My cats have bit a few leaves off of my Chamaedorea Cataractarum and are just fine weeks later. So, I wouldn't worry about it. If you want a better indoor palm though, just look for Chamaedorea Elegans. It's definitely NOT toxic to cats. My cats totally destroyed a couple fronds on mine and are just fine months later. So is the plant, but if you're a beauty freak like me, I'd either train the cats to leave the palms alone, or keep them away. Cheers! A fellow gardener

I can't help with a fabric choice but might with the scratching. Until recently my cats were shredding my couches. I tried just about every trick to get them to stop but no luck. As a last resort I purchased a 30" tall sisal scratching post. I say "last resort" because they're not exactly the prettiest things in the world. It was the BEST pet purchase I ever made. They both took to it immediately and haven't touched anything else since I brought it into the house. I did hear somewhere if I restricted access to their favorite scratching spots it would help. We lived with blue painters tape on the couch corners and sheets over club chairs for about a week. I also lightly sprinkled some catnip on the post. I highly recommend giving it a try. It's a huge relief knowing my current (and future) furniture will be safe from those little kitty claws. Jennifer (I purchased my scratching post from the Ebay store Cat Post Direct. For some reason I can't link to it)

Congratulations on your new baby! I know about this problem very well. The best fabrics for cat houses (I intended that...) is a hard smooth cotton chintz. Next best is cotton velvet, and then microfiber/ultrasuede. Anything coarse with a large thread is doomed. Goodbye, beautiful linen....! As noted, leather holds up well with proper care. You can use Sticky Paws double-sided adhesive strips to keep her from getting in the habit of working on the spots you most want to protect, but it may not be safe for good leather. The label will tell you. Cats like edges and corners best. Get your vet to show you how to clip her claws correctly, and then get in the habit of keeping them trimmed. She'll still need to scratch, but not with such sharpness and frequency. When you catch her scratching the wrong thing, very gently take her little feet and move her to the thing you want her to use. Some people say shout "NO!" - but I can promise you that it will only make her avoid you and not care what you want. The gentler you are with her, the more she will cooperate with what you want. And lower your standards a little bit! Cats are cats, and declawing is really ten little amputations of the last joint of their fingers. They need to scratch to work the muscles of their shoulders and front legs because they are climbing animals and need to be strong. Some cats who have been declawed are fearful and tend to bite, because they know they can't use their natural defense of climbing to escape. (Way more than you asked. It's my character flaw....)

"Parlor Palm" ( AKA Chaemadorea Elegans) . It's called that because it was popular in the Victorian era for dimly lit parlors. It needs very little light. It's not toxic to cats but they like to nibble on the leaves. It grows slowly so it doesn't require a large pot unlike "Majesty Palms" and other big plants. After a year or so or grows in to a very nice, tropical looking plant about 2 feet tall. The "Cast Iron Plant" is another low light plant that isn't toxic to cats, but you asked for palms.