We adopted our two cat boys, Mango and Kiwi, from the shelter in June. We couldn't believe our luck! Friendly cats!

Well, it turns out these two boys, whom we call the Gentlemen House Cats, are not so gentlemanly. Gentle is not a word to describe either of them.

Kiwi, especially, is a fierce sofa and rug scratcher. The first couple of weeks, we protected our plushy wool rug with sheets and the sofa corners with foil. How beautiful that was. We took out our rug and replaced it with an indoor/outdoor rug from Overstock, a completely cheap one, so that if they did their claws on it, so be it, it was cheap enough there would be no tears from us. The moment we did that, they ceased clawing on the rug. Apparently neither of them likes anything cheap against their claws.

Next, I went the granny route. I found a set of vinyl coverings to protect the sofa corners. Yes, frickin' vinyl on my sofa. But is that not better than Reynolds wrap, I ask?

Now look, I know you'll say, get them scratching posts. Oh, my friend, but I did. They now have four in the living room alone and two in the bedroom.

Then there are the noctural shenanigans.

Granted, they were complete strangers when they met so they had to get used to each other. The volunteer at the shelter said Kiwi was submissive. Oh, how we laugh now. He rules the entire household. He is very funny. Mango really needed to learn to fight back against Kiwi and he did.

But now, they begin their little spats at 3 or 4 in the morning and let me tell you these boys are big and knock into furniture and use the hallway (wood floors) as a race track and you can't imagine how that sounds in the middle of the night.

This photo shoot explains it all. So now they have a record.

And they are under permanent house arrest. We love them.