# cats clawing wood beam in house (ideas to protect it?)



## ravenclaw (Jul 2, 2010)

I live in a timber frame house with 6 cats. My house has a vertical wooden beam (runs from floor to ceiling) that 2 of the cats love to use as a scratching post. The other cats are good about using the scratch pads I have for them. 

The wood beam is getting torn up and I want to put something on it to protect it from the kitty claws. Any ideas for what I can put on it? I was thinking of saran wrap, but I don't know if the cats would just claw it instead and tear it up and make a mess. Another idea I have is using carpet scraps and securing them with bungee cords. The wood beam is about 8" square. 

Thanks for any suggestions!


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

I've heard that you shouldn't use carpet for vertical things, as the cats then think it's okay to scratch ANY carpet and will do the floor too.

Try double-sided sticky tape. Also put a scratching post beside the beam, so they might learn that the beam is unpleasant (sticky), and the scratching post is better. If you don't want to keep the scratching post by the beam all the time, gradually move it an inch away each week, until it's where you want it. If the beam gets attacked again, more sticky tape!


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

@Vivid Dawn: good points! 

I got another one to add. They also don't like those plastic carpet runners..the underside where it has those prickly nail-like projections that stick into the carpet to make it stay in place. You can try wrapping and sticking that somehow on the beam.


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

Oh! I didn't think of putting that vertically.
I have a spikey carpet runner on the floor by the litter pad... Nebbie likes to claw the carpet, as if trying to dig for something.
A few times I've had to put aluminum foil on the ground too, to stop clawing. Some cats LIKE foil though, so that may not work for everybody (Nebbie hates it... she once rolled a ball onto it, and sat there for a good half hour staring at the ball as if "how do I get it back, without going on the crinkly stuff??" LOL)


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## ravenclaw (Jul 2, 2010)

Thanks for all the great ideas! I wanted to post an update. I wrapped the beam (about 3' up from the bottom) in aluminum foil. Then I put a lot of double-sided duct tape on it. 

I have seen the worst scratcher try to scratch it once. She didn't like it when her paw got stuck to the tape (Hee! Hee!). She is leaving it alone now. I don't think the other kitty (the occasional scratcher) has touched it at all. 

I doubt I would have thought of the tape idea on my own, so thanks a lot for that. And I'm glad to have the other ideas in case I need them in the future.


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## CATNIP_MOUSE (Jul 13, 2010)

Hi ravenclaw, I would get a scratch post and place it in the corner of the same room where the beam is, get yourself a cheap bottle of catnip spray and spray it all over the scratch post.

Everytime your cat goes towards the wooden beam he will smell the catnip and bypass straight to the scratching post, eventually he will forget all about the beam and make a b-line straight to the scratch pole.

Once that happens you can gradually move the scratch post further and further away from the beam to a place where you would like your cat to do his scratching.

My oliver was the same but he was scratching the wallpaper by the front door, with the gradual moving we done he is now only scratching the scratch post in the living room, and if you are still worried you can get a wall mounted scratch post and leave it in the same room as the beam and just regularly spray it with catnip.

Worked a treat for me, but all cats have different reactions to, with some having no reaction at all. Its worth a try though.

Ste.


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