Cats claw things because it is instinct. Unfortunately for you, your cat may claw YOUR things. Don't expect your cat to be trained to never claw anything because the cat needs to shed its nails, which is why it has the urge to claw. This does not mean you have to de-claw your cat I personally believe that de-clawing cats is cruel and unnatural. It affects their personality and is very traumatic. I can, however, provide some easy tips on how to keep your cat from ruining your furniture. Here are three easy steps to keep your cat from scratching up your things and give you peace of mind.

Step One: Provide plenty of things that your cat is allowed to scratch. You may try different types of scratch pads and posts to see which ones your cat prefers. You can find such items at your local pet supply store and prices vary, however, most scratch pads are fairly inexpensive. To help coax your cat to the new scratch post, you may try sprinkling some cat nip on the pad or post to entice your cat to rub its scent on it. This will lure your cat back to the scratch pad or post over and over again.

Step Two: Use double-sided tape on your furniture. Your cat may like its new scratching toy; however, it may find itself still interested in a piece of your furniture. If this is the case, try putting some double-sided tape in the places the cat likes to scratch and once the cat puts one paw on the tape it will quickly try to get away. Cats don't like sticky stuff, so they won't try to paw at the tape more than once. Pet stores carry large pieces of double-sided tape specifically for training cats not to scratch your furniture. The tape does not have to stick around permanently. After attempting to claw at the taped furniture your cat will likely not return again. I suggest keeping the tape on the furniture for about a week.

Step Three: Keep your cat's nails trimmed. Because cats needs to shed their nails, they find that scratching things helps to remove the loose layers of nail, hence why your cat claws at furniture or other items in your house. Your local pet supply store sells clippers and nail files that can be used safely to trim your cat's nails to help with the shedding process. Your cat may not like it at first, but if you keep it up on a weekly basis your cat will eventually get used to the process. I suggest giving your cat a treat or a good petting after clipping its nails. Because your cat's nails are trimmed your cat will be less interested in clawing at things to shed its nails. The difference is noticeable. A cat with long un-trimmed nails will constantly claw at things to help the shedding of its claws, but if you keep the trimming up, you'll see how much less often your cat will have the need to claw or scratch on surfaces.