I adopted two kittens a year ago, my first pets that qualified as complex organisms. I have fish, but I don’t consider them pets, merely decorations you must feed. In order to adopt them I actually had to sign an agreement promising I would not have them declawed. After my Sim-U-Leather couches fell victim to kitten claws I tried the various solutions.
My cats are indifferent to catnip and love tin foil. Anti-scratch spray has no effect. Luckily the only furniture items which interest them are the couches, and I suspect if I replaced them with new ones made from different material they’d be less interested.
Carpet scratching posts aren’t interesting to them. But a few weeks ago I picked up a sessel post and they love it. I put it near the corners of the couches they love, so that when they go to their accustomed scratching location, this wonderful post makes them forget their old habits. Occasionally they still have a go at the couch, but I’m usually around to physically redirect them toward the post. They don’t like having their paws held, but I find that if I scratch at it with my own fingernails they catch on.
I agree with the “no unnecessary surgery” maxim, but I would count neutering as just such a thing, and more invasive too. But I didn’t have a choice for the kittens; they were neutered before I adopted them. And since my two cats are both male, I understand that neutering is probably the only thing that makes them cohabitable. They’re siblings and have never been separated, but they’re showing more independence now.
I have a wonderful veterinarian who is an old family friend, and he has said he can declaw them painlessly. But I fear the neighborhood strays. I have already decided my cats will be indoor cats, but I know they’ll get out no matter how careful I am. A few weeks ago the windows were open, and one of the cats successfully batted the screen off the window. He only made it as far as the outside sill, but it will surely happen again.
I don’t want my cats to be defenseless should they have to fend for themselves.
I view my cats not as furry ornaments but as living creatures with whom I’ve decided to share my life, for better or for worse. I expected I would have to change my lifestyle to accommodate them, so dealing with ruined furniture was not something that distressed me greatly.