Scratching can be devastating to anything and everything. You will need to install a scratching post before you bring home your cat. Cats are probably the best hunters we have in domestication, and with needle sharp teeth and claws they can wreak havoc on our native wildlife, both birds and reptiles. To keep the claws sharp, they tear at anything they can get their feet onto. The aimis to remove the blunt outer ‘shell’ of the nail and expose the sharper one underneath.
A final note
As a child growing up on the banks of the Lane Cove River, with a view straight down the harbour to the ‘Coathanger,’ we always had a black cat. Dad had literally ‘picked it up in the street’. There was always one there to combat the rodents that were always around, particularly because we had poultry as well. So as kids, a cat was part of the family and their final resting places are still there alongside the family home. In those days, cats were like a lemon tree, you had to have one. I went on to breed and show cats for many years.
In the next article, I will be writing amongst other things on where to get that kitten/cat, what to do when you get that pussy cat home. Feeding, introducing cats to dogs, training and playtime will all be covered. Most importantly, from my perspective, is how you manage that cat of yours to prevent it decimating our environment.