Prevent Your Cat from Scratching Your Screens

PetSmart Margaret Dinchak/PetSmart

You enjoy letting the fresh air and sunshine into your home by opening the windows, but your feisty feline may just see this as an invite to climb or scratch your window screens.

Screen scratching can become a sticky situation for many Pet Parents. Feline expert and PetSmart veterinarian Dr. Robyn Jaynes, weighs in on the subject: "When it comes to discipline, remember that punishment is only effective if you catch your cat in the act."

If you try to dissuade your cats from scratching screens after the fact, it won’t work. Your cats will only learn to fear you, and will continue their behavior - especially when you aren’t watching. So, Dr. Jaynes suggests redirecting screen scratching to more appropriate places or making the screens an unappealing place to scratch.

Here are some ways to help save your screens from being shred to pieces this spring:

Study your cat’s scratching behavior. If she is scratching your screens, she probably prefers to scratch vertically. Consider placing a cat tree with a sisal post in front of her favorite screened window so the screen will be out of paw’s-reach. Reinforce use of the tree by rubbing dried catnip on it and praising your cat for good scratching behavior.

Keep your cat’s claws trimmed all the time. Dull claws are less likely than sharp claws to damage screens. Try vinyl caps like Soft Claws® that you adhere over your cat’s claws with non-toxic glue. They have rounded edges, so your cat's scratching won’t damage your screens.

Make it stick. Try covering your cat’s favorite screen with double-sided, transparent tape, such as Sticky Paws. The tape is invisible to your cat, but when she feels the sticky sensation on her paws, the screen will be a much less appealing place to scratch.

Repel with an unpleasant smell. Commercial anti-scratch deterrent sprays can be used on screens. They usually don’t leave an odor detectable by humans and won’t damage the surface of your screen.

Use pheromones to calm kitty’s nerves. Pheromone products like Feliway® are a natural substance that’s odorless to humans and mimics a cat's facial pheromones to calm them in stressful environments. This synthetic feline pheromone calms nerves and will deter stress-related behaviors such as scratching and spraying.

Install claw-proof window screens. Available at most hardware stores, claw-proof or pet-proof screens stand up to the claws of even the most determined cats.

Apply a scratch-resistant vinyl sheet to screens. It is much more difficult for a cat to sink her claws into a smooth surface. Cover the bottom of the screen with a scratch-resistant vinyl sheet or plastic cover.

Give your cat her own, safe perch. Outdoor perches can be installed on windows to give cats the ultimate outdoor experience in the safety of the indoors. With a safe, outdoor perch to call her own, your cat will be less interested in your screens.

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