Keep your cat from damaging the furniture
Those of us who have cats know all too well that one of their defining physical characteristics is the inclusion of tiny razors on the end of their arms, useful for defense against predators, but mostly for destroying objects around your house. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to prevent the damage as much as possible. Here are just a few solutions.
There are three main reasons why a cat scratches furniture. The first is to sharpen their fingernails, which they feel they must maintain even though they live a posh indoor life where their only predators are the vacuum cleaner and rocking chairs. The second reason is to stretch their muscles, as the act of scratching is actually a whole body activity. The last reason is that it just feels good, so they like doing it.
When it comes to stopping cats from declawing, it’s best to start off lightly and work your way up to more drastic measures. Start small by simply spraying the cat with water every time it starts to scratch. And yes, it does work on at least some cats. The tricky part is always catching the cat in stride. You can’t punish them after the fact, as they won’t bond the two together easily, so they should be sprayed while their paws are touching the fabric and the claws are popping out.
If that doesn’t work, or if you just can’t be around all the time, consider covering the scratchy corners with something to discourage them from putting their paws on them, like double-sided tape, bitter spray, or even tin foil. The downside is that you’ll have to put up with something stupid on your furniture for a while, when the point of it all is to reduce damage. However, if this works, you will be very happy with the results.
The latter option is the most severe and involves declawing your cat. This should only be considered in the most extreme cases as it is not a procedure that is really encouraged as it involves cutting off the end of every cat’s toes. This can cause discomfort when walking and standing, and sometimes just drastically affect your kitty’s overall personality. A better solution would be to simply trim their nails regularly or attach plastic caps to their nails.
It seems that no matter what we try and decide, the cats will decide something different. They can be learned, but it takes some time. Find a method you like and good luck!
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