Love hurts (but it shouldn’t also make you bleed).

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Rex is a loving chap, but very very sharp. He likes to climb onto Zarah’s lap slowly, using his sharp claws as grappling hooks. If he does this after walking through ink, he will leave a tattoo. Rex’s love hurts.

A cuddle from Rex can leave a purrmanant mark.

Rex likes to knead his owner, Zarah, with his savage paws. Zarah has no idea why he does this, indeed no one knows why any cat does it, all that we know is most of them do this at all stages of life.

“If your cat is curled up and kneading your lap while you’re petting him, he’s returning the affection and telling you he loves you right back. Unfortunately, this can be quite painful, since the happier he is, the harder he’ll dig in with his sharp nails. Try placing a thick, soft barrier between the cat and your lap, or gently place him on his back and pet his belly if it gets too intense. However, do not punish your cat for this behavior — he doesn’t relaize it hurts.”

Pet MD.com

Coping With Sharp-Clawed Cats

Making Rex safer and/or less painful has been a health and safety issue as well as a comfort issue. Cats walk and run through whatever is underfoot, they catch and eat rodents (and don’t use toothpaste). They might have impeccable personal hygiene, but antibacterial they are not.

Cat-Scratch Disease

It’s a thing. A particular bacteria (Bartonella henselae) enters the bloodstream via cat’s claws and the infection becomes systemic. It’s very rare, but it has happened. What’s more likely in an untreated case of Senior Cat Sharpness Syndrome is reluctance to cuddle on the part of the owner. Zarah had complained about this very symptom upon our first meeting. A few ruined pairs of tights and a holey jumper had turned the sight of Rex from an “ahhh” to “eek”.

What a surprise, a sheepskin fan, writing on a sheepskin website, is recommending sheepskins

Lots of different fabrics can work very well. Any fabric thicker than your cat’s claws will help. The only thing to watch for is thread on the carpet. For shear convenience and luxury Zarah opted to give Rex an old sheepskin. OK, that’s not entirely true. Rex himself claimed a nearly new sheepskin as his own, and no one in the family had the heart to complain. Rex is a very old man and any complaints would have landed on authentically deaf ears anyway.

At this point I’ll stick my neck out and suggest that most sheepskins will eventually end up at Pet Grade. But what if you are designing your perfect petting solution? Check out our clipped sheepskins. These have been shaved so that both layers of hair are the same length, leaving a very dense easy-care soft mat. Cats can plunge their claws into fleece without ripping shreds out of it, unlike with a woven fabric. The thick sheepskin hide prevents even the sharpest claws piercing through, and the hydrophobic fibers can be shaken in to a house-proud state in just a moment.

They don’t always land fur-side up, but they are always ready for use.

Some cats will prefer to scratch the “back”of the sheepskin, the thick sheep leather can be ideal for older cats to pull at their own claws (essential for cat self-care). This can have the added bonus of being warm and snuggly for the cat’s Prefered Human. Ask your cat which he prefers.

Don’t hurry to “retire” a sheepskin. If you have used and abused your sheepy over the summer, follow our simple washing instructions and you’ll see that cats aren’t the only things that get to enjoy nine lives. Until next time, happy sheeping!

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