[mcmama]

I got my delivery of new furniture yesterday. All the crap from the house in NJ met the curb when I moved - and now I have replaced it here in FL with a DECENT sofa and loveseat, and a REAL bed with headboard and footboard, and a really nice oh I so deserve this Serta mattress and boxspring.

Now of course I hid Catzilla in the back bedroom while the delivery people were setting it up. Want them to leave with all the arms and legs they came in with.

So as soon as he was liberated, what does Mr. Territorial do? Yeah. Stretch those claws DEEP into the loveseat.

So I picked him up, putting one hand over the scruff of his neck so he understood MAMA MEANS BUSINESS and told him no. Then I put him in the bedroom. Spray bottles do not work with this cat. He just avoids the spray and then hides and bides his time. Over and over and over. He has plenty of places and things to scratch. He loves nail files, sandpaper, and corregated cardboard. He has one old chair that is definitely his, and he can rip into that all he wants.

Twenty minutes later I let him out. Same thing. Like they used to say on Nickelodeon, Lather, Rinse, Maim.

I had to go to choir rehearsal. So I moved his food, water, and litter into the master bedroom, with the new bed. He thought this was fine. Big new bed, new cave, all for him. I shut the door and left. Stopped at Walmart on the way home for cat repellant.

Came home, let him out, sprayed the cat repellent on the sofa and loveseat, and the rug around them. He watched. Then he walked over to the loveseat, stretched O-V-E-R the area where I had sprayed the rug, reached out his claws and dug in again. Same spot on the loveseat. He looked like a cartoon cat allll streetttcchhhed. Didn't get the repellent on his toes. Just the claws.

So I put him back in the bedroom, and repeated the routine. Finally, he left me alone, as he figured the bed was his.

When I went to bed, REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP ON A NEW MATTRESS, I shut the bedroom door. I figured that he could sleep on the new bed too, and he would have his food, water, and litter in there. So no reason to get up.

Well, he didn't agree. Seems when I am asleep he goes to the back door and hurls himself against the glass, trying to frighten the lizards and frogs outside. Since he couldn't get to the back door, he repeated this performance in the bedroom window. Howling. Once he saw I was awake, he would stand by the bedroom door. I shouted. I cajoled. I even got him into the bed with me. But instead of settling down like a good cat, he would wait until I was ALMOST asleep and then start howling, or silently thwacking my face with his tail.

Finally at 3:30 am I got up and put him in another bedroom. Alone.

At 6:30 I got up. Made coffee, and let him out. Sprayed the repellent again. And he scratched the loveseat again. And I grabbed him again, and put him in the back bedroom. Again. Let him out again. By now I was ready to manually declaw him myself right then and there.

He was good. But I got my warm up before leaving for my morning run by chasing him into the master bedroom again, where his food and water and litter were. I wasn't going to leave him in the living room when I am not there. Then I shut the door and did my run. Came home, let him out, same thing. Right for the loveseat. I put him back in the other bedroom.

He hasn't touched the loveseat since. This is probably because it is raining and he is asleep on my new Serta mattress.

My house smells like cat repellent.

[twinzplus3]

ROFL. sorry--that is just too funny.

[JeanLynn81]

Catzilla would do this? NO WAY! Not that sweet little angel fur baby I have heard so many good things about!

This is exactly why all of our cats have been declawed, and I would have it no other way.

[ahermitt]

Sorry for your pain.

I have a 16 year old cat so I could visualize your struggle!

[Tracey with 6]

I love the adventures of catzilla! I am such a fan! atleast life is never boring

[ruthann8]

Luckily I have never had a scratching cat. Has he learned not to scratch on your new furniture yet? I have heard that if you have any area you don’t want your cat to scratch or jump on you can put tin foil on it.

[mcmama]

I had not tried tinfoil. He also tries to eat plastic wrap and cardboard, so I am uncertain about anything he might break off and injest. He is a true psycho.

He is doing better about this - forgets sometimes, but a few days of moving his food into the bedroom and allowing him to totally dominate the serta have helped.

I had a slipcover that fit the couch, but nothing for the loveseat. He seems content to leave the couch with the slipcover alone. But no matter what sheets I put on the loveseat (and it looks terrible and falls apart) nothing discourages him other than learning that this is not part of his territory.

In the old house, we had a broken down basement door (which I replaced before we moved). When I would come home when he was a kitten, he used to race to the basement door and scratch it to show his pleasure. I should have stopped him then, but that was ok to scratch, and he was so cute. But relearning the behavior in a new place now that he is 8 years old is difficult.

Now he doesn't scratch when I come home, just butts his head on the door and then walks in front of me, slowwwly. This is not fun when I have packages. But it is better than saying "oh good, mommy's home, I'm so happy I could tear something apart")

He has one toy that he has not obliterated, it has a tail on it, and he gets a lot of joy out of that. The other toys are only for me to play catch with him. Not fetch. Catch.

[MiaCamille]

so sorry Janet but i couldn't help myself but laugh

[mcmama]

Mommy let me outside to sharpen my claws on the sidewalk.

[QueenAngie]

Such a cutie!
Looks so innocent too.

!

Looks can be deceiving.