How to stop cat scratching carpet? Vinegar, lavender, or citrus spray?

Question

My cat will not stop obsessively scratching the carpet no matter what I do. She is neutered, she will remove caps, she will rip up aluminum foil, I put scratching posts on every single area she scratches and she moves them. I am hopeless right now and trust me i am trying everything I can do so I won't have to declaw her. I'm going to try 1 more thing. I'm going to make a homemade cat deterant spray but I need help deciding what type. Should I make a vinegar based spray, lavender or citrus? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 10 months and 17 days old | 4 lbs

Jessica Keay, DVM · Accepted Answer

I am sorry to hear about your problem with Nala! I would consider trying the product Feliway Scratch, which encourages your cat to scratch on a desired location via use of pheremones and scents your cat can smell https://www.feliway.com/us/Products/feliscratch-by-feliway . I would also consider getting a variety of different styles of scratching posts. Some cats prefer different materials (cardboard, wood, carpet, rope), and some have a preference in orientation of the post (horizontal, vertical, slanted) or preference of orientation of fibers, so you may need to try a few different styles to find what Nala wants! I would recommend reading this article by veterinary behaviorst Sophia Yin for more tips: https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/june-is-adopt-a-cat-month-training-your-new-cat-not-to-scratch-furniture/ . If you want to make a deterent, I would probably try citrus, as I don't think lavender would deter, but I am not sure how effective this would be or if it could stain your carpet/furniture if you spray it on them.

How to stop cat scratching carpet? Vinegar, lavender, or citrus spray?

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