Coexist Happily with Your Cat(s)

The common complaint from those who own and don't own cats is that they shed hair and claw furniture and carpet. Some cat owners decide that they can live with this. Many times, however, their friends and family can't live with the hair.

So, what happens? The cat owner either decides to get rid of the cat or keep the cat and visit their friends and family outside of their home.

Before going to either of these extremes, read this to find how to have cats in your house, minimize shedding, save your furniture, and have a home that is pleasant for friends and family to visit.

Don't Declaw--There are Alternatives

The first thing some people might think of to keep a cat from clawing furniture and carpet is declawing.

If you are considering doing this, you need to know that this procedure is considered more painful than the torture that prisoners of war went through when they had their nails removed from their fingers and toes.

Although legal in most US jurisdictions, other than eight cities in California, many countries in Europe, Australia, and Brazil have banned this barbaric practice.

Declawing is amputation; it is not merely the removal of the claws. To declaw a cat, the veterinarian cuts off the last knuckles of a cat's paw - cutting through bone, tendons, skin and nerves. In a person, it is equivalent to amputating each finger or toe at the last joint.

Declaw surgery can be an extremely painful procedure with associated health risks and complications such as infection.

Declaw surgery can produce permanent lameness, pain or arthritis.

Declawing is the same mutilating procedure for house cats or big cats.For more about feline declawing and humane alternatives to declaw surgery, see the Paw Project's website

So, what are the alternatives? Get your kitty scratching posts made out of sisal. Place the posts in areas that he or she likes to scratch. Play with your cat near the post to encourage her to scratch. Do not take your cats claws and "show him or her how to scratch" the post. Cats have an independent nature and if you try to force them to do something, they will rebel. Try to get some of her scent or some scent, such as catnip, on the post that will attract your cat to it

To discourage your cat from scratching furniture, cover it with duct tape or aluminum foil until the cat learns to scratch the post. If the cat has marked furniture with his or her scent, remove this scent with pet odor remover cleaners. Also, cats hate the smell of citrus products, so try spraying lemon or orange scented sprays on your furniture.

Shedding

Now, as far as the fur shedding goes, the best thing to do, if possible, is get rid of all your carpet. Replace with wood, tile, or vinyl floors. Second, brush your cat daily-of course brush in an area where you don't care about hair getting all over the place, or use a towel to cover your lap. Also, there are many products on the market designed to reduce hair shedding. Two such products, the Furminator and Pet Zoom, get into the underneath layer of your cat's coat to remove more loose hair.

If you don't have time to brush your cat(s) fur every day, then get covers for your furniture. SureFit makes some very attractive covers. Alternately, buy a couple of matching King sized comforters for your sofa and Queen size for your loveseat. When one set becomes coated with hair, remove and wash. Put your other set on while washing and drying the set you removed. You can buy comforters pretty cheap at discount stores such as WalMart, Dollar General, etc., or look at thrift stores for bedspreads, quilts, and comforters.

Using a humidifer indoors in the winter, or at least setting pans of water around the house (out of the cat's reach of course) can help "weigh down" the hair flying through the air, so that it lands on the floor instead. This makes it easier to sweep or vacuum the hair off the floors.

When cleaning, rather than sweeping vinyl or wood floors first, mop first, then sweep. As with the humidifier, the dampness will keep hair from flying into the air and into your eyes and nose. After mopping, any wet hair/grit remaining on the floor can easily be swept into a dustpan.

Rather than dusting with a dry rag, use dusting wax or oil. Again, this will keep hair from flying all over. A damp washcloth works well for removing cat hair from furniture and clothing.

Following these procedures will result in a happy cat and a house that both you and your visitors will find clean and comfortable.

Sources

Paw Project

Personal experience