New Furniture vs Cats

We have two gorgeous and sweet cats we fostered and then adopted from a shelter.  They are much adored by me and liked tolerated by Lee.  That being said, they ARE cats and do cat-type things.  Like scratching furniture.

 

When we lived in Orange County, California, they were inside cats.  Coyotes are protected there and freely roamed the neighborhood each night.  We got them when they were 2 weeks old and bottle fed them.  I was able to clip their nails and kept the furniture scratching to a minimum.  They had scratching posts.

I don't believe in removing claws from cats.  They have no defenses if they get attacked.  It is not a kind operation or one that will be beneficial to their health, like spaying and neutering.  It involves amputating their fingertips.  A lot of vets won't even do it, unless they are convinced the owner intends to put down or abandon the cat if they don't.

 

When we moved to the country, we started to allow them out for short periods of time.  I stopped clipping their nails.  I thought they might run into a predator and a bit of bloodletting might save their worthless sweet selves.

We have acres of trees. Yet, they still come in to have a scratch.  Mostly they scratch the scratching posts we have scattered around the house. If we catch them scratching a couch we put them out.  Bad kitty.  Unfortunately, this means we have trained them to scratch the furniture when they want out.  Or that they have trained us, most likely.

 

After 7 years, I decided it was time to get some furniture that had no rips in the corners.  They were delivered on Tuesday.

 

I want to keep them longer than 7 years, this time.  I went online and bought something called Sticky Paws.  It is essentially double stick tape for furniture.  You place it on the corners of furniture and when the cats touch it, they don't like the stickiness and go somewhere else.   We also went to Petsmart and bought four new scratching posts, so the something else is a choice selection of scratching posts.  The Sticky Paws need to be replaced when they are no longer sticky.  Until they stop, please, God, the behavior.

Before removing the backing.

Now when I hear scratching, it has only been on the scratching posts.  I quickly run over and hold open the closest door, in case they might want to go out.  I have done this at least 20 times in the last two days.  About one third of the time they go out.  The rest of the time they ignore me or stare at me as though I am crazy.

 

I am crazy.  I am a trained door opener for spoiled cats...cats that started out life in a dumpster covered in fleas.  I have a college degree.

On the other hand, I have a sister with a Master's Degree, and she has FOUR cats.  And they sleep on her BED.  So I consider myself the saner one in the family.  Not sane, mind you.  But sane-ER.

Animal lovers reading this will run the gamut from thinking I am normal to mean...because the cats don't sleep on the bed.  Normal people are shaking their heads.  All I know is that they haven't scratched the couches in my hearing and I am going to buy a case of Sticky Paws.  And maybe get some stock in the company.