Cat scratching bottom of the stairs

[sapphirestar]

How on earth do I stop it?

Have had her about 18months and it's only in the last 6 months or so she's been doing. The bottom step of the stairs is ruined, it's a rented house but I don't mind so much as dd ruined the carpet when she got hold of a sharpie marker a few years back! However I would mind if I ever managed to get a new carpet.

She has a scratching post but never used it, I can't spray water at her because she waits til I've gone to bed every night to start. Clearly knows she shouldn't be doing it!

She goes outside as often as she wants, has plenty of food and water, clean litter tray, has been neutered.

What else can I try?

Maybe you should regard that as a sacrificial piece of carpet now she's atttached to it for scratching? (If it's any consolation, she should follow the carpet if you retain a goodly piece and tack it to the floor somewhere - if you replace it.)

I know I am probably stating the bleeding obvious but if she only does it at night then can't she be kept in the kitchen so she can't get to the stairs ?

I do sympathise one of mine does it as well .

Thanks, kitchen door doesn't shut properly so she can just push it open. Even if I could I would feel very mean, it's cold in there and she does like to curl up and be cosy in her bed in the living room!

I did put some tape over the offending area yesterday and she doesn't seem to have scratched it last night that I can tell so will keep an eye out.

Just worried that if I deter her from the step, she'll just find another patch to scratch the hell out of!

You do run that risk.

I wish I had the answer. Just put a new carpet down in our hallway and stairs and the cats are ruining it already

Buy a carpet offcut vix, (dirt cheap from a local carpet shop) tack it down to a favourite place so that it's got a good resistance and train them to that. (I've done it myself many times.) They've got to have somewhere or something to scratch.

I've found it helps if you can get a carpet offcut of very good quality - a nice wool usually does the trick.

One of our cats can open the kitchen door so we've put a lock on it. She likes the bottom step too even though they have a scratching post which she also uses. I just shoo her off if I catch her at it on the step. At least the other girl has stopped using the newel post now (grr!)

Amazingly, they've never had a go at the leather suite so I forgive them the bottom step lol

Thanks cozytoesie. We have a load of off cuts from this new carpet in the attic so I will mention this to DH.

I've often wondered why cats do this. After all its not as if plucking at carpet can actually sharpen their claws. That would be like sharpening knives with flannels.

Quaffle it helps them to shed the full outer flaky stuff on their nails so its more of a buff than anything else.

One of mine does this too, he's now ruined the carpet. The other cat uses the table legs! Also ruined ... Good job it wasn't expensive!

Cling film!
Our cat did this so I cling filmed the vertical bit of the bottom stair that he scratched and sellotaped each end to skirting board and bottom post of stairs.
It looked a bit ridiculous and I had to replace it every few weeks (not often at all) but it stopped him doing it completely. He just forgot about it and the cling film has been gone for years now.