My cat has a serious and obsessive scratching behavior. I have tried EVERYTHING. She is neutered, tried ALL TYPES OF SCRATCHING POSTS/MATS, tried deterrent sprays, covering the area she scratches, ect. She has an issue scratching the carpet of my home specifically in all the corners. I have covered them all except one because she moves what is covering it. She has ripped up my carpet and she will literally sit there for HOURS scratching when I'm not around! She is doing it for fun! Please help! Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 10 months and 17 days old | 4 lbs

Why is my cat obsessively scratching carpet? How to stop it

what could this be she didnt get in a fight or into anything

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Goldie regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

I have a female 4 year old tuxedo cat. She cleans herself a lot but lately she does it nonstop and scratches so much she has a ton of scabs on her chin and neck. She doesn’t have flees. I’ve checked Several times. Secondly, she sleeps in my room wit

Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for env

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

Hi my dog has sore all over her body a few of them are scabbing, I'm not sure what the cause is and what can be done to fix it. She does bite and scratch her fur sometimes

It could be that Nala is scratching her skin causing these sores. This scratching can be caused by fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. If she isn't up to date on her flea treatment, she will need a spot on treatment such as Advantage or Revolution. You will need to disinfect the environment as well. If she is up to date on her flea treatment, I recommend taking her into the vet for an exam tomorrow. The vet can do blood tests, skin scrapings, and use a Wood's lamp to diagnose allergies, mites, and ringworm. Once the cause of the scratching is found, the vet can prescribe the appropriate treatment.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

lucy has some bald spots on her, she just started new food, purina kitten chow dry food, and has fleas that I have ordered capstar for. is it allergies? what can I do to help her before she scratches it until it bleeds?

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Lucy regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Training & Behavior

My cat has these big scabs on her face and neck. She then scratches them off in turn making them bleed and become bigger scabs. What do I do? An E-Cone isn’t an option.

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Lina regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

New Pet

What’s wrong with my kitty? He’s a year and 8 months old :(

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

Cat Skin irritation: Right lower side. Cat hair loss 2" area due to licking area. Gave Flea bath with Dawn- cat kept licking area which got larger- 1" to 2". Why?

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Leo regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage, i do not recommend flea baths) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

Why does my cat shed so much and when i brush her it looks like she has dandruff also she has sore places around her head and ears from scratching so much?

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Angel regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Training & Behavior

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 an

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 ca

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

Mellie has been scratching the area above her hips close to the abdomen for several months. She has no hair on the right side. The patch is 3" x 3" approx. Her food has not changed since the day we got her. She does not have any "bugs". We went to th

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas, infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Why is my cat obsessively scratching the carpet and how to stop it?

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Why is my cat obsessively scratching the carpet and how to stop it?

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Related Questions

what could this be she didnt get in a fight or into anything

I have a female 4 year old tuxedo cat. She cleans herself a lot but lately she does it nonstop and scratches so much she has a ton of scabs on her chin and neck. She doesn’t have flees. I’ve checked Several times. Secondly, she sleeps in my room wit

Hi my dog has sore all over her body a few of them are scabbing, I'm not sure what the cause is and what can be done to fix it. She does bite and scratch her fur sometimes

lucy has some bald spots on her, she just started new food, purina kitten chow dry food, and has fleas that I have ordered capstar for. is it allergies? what can I do to help her before she scratches it until it bleeds?

My cat has these big scabs on her face and neck. She then scratches them off in turn making them bleed and become bigger scabs. What do I do? An E-Cone isn’t an option.

What’s wrong with my kitty? He’s a year and 8 months old :(

Cat Skin irritation: Right lower side. Cat hair loss 2" area due to licking area. Gave Flea bath with Dawn- cat kept licking area which got larger- 1" to 2". Why?

Why does my cat shed so much and when i brush her it looks like she has dandruff also she has sore places around her head and ears from scratching so much?

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 an

Mellie has been scratching the area above her hips close to the abdomen for several months. She has no hair on the right side. The patch is 3" x 3" approx. Her food has not changed since the day we got her. She does not have any "bugs". We went to th

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