I’m thinking of getting a cat. How can I avoid stinky cat smell and scratched up sofas?

Caramel Deluxe: I’m thinking of getting a cat. How can I avoid stinky cat smell and scratched up sofas?
I have seen two mice in my apt over the past week. I’m thinking of getting a cat to help with the problem. My friend has a cat and her house always reeks of stinky litter box and cat hairs all over the furniture. Also I have leather sofas. I do not want the cat to scratch p my furniture. How can I get a cat and not have to deal with more problems than I already have. Also I worry about cat food possibly attracting more vermin. Can anyone give me any suggestions?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Cody
Seems like he/she doesn’t know how to use a vaccum…

Get some name brand litter if you can… the kind that overcomes the smell >_> and also make sure you have some air freshner every now and then they tend to take smelly crap.. If it does tend to attract more vermin… don’t worry the will have a better feast then it would have

Cat scratching your sofa… umm if you catch it in the act give it a lil’ spray with water

annnd get some cat nip lol

Answer by Chrissy♥
Not all cats scratch on furniture, and if the one you plan on getting done, use a spray bottle to spray him when you catch him/her in the act. Make sure you give this cat a scratching post. My kitten has actually never hurt the furniture in anyway, the only thing he scratches on is his scratching post and nothing else.

About the fur getting on the furniture the only alternative I would suggest is a lint roller unless there is something new out there to remove pet stains.

If you get a litter box that the cat can walk into such as a dog house looking type, it won’t stink as much, just put it in a place like the bathroom or a room that is never usually used.

About the food, I am not sure but just put the cat’s food away at night ugh I wish I could help you with that but I’m completely stumped!

Good Luck :]]!

Btw; if you decide to adopt a pet, make sure to adopt it at a ASPCA or any other animal shelter. :]]

And whatever you do, don’t de-claw the cat!

Answer by mebekili
If your ONLY reason for getting a cat is to chase mice…. don’t. Get plug in vermin chasers instead.

If you’re considering getting a cat because you love cats and want to add one to your home life and are willing to take care of it properly and give it a “forever home” and be responsible for it’s well-being for the rest of it’s natural life….. then that’s a different matter.

If you don’t want your furniture scratched, supply good scratching post(s) and when the cat goes to scratch anything else say “no! use your scratcher” and point at the scratcher then take the cat over to the scratcher and run it’s front paws down the scratcher and tell them “scratcher, you scratch here”… and learn to clip their claws… clipped claws do less damage.

If your friend’s house smells, it means they aren’t taking care of the litter box. With one cat the litter needs to be cleaned daily… with more cats it needs doing more often. And what you feed the cat and what litter you use counts too. I use Arm & Hammer essentials and a self-scooping box and I won’t feed fishy food (stinkier in=stinker out). If you feed your cat on a set schedule (put 1/2 day’s food out in the a.m. and 1/2 out in the p.m.) and leave it out for 1/2 hour and then remove it… you’ll train the cat to eat during that period and you won’t have to leave cat food out to worry about it attracting anything… but the electronic vermin chasers help with that too.

As far as the fur on the furniture….. fur happens, especially in the Spring…. but regular brushing of the cat and the use of a sheddin’ blade during shedding season can help keep that to a minimum. And the sheddin’ blade is actually really good at removing fur from the furniture as well.

If you do decide to adopt a cat, I hope it’s as a pet and not just a mouse-chasing servant. Cats are wonderful funny, affectionate and full of personality… they can greatly add joy to your life… as long as you let them in to do it.

Answer by Jessica
I have five cats, and my house doesn’t smell at all. I let all of my cats outside, so they usually go to the bathroom in my backyard. My litter boxes are rarely used.
If you do not want to let your cat outside at all, just clean the litter box regularly. I used to have to clean my kitten’s box about five times a day. I also used air fresheners a lot.
My cats still scratch the furniture. I have scratching posts, but they rarely use them. You can get your cat declawed, but this is NOT a good idea if you are going to let your cat outside. My friend put plastic caps on her cat’s claws to prevent the cat from scratching anything. They are removable, so you can still let the cat outside if you want to. You can get these caps at pet stores.
If you are worried about the cat food attracting more vermin, then do not leave it out for the cat all the time. Only feed your cat at designated mealtimes. This will also prevent the cat from overeating as well.

Answer by Melanie
Ok. For the “Stinky Cat Smell” you might want to consider a Baking soda litter for the litter box, and if you’re thinking of getting a kitten, for when its really young, (8weeks-2months) Start with a corn litter. (Its stinky but for when their young, its one of the best) and for “Unscratched Sofas”, If youre worried about the sofas, try a spray called “Bitter Apple”. It keeps cats and kittens away from them. So for something they can scratch without any trouble, get them a cat tree and a kitty post. For cats ages 2months+ spray some catnip on the kitty post.(Kittens go haywire with it…Dont try it.) Get a cat tree for perching on, hiding, and anything else they desire. And remember, they think that anything of yours is theirs, so lay down the law for them. Be assertive, but when they do something right, reward them right away. Good luck!

Answer by baggiebirdie
If you are only thinking of getting a cat to get rid of the mice,think again,litter trays do stink,cat food stinks,all cats loose hair,my cat scratched m y leather furniture when they were kittens just by jumping up (as well as scratching) you have to love them. You can get plug in vermin repel ant,cheaper than a cat in the long run

Answer by Mornie
Cats are a bit of work. So if you really don’t feel like taking care of another life, please don’t bother. Just lay some lettuce wedges down (lettuce has a lot of water in the leaves, a mouse eats enough of this and they drown) or poison pellets, or even the plug in rodent repellent. There are enough homeless and uncared for cats out there.

But if you are up to the challenge then here are some tips that have helped me.

First off stinky litter box problems can be solved by several methods.

1. find a corner of your home that you do not always frequent like the abandoned corner of your bathroom, or the space next to a closet door. Mine is next to the “coat closet” that we never use. It is in the corner of the living room and behind a whimsical rocking chair.

2. We use Fresh step lavender litter so every time they use it it releases lavender scent rather than the Stinky Smell.

3. If the smell does make an appearance and you have changed the litter religiously then simply add a little baking powder. Weird yes, but it helps knock the smell out.

Cat food drawing in more rodents, not a problem, buy one of those plastic food storage bins with a secure lid and place the cat food in there.
When it is time to feed the little thing just give it a single serving and let them eat it. place it somewhere high up. Allow the cat access to possibly a side counter, or a end table. But feed the cat twice a day, and clean up the mess after the cat is done. same as you would with your own dishes.

Scratching the furniture. Yeah that can get annoying my first cat killed my mothers couch when I was 8 years old. So Since then we tried the squirt bottle filled with water, but guess what you will not be there 24/7 to stop such behavior. Then we tried the whole claw caps thing, but some cats are really damn smart. Mine are, they got the caps off. I still don’t know how. You can always go to the final resort of de-clawing your cat but if your cat is going outside then how could it defend itself? the answer is in one of two options.

Getting rid of the front set only as that is the set they will rip up your furniture, but leaving them with the back set so if they get outside they will have a defense system still.

Or

You can get them a tendonectomy. This is where the cat still has it’s claws but they cannot extend the claws to rip up your leather. So the claws still grow, but you just trip them. My cats have this, and my NEW sofa still looks NEW 2 years later.

the cat hairs, well groom your cat, look for a cat that has short hair, that is first. Brush them, or take them to a groomer. they need a bath, a good rub down, and there will be less hair. Then buy yourself a tape brush thing, or the pledge hair remover. it is simple enough.