When first raising a Somali cat, to prevent possible destructive behavior, simplify furniture as much as possible and place ornaments up high. All items that might be scattered due to the Somali cat passing by are also well protected. Such a home can truly only be described as bare walls and empty rooms.

　　However, not every cat owner will end up like this, because with a little more patience and knowing how to meet their needs, cats can actually be taught to be little darlings who do not damage furniture.

　　For Somali cats, jumping high, scratching claws, and biting plants are all normal behaviors. However, after living with humans, these behaviors are interpreted as destructive, which is somewhat unfair. The best solution is not to simply forbid them but to provide appropriate alternatives to satisfy the cat's needs.

　　Take claw scratching as an example. Besides removing old nails, claw marks are also a visual marker showing other animals the territory of the cat. Therefore, owners should provide a scratching board, firmly standing on the floor or leaned against a wall at a 45-degree angle.

　　Scratching boards can be bought at general pet stores or made at home by wrapping sisal rope around a wooden board. Then place the scratching board near where the cat sleeps; after waking and stretching, they will want to scratch something. If there are multiple cats, several scratching boards are necessary. Additionally, applying a small amount of catnip weekly maintains their interest in the scratching boards.

　　Besides this, trimming the Somali cat's nails at least every two weeks is essential. If a Somali cat is used to scratching sofas, cardboard boxes, wood, rattan chairs, or leather items, you can prepare a spray bottle filled with clean water. Whenever the cat tries to scratch furniture other than the scratching board, spray it with water. After several times, the smart Somali cat will understand that scratching furniture results in unpleasant punishment and will switch to scratching the board. Similarly, the water spray can be used to train the Somali cat to avoid other improper behaviors.

　　Animal behaviorist Konrad Lorenz once said that an animal's destructive ability may be proportional to its intelligence. So perhaps we should feel proud of our pets' intelligence and never skip the above training due to laziness, thus avoiding declawing procedures, which are very painful for Somali cats.