The culprit.
“Jerry, I have a sign on the door that states ‘No Cats!'”
“Yes, I know. But this is where they want to be. I just can’t say no to them.”
I implemented the “no cats” ban in my office soon after I noticed threads dangling off the side of my brand new recliner; the Charlotte La-Z-Boy I bought last summer. I made the deduction right away that one of my cats, or both, thought the chair served very nicely as a new scratching post.
I posted the sign on my office door right after that. Taking a scrap of paper and scrawling “No Cats” with a black Sharpie pen, I imposed my ban. I knew the cats wouldn’t pay attention to it, but I hoped Jerry might. In the meanwhile, I covered my new chair with an ugly cream-colored blanket in the event a cat decides to slink in without my knowledge.