enough to pet and handle, I would trim his claws. Here is an excellent site that gives you photo instructions:
(copy and paste, or type, the whole link into your address bar:)

http://www.cat-world.com.au/catclaws.htm

I hope this helps.

Tabbi  

Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral)

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Dear Tabbi

Expertise

My expertise is in helping people understand their cat (or cats) and their behavior. Questions are welcome even if you don't have a cat....just a question about them. Hopefully my experience, suggestions, and comments will be of help to you...and your cat (or cats). Looking through my past responses to questions will give you additional information and/or answers too. Domestic Cats = cats (no matter what breed) who are tame or not wild, or abandoned cats who were pets that became wild, but can be tamed again. Ferals = cats who are born with one or more parents who were wild stray cats. They usually have had no interactions with people. They have an inbred distrust of humans and are difficult to socialize. They are skittish, hide, and are afraid of people. They take a lot of time and patience to work with them. A lot of kittens from shelters had a feral parent.

Experience

Since I was a child, over 45 years, I have been owned by a LOT of cats and kittens of almost every temperament, behavior, and personality. I have had experience with neurotic, disabled (including blind), stray, and 'problem child' cats and kittens. (A few normal cats too!) Plus all the things a lifetime of owning cats and research has taught me. I also have experience in feral cat behavior (which is different from domestic cats), and some experience with feral colonies that includes colony feeding and feral cat TNR (trap/neuter/release).

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