subject: Save Your Furniture but Don't Declaw Your Cat [print this page] More and more people with indoor cats conserve their home furniture by mutilating their beloved companions. Make no mistake about it, declawing is mutilation. Claws and finger nails are not the same, a cat's claws are attached on to the bone. When the claws are eliminated, the last bone and joint in each toe are also removed. Once you amputate your cat's toes, you upset its balance and agility. You alter the way it walks.
No one wants their furnishings destroyed by their cat, but there's another approach to cope with the dilemma. Think a moment - why do cats claw furniture and climb drapes in the first place? It's mainly because cats retain a few of the instinctual behaviors they used when they were wild animals. Cats that reside outdoors climb trees and rocks and scratch the bark. That's natural behavior for a cat. Cats don't claw furniture because they are harmful, they do it simply because they are cats.
The best technique to stop Fluffy or Bosco from ruining your Chippendale is to present an alternative , a cat tree with a built in scratching post. A very good cat tree will be tall and sturdy enough to simulate the experience of climbing a real tree. It may have built-in hiding places and absolutely must have a built-in scratching section. Sisal rope wound around the "trunk" of your structure works very well though other materials can also be used.
It's best to get your kitty accustomed to using a cat tree and scratching post while it's young. It's less difficult to do than to try to get an older cat to alter its habits. In any case, supplying a natural option for scratching and climbing will make both you and him happier. Don't mutilate your little friend for for your own convenience.
