No cat owner wants to hear the ‘skritch,’ ‘skritch’, ‘skritch’ sound of their favourite couch being destroyed but you can save your furniture and avoid the painful procedure of declawing your cat with a few different options.

Trim those nails  

Trimming your cat’s nails may seem scary at first, for you and your cat, but with practise, it’s really quite simple! Firstly, wrap your cat in a bath towel and call them the ‘burrito kitty’. Make sure it’s tight so they can’t wiggle away. Pull one paw out of the burrito and gently squeeze the tip, to extend the claws. Cut the tip of the claws, making sure you avoid the pink area. Give your ‘burrito kitty’ some treats and a break between each paw. Repeat this process every two weeks. If your cat refuses to become a burrito (silly kitty!), visit your local Vet and they will give you extra advice or they can cut the claws for you.

Claw covers

If you want extra protection for your full leather couch, you can put plastic claw caps on your cat’s nails after trimming. These caps are glued onto the end of the nails, and last between 4-6 weeks before falling off. Your cat will still be able to use their nails to their heart’s content (but your furniture will be safe).

Scratching posts  

Your cat will be head over heels if you place a few scratching posts around the house. The fabric/carpet ones can get caught in their claws so the sisal-covered posts are the best ones to use. Make sure it has a sturdy base and place it where they usually scratch. Rub some catnip over it for extra enjoyment!

Why declawing is dangerous

Declawing is a surgical procedure that involves cutting off the end bone of your cat’s paws. This is equivalent to cutting off a human’s fingers! Your cat’s paws will be extremely painful after the procedure and they will need to re-learn how to walk, jump and use the litter box. Every surgical procedure also has risks of infection and long recovery times.

If you don’t like the idea of declawing your cat, why not try the above alternative options first and hopefully you’ll have a scratch-free home and a very happy burrito… I mean cat.