See, now I know that I have designer furniture after all!!!!  I had to resign to throw blankets over all of my furniture, especially with the two young ones playing Tarzan flying from piece of furniture to another.

Its called artwork!   

My girls are pretty good about using only their scratching post and cat tree.  I've been lucky.  I worked hard when they first came to live with me and trained them to only scratch certain furniture.  I do, however, have one of those round papazon (sp?) chairs like they sell at Pier 1 and that became a huge cat bed just minutes after it was brought into the house!  My husband bought it for me for Christmas several years ago, but the cats clearly assumed it was a present for them. 

I am on my 3rd set of dilapidated furniture.  Up til now, I have refused to get my cats declawed.  I believe it is cruel.  Cheap furniture is replaceable.  However, Tucker has taken it upon himself to sharpen his claws on my carpetted stairs.  He has already ripped the carpet off one stair and is working on three others.  Carpet is no as replaceable as furniture.

I have tried Soft Paws numerous times with him. He basically rips his claws off to get them off.  He has never worn a set longer than a day. 

I am pretty much at my witts end here.

Bridgett - will Tucker let you clip his claws?  If you can get them nice and short (dull) and keep them that way, that should cut way down on the damage.  Some cats claws grow really fast, so you might have to check them every other week.  I would probably try some environmental deterrant, like plastic stair runners, tape, or something along those lines.  Or just get some cheap thin carpet and put it over the good carpet and let him have at it if that's possible.

I've also always been completely against declawing.  I decided to educate myself more on it one day so I could get more detailed info out to the public when I was volunteering with a rescue group.  After looking at one website of a surgery, not even a video at that time, and seeing all those sweet little kitty toes clipped off and laying on a towel, I was so enraged and nauseated I could barely stand it.

Around that time there was talk of a new surgery that just clipped the tendon that keeps the claws retracted, so basically their claws just stayed out loose all the time.  They said it was much more humane and much less damaging and painful than taking toe joints off in traditional decalwing, but I never found out anything more about it.  One of the drawbacks at the time was the claws tend to catch a lot since they are still nice and sharp except flopping around on their feet without the tendon to hold them in.  So you still had to clip them.   

Have to be really careful on the steps with the foil and duct tape so you don't slip and lose your balance. Sounds like this would do the trick though. Let us know if you try it Bridgett.

Tucker sounds like my manx with all that kicking and screaming.  I would have given up on the nail caps a long time ago!  It's good that he lets you trim his claws though. 

I can cut my cats' nails really short in bright light because it's easy to see the quick in them (unlike the dogs' black claws which are impossible to gauge).  It takes them longer to grow out that way and they can't do nearly as much damage.  But 2 of my cats have amazingly fast growing claws - in a few days after cutting a new point is coming through.  Both of those cats develop really long scary claws if I don't clip them.

How do you know you are kitty-whipped?

Your pets have nicer furniture than you do.