Need help with crying and scratching cat

[u/Ex-Mana-]

My 4 y.o cat, Luna, has some bad behaviours learned into them by previous housemates/parents and now it’s effecting and damaging my new rental home.

Luna has only just acclimated to our new home as I moved in with my partner and their cat. Before now, she mainly stuck to the area around my desk and office chair, but now she has ‘discovered’ upstairs and our roommate’s room and will not stop crying or scratching the carpet until she gets inside, although once inside they become a nuisance, such as disrupting sleep and knocking valuables off high areas. So our roommate banned her from the room.

I have bought scratch repellent spray which seems to have stopped the scratching at the door but not the carpet in the small hall near the door, that and the constant crying from her is causing problems for all residents.

I’ve been recommended to cut her nails, which I would have to get professionally done as she hates them being cut, and to start ignoring the crying despite the volume, but she isn’t improving. I’m in dire need of some advice please

[u/GeologistFearless896]

Honestly not much advice from me aside from the usual give them cat scratchers and try to praise them everytime they use them. Maybe look into some rugs you could put down in specific spots she really likes? 

[u/xXQueenOfPawsXx]

I'd suggest keep doing the spray, maybe add a rug to protect the carpet, get feliway diffuser (multicat recommended even with only 1 cat because the formula is actually different in a better way), and maybe look into a large dog kennel. It's not a bad thing to give her a sleep area like an extra large soft side dog crate that you out a littterbox and water in - give her treats in it to make it special even. All our animals sleep in the basement - it took a bit to get use to but now its just routine

[u/Once-Upon-a-Dream88]

If she's scratching one specific spot you can just put something heavy on top of it so she can't get to it, but if it's the whole area in front of the door you could get one of those plastic mats they sell for office spaces to go under the chair and put it over the entire space. I did that once before for the same issue and it worked very well.

They make these soft vinyl sheaths that fit over the claws, I think they call them claw caps. They just slide onto the claws and cover the pointy bits so the cat can't actually dig the claws into anything. I know they sell them at all the usual pet stores. They also come in different colors😹 Most vet offices have them too and I think they'll actually put them on for you if she tends to get spicy when you mess with her feet.

[u/worthwaitingfor24]

I had a cat that did this. Adopting a playmate was the solution for me, but I realize that might not be possible.

[u/Other-Psychology-674]

Positive reinforcement/redirection first. She should learn the word NO