this was written by a good friend, when asked by someone wanting to adopt a kitty, if the cat should be allowed to scratch the furniture..... (permission granted to reprint, and to crosspost wif her linky!)

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My cats have a $300 cat tree scratching post. Yes they use it often, but they still use the couch too. If you're not too attached to it, I'd say, what's the harm, it's a chair, after all, and chairs are replaceable, and don't have feelings. Cats, on the other hand, are very NON-replaceable, and their time with us is too short to begin with. If it makes them happy, what is a chair or sofa to me, when the happiness of my cat is the goal of my life? It's all in the perspective, of course. Some people are very attached to their material possessions, to the point of cutting off their cat's toes to save the sofa. Personally, I'd rather NOT be in that category of people.

So to all the cats I say:

"Go forth my sweet kitties, and shred the sofas of life,
leave not a sliver of upholstery upon which
you have not laid your touch, for until you touched it, it had no meaning to me, with your touch,
you brought your own special personality
to light upon the material world,
and thus improved it.

For when you are long passed from this life,
and I look fondly in the vision of my mind upon your memories,
as I sit upon that shredded sofa,
my own tears shall fall upon the same surface
as you yourself touched,
and together we will be again, if only for a moment,
sitting quietly, upon the sofa we shared in our own special way. I won't be remembering yelling at you,
or squirting you with a water bottle,
or taking you into the vet to have your toes cut off.
I won't be remembering you running scared
from the sound of a rolled up newspaper, from me.
I won't be remembering anything but you, in all your feline glory, stretching up in a graceful arch,
with the look of pure glee upon your face,
and the sound of fabric ripping, as you happily do
what comes naturally to you, marking your territory.
Only fond memories, will those of you be, to me."

--Phaewryn
http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html
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Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors! maybe that'll make the difference....

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