Firstly; A little history on ourselves, Leebee and I have been pet owners for all of our 43 years of marriage and cat people exclusively for 38 of them.
Are we Veterinarians? Nope
Are we professionally trained? No again
What we are though are people who care deeply about the well-being of animals. We observe and pay close attention to how pets, (predominantly cats now) react to stimuli in their environment. What appeals to them and what doesn’t. Where they play and more importantly, where they best relax, what is healthy for them and things we can do to enhance their health.
It’s kind of why we created JMLPets in the first place.
Being long time pet owners and seeing all the “Cat Specific” stuff in the marketplace, it didn’t take long to realize it was mostly junk made to fall apart. The stuff was designed to make the consumer re-buy time and again!
From a seller viewpoint, thumbs up, but from the consumer…aggravating and massive waste of money! Why can’t there be quality, long lasting, sensible cat products for pet owners to purchase?
This leads me to another “Pet Owner” issue, RESPONSIBILITY. What responsibility? It is to understand that our pets have unique requirements, beyond feeding them and litter box duty, to keep them happy and healthy, and in turn to provide us with love, affection and lower Vet bills. LOL
We’ve got to come to the realization that they’re not maintenance free. As much as we’d like this to be true, it’s not!
One area most neglected is our cat’s claws and how important they are to a cat’s health & happiness. A lot of cat people just don’t get it! Scratching to them is an inconvenience, an aggravating act of defiance that can be trained out of the cat. They scold them, use water bottles, newspaper, deterrent sprays, tape and all kinds of contraptions to control what is a completely natural, but very necessary behavior. Like every animal, cats are firstly controlled by instincts and when those instincts are tied closely to health issues, i.e. survival…YOU AIN”T GONNA CHANGE THEM!
Cat’s claws are their first line of defense and their first weapon in capturing prey. In other words a cat without it’s properly maintained claws is essentially defenseless and will be under continual stress. Watch a cat while she’s scratching away on something. They really are happy! Not because they like messing with you or tempting you, it’s because they’re doing what’s natural to them. They’re keeping their weapons ready. LOL
Now that we understand the importance of not hindering the scratching behavior, what do we do about it? We provide a safe, secure place for them to do it, Right? Yes, but it is also equally important that this place, or device, be as beneficial to them as possible. Let’s look at the different materials most commonly used.
Cardboard: 1 Star – It’s cheap. Cats take right to it! No doubt. But it’s messy and offers ZERO physical benefit to your cat’s claws. Material can be ingested. Constantly needs to be replaced therefore not cost effective.
Sisal Type Rope: 2 Stars – A little more costly. Somewhat accepted by cats. It shreds and creates residue that might possibly be ingested. Better than cardboard for claws but because it shreds so easy it does nothing for sheath maintenance & removal, (very important). Also needs to be replaced often reducing cost effectiveness.
Shag Style Carpet: 1-1/2 Stars – More expensive yet. Some cats like it, some don’t. It tends to come apart easily and strands can be ingested by your cat. Satisfies the clawing desire but doesn’t do much of anything for claw maintenance. Because of how easily the strands separate it needs to be regularly replaced.
Berber Style Carpet: 3-1/2 Stars – More initial cost. Of the four types, probably the best overall, though most of it separates from the backing under moderate use. Because of this it’s durability is limited. Little residue. Cats take to it readily. It meets most of the needs your cat has to maintain her claws except effective sheath removal and abrasiveness.
Claw-Care Pad: 5 Stars – More initial expense but offset by being extremely durable. Replaceable Scratch Pad, (if ever needed), cuts long-term cost immensely. Berber-ish on steroids appearance. Virtually residue free. Cats take to it immediately. Deeply satisfying to your cat and offers everything for complete claw maintenance, including sheath removal and tip upkeep.
So there folks, you have it in a nutshell. I have been quoted as saying, “Sure we make the best scratch pad on the market and I would like for you to buy from us, BUT, what’s really important is to get something for your kitty. They need it! I just pray you use wisdom in your purchase.” I still stand by it!
Thanks for listening. JMLPets