Suggestions to avoid euthanasia

I am venturing into cat territory but wanted to get your opinion on the following. My nephew is having a lot of problems with his 12 year old cat and is at the point of suggesting she be euthanized. This is what he says:
Actually, she tore apart our previous house despite 3 cat scratch poles we had for her. She even wrecked the broadloom. She's now tearing apart our brand new leather furniture. We want to keep this house in good condition.

She is a good cat, and I say that with certainty , she would be best off with a single person, or maybe a childless older couple. She's not mean, but very independent. She can't be declawed - it's too messy and painful at her age. She's in perfect health, age 12. We can't bear to put her down, but we live in constant worry of her - always having to lock doors etc.. We were going to invest in some alarm laser beams to scare her out of going into rooms, but we haven't yet. We can't rub lemon on all of the funiture to stop her.

She is not at all good with kids - just her personality... she hides from them...

The Ottawa area is full of cats looking for homes. I know it will be next to impossible to find someone to take a 12-year old and there is no one in his family able to take her. Any suggestions would be most welcome.

I'm wondering why your nephew thinks any person would want someone's 12 yr old cat who "tears the house apart", if the people who love her don't want her? Her behavior must be disclosed to any interested person before they adopt her.

Have they thought about what would happen if some stranger takes her and then gets fed up as well? This cat could very well end up being abused or dumped at the nearest shelter to die in terror with strangers.

Do they keep her nails clipped short? Have they tried the cat repellant sprays sold in pet stores? Tried the large carpet and sisal cat trees with catnip rubbed on them? If she has been doing this all her life, retraining her is going to take some time and effort.

If they decide she has to go, euthanasia would be kinder than any other options, unless they can find someone who doesn't mind their home being torn apart.

It's really amazing that one senior cat can do all this damage. I've got 3 young ones who don't do even a fraction of this. Is it possible there is some exaggeration here?

I am not a cat expert - Annie Bruce, at www.blkkatz.com, is and you could ask her. If your nephew can afford a lazer beam system then he could afford a lazer surgery de-claw (fast, less painful and short recovery) - I know declawing is harsh and Annie would have a fit if you even suggested it, but in my mind a declaw is better than death.
Have they tried to train her at all? Aluminum foil is a good deterrent - we use large balls of it behind the TV to keep the cats out of that area. Some people put aluminum foil on the edges of their couches/chairs to deter any clawing. Not too pretty but might encourage the cat to claw elsewhere.

Have they tried Soft Paws which are little glue on plastic claw tips???

http://www.softpaws.com/

[QUOTE=LuckyRescue]I'm wondering why your nephew thinks any person would want someone's 12 yr old cat who "tears the house apart", if the people who love her don't want her? Her behavior must be disclosed to any interested person before they adopt her.

Have they thought about what would happen if some stranger takes her and then gets fed up as well? This cat could very well end up being abused or dumped at the nearest shelter to die in terror with strangers.

That's exactly the reason they feel it would not work. I feel they are exaggerating somewhat, and we are trying everything to help them keep her. Thanks for everyone's suggestions - I will be sure to pass them along and give you an update.

Here's a great article on this subject:

Scratching (http://www.thecatsite.com/content/view/14/26/)

We were going to invest in some alarm laser beams to scare her out of going into rooms


If they are serious about this option, I know someone who is working on pet automations for the home. PM me if you want the contact.

I have passed along all your good info and they will be trying the SoftPaws route. They really do want to keep her, so I am happy about that. Thanks again for your help. :thumbs up