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I'm looking for an alternative solution to caulk/silicone sealant for bathrooms and windows because basically my cat takes it upon herself to pull at and rip out the silicone from window frames, and last night, around the bath. Regardless of how good it's done, even a professional level job, she'll somehow manage to claw at it enough to get a frayed edge, then just pull at it again and again until she gets it out. (I'm only including this to say it doesn't really matter how neat a job I do with the silicone, she'll do it regardless)

I tried using adhesive tape, but I'm not a big fan of the finish, and the adhesive isn't brilliant, it's started to come away. I saw that this epoxy resin has been mentioned as an alternative, but I would want to know if anyone has used it and if it's strong/resilient enough that it couldn't just be clawed at and broken away, because then I'd worry she'll eat it and get sick/die

Is there any decent alternatives to silicone caulk that people would recommend?

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    Comment rather than answer : cut the cat's claws. Not a joke.
    – Tim
    Jan 13, 2021 at 15:24
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    An inverse of this question might be good on the pets/animals Stack Exchange site: "how can I get my cat to scratch a scratching post/toy rather than parts of the house". Solve the cause (the behavior) rather than the symptom (the caulking).
    – TylerH
    Jan 13, 2021 at 16:36
  • That's true, for the most part she doesn't do anything like this on a regular basis, but she's done it enough I've had to re-do it enough that now I'm sick of repairing it, but she's never responded to behavioral training, I've tried different methods like citrus, tin-foil, and spray bottles and she doesn't seem to put the consequence along with the behaviour
    – Andrew Morris
    Jan 13, 2021 at 16:49
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    Note that declawing a cat is now considered cruel. That's the wrong solution here.
    – Reid
    Jan 13, 2021 at 21:56
  • Paint the caulk that's around doors and windows. Use quarter round for the tub. And play with your cat more.
    – Mazura
    Jan 14, 2021 at 0:37

4 Answers 4

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Rub a little Tabasco™ sauce or other hot sauce of your choosing on the caulked joint. That will cure most critters of chewing on things they shouldn't.

Granted, it's a bit odd that the cat chooses to gnaw on silicone caulk, but usually a good hot sauce will kill the desire to eat the object.

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  • That's not a bad idea, she's never shown herself to be all that smart and learn from things like that (eg, she doesn't understand being sprayed by a water bottle means no) but I think if it's something that tastes bad to her she might know
    – Andrew Morris
    Jan 13, 2021 at 15:46
  • It worked very well for our dogs who used to pull a rubber downspout extension hose off the downspout, @AndrewMorris. They'd drag it around the yard and play with it. A good dousing with the Tabasco and they never touched it again. My dad was sorry to give up his sauce, but he got over it. :)
    – FreeMan
    Jan 13, 2021 at 16:25
  • I'll second this. I have an otherwise very smart German Shepherd who developed a habit of chewing on the wall... I mixed up a paste from cayenne and just a bit of flour, and smeared it on her favorite corner. A few nibbles was enough to break that habit
    – BThompson
    Jan 13, 2021 at 19:56
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In the bath tub the only joint needing caulk (commonly) is the wall/tub intersection. If your pet only is interested in pulling out caulking you might try repairing the joint with silicone, but than covering it with a plastic wall molding

This is installed with an adhesive. While I wouldn't recommend using this exclusively to repel water it would protect the caulking under it.

]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/hNtxf.png

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Loctite's Power Grab is a very good alternative. It dries hard and has very good adhesion while also being available in white or clear. You may have to get their Ultimate version to be fully waterproof.

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  • Product recommendations are off topic here. That one is simply construction adhesive. You might revise to recommend that type of product rather than a brand.
    – isherwood
    Jan 13, 2021 at 14:38
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    Be aware that anything that cures hard can be very difficult to remove. I once spent hours and hours removing adhesive from a shower where someone had used hard adhesive instead of silicone caulk.
    – Mattman944
    Jan 13, 2021 at 18:30
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    Additionally a hard-drying product may not last long in a hot & moist environment like a shower surround where all the materials will expand/contract with each heating cycle, but won't expand/contract at the same rate or by the same amount. i.e. you may end up with a lot of cracking as the metal tub expands faster than the ceramic tile.
    – FreeMan
    Jan 13, 2021 at 18:36
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Maybe MAPEI Flexcolor CQ grout. I have used it in several tile jobs. Easy to use, water cleanup, but it cures to a hardness between grout and rubber. They market it as epoxy grout but with water cleanup.

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  • That sounds good, how do you remove it? Just because I'm trying to imagine that if my cat with her claws can cut into the silicon, would she be able to do the same, but this is exactly the kind of thing I think I'm after, something that dries harder she can't cut
    – Andrew Morris
    Jan 13, 2021 at 13:34
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    @isherwood as I understand it, asking for product recommendations is OT, however, providing them seems to be acceptable. Maybe that's a question for Meta...
    – FreeMan
    Jan 13, 2021 at 15:05
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    tbh I was happy for this to be a kind of answer I received because as someone not in the trade, the difference between different types of caulk to a layperson could be anything, so I would have wanted someone to point to a specific item and be like, this one, this specific product is an example of what you want
    – Andrew Morris
    Jan 13, 2021 at 16:56
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    It is definitely not a sanded caulk. It is closer to a polymer than anything else, but whatever. Delete it. I have learned not pick fights around here.
    – Evil Elf
    Jan 13, 2021 at 18:03
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    @isherwood your suggestions for what the generic alternatives are seem to be unhelpful. It’s like if I recommended frog tape and you said “that’s OT, recommend masking tape instead” - they’re different things, and there’s a reason you chose the brand.
    – Tim
    Jan 13, 2021 at 19:17

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