Conference misery::feline_v1

    I don't know if this will help or not but, not too long ago I bought
    my first "Bizzy Kitty" box.  It's a semi-flat cardboard box that
    comes with catnip.  You rub the catnip into the box and leave it
    on the floor and kitties are supposed to like to scratch on it.
    It's great.  Everyone of my cats loves it.  I leave it on the living
    room floor and they'll choose it over anything else (including the
    cat tree) to scratch on.  Is there any chance you can leave one
    on the rug (since I don't know where the rug is, or how formal your
    house is I'm assuming it won't be too unsightly)?  Maybe your kitty
    will prefer this to scratching on the rug once you show her what
    it is for.
    
    May be worth a try.  I think the boxes run anywhere from $4.00 to
    $6.00.  I got mine at Premium Pet Mart in California but have seen
    them at other pet stores and have heard other people talk about
    them in this file (so I know they're available lots of places).
    
    If anyone can describe this thing better, please do so.  I'm lousy
    at describing it and I'm in a rush to leave for the chiropractor
    so I'm not taking alot of time on this.
    
    Jan

    How about using the rug as a wall hanging?
    
    chewing wood:  If you get some Tabasco sauce and periodically reapply
    it to the ends of the runners it should fix this.  It dries clear and
    non-sticky.
    I used this on electrical wires for awhile and I don't even have
    to reapply it now.  i have no idea why some cats chew wood, cardboard;
    my Sweetie does it;  every book in my house has cat tothmarks in its
    corners.  (His teeth are not bothering him -- he's been checked out by
    the vet.)
    

    You mention having other things for hem to scratch -- are any of
    these other things in the same room as teh rug?  Some kitties
    use the handiest item.
    

       My cats love to scratch cardboard.  Maybe if you put a piece of
    cardboard over the stop they are scratching on your rug, they will 
    scratch at that.  Its worth a try.  Also we give our cats shoelaces to
    play with.  Maybe they wouldn't eat the strings on your chairs if you
    hung a shoelace from it.
    

    Can't give anything but sympathy.  I recently bought my first really
    good rug--sculptured oriental $550 for a smallish size rug. Tigger
    likes to get my attention by stropping his claws on it.  Have tried
    cutting his claws (my hands are healing slowly) and water squirting.
    I have rubbed cat nip, both fresh and dried, into an old rug in
    the same room but it won't do. Stropping on the new rug gets mum up 
    even at 2:00 in the morning. (I'm beginning to see a pattern emerging
    but it's hard not to react when you see good money being tugged
    out of the rug.)
    

    Jan - is this the scratching board made of cardboard - if so - I got
    one about a month ago (just one to try it out) and mine have already
    scratced it to pieces.  They love it!  It's, as said, made of
    cardboard, looks corrigated (sp?) and has catnip in it (I add some nip
    from time to time)  I'm going to get a couple of new ones.  They like
    it better than to post and they run about $4.  One of mine lays on it
    and falls a sleep - definitely need more than one!
    
    Giudi

    Giudi,
    
    Sounds like the same thing.  They think its the greatest thing in
    the world.  Bailey, now and then, gets a little nuts on the arm
    of the couch hanging on and turning almost upside down and when
    she starts to scratch the couch I simply say "Bailey" letting my
    tone of voice go up at the end of her name and she'll jump down
    and use the box instead.  Amelia lays on it and holds on to it as
    if its going to walk away from her.  Carry has even stopped using
    my stained orange crate record album holder (only the finest furniture
    in my house ;-) ) to scratch on. 
    
    We're working on our 2nd box now (after using the other one to death;
    turning the corrigated part over and using the other side) and I 
    can't believe I didn't try these before. 
                                                                         
    Jan
    

     Be cautious about letting your cats play with shoestrings.  I found a 
regurgitated one on my dining room rug once.  The cats don't get them any 
more.