Greetings,
 
David the lurker here.  I've been on the list a while, but have only just
taken the plunge.  I've adopted a beautiful 2yr old female from a teenage
boy who now has other interests (sport / girls!).  She is very human
friendly, has a great litter box hit rate and happy (lots of dooks and
wardances).  She does have one behavioral 'problem' I'd like to curb
though...
 
My new friend loves to scratch at the carpet and couch.  I've read in the
FAQ that carpet scratching is quite normal, but this is almost all the time
in my case.  I've put plastic carpet protector in the doorway, but really
need the whole floor covered :).  To date I've been picking her up, moving
her or starting a new game (basically distracting her) when she starts
scratching.  This works well as long as I don't have to turn my back to take
care of anything ie.  I can dedicate 100% of exercise time to her (I can
usually manage 99.5%).  The other thing I've tried is telling her 'no' in a
stern voice when she starts.  This is not working (or I wouldn't be
posting!) and I feel like an ogre.
 
I haven't given up, though this has been going on for nearly four weeks now.
 
Any and all suggestions appreciated.
 
Thanks so much,
-David Holender
[Posted in FML issue 2045]