Stop the Cat

[Rick Hughes]

OK .. an odd one ... Built myself an outbuilding in Oak Barnstyle ... with 6x6 posts, gallows brackets etc. Only using treated softwood not Oak.

The centre post is now being shredded by a cat ... presumably sharpening it's claws, the front looks like it's been attacked with a saw, and it's shredding off the corners. Not a particularly good pic ... just took it in dark .. but you can see the damage.

find slivers of wood on the drive every morning.

I bought some anti-scent marking spray - but that is having no effect.

I did wrap it in plastic DPC for a couple of months ... didn't touch the plastic ..(or any of the other posts) But black dpc looks bad.

Suggestions ? .. only thought so far is to clad in chicken wire ... but abstract minds of d-i-y bound to have a better idea.

[TheOldFellow]

Shot gun. I wuz just shot blastin' it Occifer, when dis moggy ran across der barn...

[Rick Hughes]

not seen the offender, and it might be my own cat in which case shooting it would not go down well with SWHBO

[ARWadsworth]

This guy did not see the offender

[Jules]

Park a scratching post next to it as a more favourable target? Our cats seem to like bits of old rugs/carpets, or old rope wrapped tightly around a post...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

[snip]

Angle grinder. Claws. Sorted.

[dennis]

How much CO2 footprint would you save by getting rid of the cat?

[stan]

Suggestion: Not necessarily permanent. Fold some thin aluminium around bottom of post. You might even be able to paint it suitable colour? Alternatively split a piece of metal or plastic pipe or duct that is bigger than the post and see if you can spring it open enough to fit around post ................ idea being to discourage cat who will eventually learn to scratch elsewhere? Put scratching pad nearby and put cat-nip or other attraction on it? Spray or paint dog/bear/wolf urine or repellant on post?

[NT]

[js.b1]

Oddly enough cats do seem to like treated softwood with coarse grain. It allows their claws to slide along it. It is not a fox, but does seem like more than one attack by a cat. Normally it is just light scratch marks, that is quite a collection of abraided wood marks :-)

Stick a post in nearby, or one with sissel (sp?) rope or similar. Cat scratching post.

Cats are bizarrely possessive about gardens, putting gravel down & moving things doesn't half get you a "frown, sulk, cat bat across the face". Seems there is a CWMBO element to consider.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Car body filler. KittyMittens. Sorted.

[TheOldFellow]

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:03:01 -0700 (PDT) stan wrote: Spray or paint dog/bear/wolf

I'm told Lion dung is an effective cat deterrent. Getting it is the BIG problem. It also might deter "'er indoors". R.

[Mark]

A Python would do the trick. And you won't have to feed it very often. A large cat would sustain it for months.

[Andy Dingley]

Wooden cladding and let it scratch. Replace as necessary.

I like cats scratching wood - every scratch there is one less in the sofa.

[Jim]

Decoy is the right idea - lean up an old bit of timber nearby and they'll use that instead.

[The Wanderer]

Maybe, maybe not. As anyone who has cats will know, once they get imprinted on using a particular scratching post, it's the devil's own job to stop them. I'd go with a nearby substitute *and* wrap the existing with somethng to stop the cat getting to it until it becomes fixed on the new post. And that won't always work!

[Owain]

All Cs MBO

Owain

[Owain]

Just wait till kitty starts boxing with the xmas baubles.

Owain

[Dave Starling]

A SSScat device which is a pir + solenoid + air duster can. When said cat approaches it gets a blast of air which shocks them enough to avoid that location in future.

?v=3DzP5gx6Bw7v0&NRAlso if you put it next to a decoy you could then move the device around and duplicate decoys to confuse the cat. Similar in the way that out of 10 gatso cameras maybe only 1 has a camera in -but which one :)

Dave

[Tim]

How about applying some sort of wood hardener, the stuff you use to treat rotten wood in frames?

The change in texture of the wood might be enough to stop the cat clawing it. You'd need to test a small area to see if the appearance is acceptable for you. A decoy bit would be handy too.

Tim