strange question from a newby

[beachkatz]

I am interested in building a log home and have just begun to research the process. Something hit me the other night, has anyone had any experiences with pets scratching or chewing the logs? I have a male cat that is part of the family, and no matter what I do I can't break him of clawing.

thanks for any advice.

[rreidnauer]

Ummm, well, I got ferrets, and they love to (attempt to) dig up the carpet. Makes for a frizzy mess, but fortunately, my carpets are very old and well past due for replacement, so I don't mind too much. But anyhow, as it's told with ferrets for a passive defense, you should provide them something else that they would prefer digging in. One thing was to get a big rubbermaid container and put about 3 inches of topsoil or sand in the bottom, which seemed to work, but can get messy.

But back to your question, you could try something as simple as a scratching post, or even a "sacrificial" lazyboy, to draw the cats away from the logs. I think with a male cat, you'd have a bigger problem with it wanting to "mark" it's territory. :shock:

Does your cat claw your current walls or just the furniture?

Oh yea, and I'm sure someone will suggest declaw, though I recommend just the front claws.

[beachkatz]

I have sacrificed the arm of my couch - but its 15+ years old so I can't say too much. He's neutered so he doesn't "mark" thank god!!
I just wondered if anyone had any experience with clawing on the logs. He's an older cat so I don't think declawing would be a good idea - anesthesia isn't a good idea for older animals. I can live with furniture clawed but not the "walls".

thanks!

[ChrisAndWendy]

Fixed male cats still spray, ask the two I have banished to the barn. It does not smell as bad but it's still spray. I don't want to see the cat that can do any real harm to a Skip house. Chris

[Ellsworth]

We have always had barn cats running about and none have ever scratched on log homes or log walls.

They tend to go after softer targets; they love scratching on a tree because the bark is soft, or a log that still has the bark on it. My cats also go after treated lumber because it's somewhat soft (I guess they didn't get the memo about the chemicals in PT lol). From what I've seen a log home doesn't have a lot to fear from a kitty cat :)

For a neat and cheap cat toy I cobble together a square frame or tripod using 1x4s and wrap the boards in cheap old rope. My cats love to crawl up the boards and scratch at the rope :D

[H2OFowlerandWife]

My husband and I used to have a spray bottle with water handy and spray our cat anytime she clawed something we didn't want her to. Worked great!