My cat scratches mirrors...

[Kathy in Cambridge]

One of my cats scratches mirrors. Is this a claw-sharpening behavior, or just another inscrutable feline behavior?

[SoCalDem]

1. I wish mine did.. they have ruined my wallpaper

:(

Maybe they are fascinated with their image:)

[Kathy in Cambridge]

2. This same cat (beautiful black male)

is destroying my velvet chair, despite the availability of other things to scratch. His brother only scrathes his scratching posts.

He is a beauty-maybe he realizes it!

[jonnyblitz]

3. i like black cats.

my parents used to have one. They de-clawed their cats. Is that inhumane? I have heard both yes and no...

[Kathy in Cambridge]

4. Declawing is SOOO Inhumane

it's like castration. And it usually leads to biting and spraying behaviors. Exercising claws is very important to feline health and their balance. Not to mention, they have no way of defending themselves if they get outside.

[inthecorneroverhere]

5. scratching

If the cat is scratching at the mirror, (s)he is probably fascinated with seeing that 'cat' in the mirror! The mirror isn't a very 'scratchable' surface, so I think it's the image of the cat that is fascinating her. I've seen cats pawing at mirrors, but not scratching them.

I provide plenty of 'things' for my cat to *scratch.* I have several carpet remnants lying around the house that I picked up from a new carpet installation. The cats love 'em, especially the back side of the carpet. I put the remnants close to where I sit. The cats love 'em. They sit on them, scratch on them, hang out...

Generally cats like to scratch a place close to where they hang out or where their favorite human hangs out. Scratching is kind of a sign of 'marking' something to say "This is mine!"

I am definitely against declawing kitties. Declawing actually takes the last digit off the tip of the cats' finger. It isn't like getting a manicure. It's more like an, ugh...amputation...

It's ok to clip the ends of their nails really carefully with a nail clipper. You have to get the cat to trust you and to let you handle her paws, first. Then you have to get her used to seeing the nail clipper. If the cat wants to fight or bite, she doesn't trust you enough. It takes time to train the cat to let you clip her claws, but after a few months, it should be possible. However, if kitty likes to play outside, it is best to leave her claws 'as is' and not clip them.

[grasswire]

6. there are little caps...

...that can be put over claws these days. I can't vouch for them, but I know they exist.

One of my cats scratches the window glass. One other will only scratch a small wooden stepladder (old enough to be an antique thank you very much kitty). Another loves those cardboard scratching board things from the store. And the fourth one never scratches on anything. All different. Well, they did destroy the arms of a sofa too. Now you can buy plastic things that fit over the sofa corners.

Gotta love 'em!

[inthecorneroverhere]

7. cats -

I've heard of the little plastic claw thingies. Too fussy an idea for me...I figure the furry beasties would drop them off in a day or two. Then, would have to buy _more_....but maybe that was the idea of the 'product,' eh?!?

A good friend had a sofa, the arms of which were torn to shreds by the kitties. Sofa got hauled to the dump, but I still remember it, because the arms were almost a work of abstract art, after several years of 'clawing.'

I would move the *old* stepladder to somewhere the cats are less likely to get at it. Some cats like the cardboard scratchy thingies from the pet store. I bought one a while ago and it worked OK. I sort of 'showed' my cat how to scratch on it by dragging her paws across it. Now, however, with the *free* carpet samples, the cats have all they need! Unfortunately, they like to claw at the wicker chairs sometimes, but I try to keep them on the carpet pieces -

The plastic covers for the arms of the sofa aren't a bad idea. Keeps grease, popcorn butter, whatever off - as well as deterring the cats from scratching there -

[Kenneth ken]

8. soft paws

is at least one brand name for the plastic claw thingies. They get glued on - put a drop of glue inside the plastic, then slip it over the claw. I had my cats done once. They lasted about 4-5 weeks. It took 3 people to get them on. After they were on the cats were sort of okay with them, but happier when they came off.

I wouldn't reccommend them, but at the time it was a necessary compromise in my and my cats' lives.

Can someone tell me more about plastic covers for furniture arms? Like where to buy them?