I've seen thousands of cats climbing on cars and scratching the paint--some to the extent that the paint scratches were so deep they rusted, because one cat on top of a car is often there because another chased them up and they fight on the cars for the warm spot! And I know of at least one Mustang that was permanently put out of action (the car was sold, it reeked so bad) because a cat peed in the vent trap on the dash.
I'm sorry, but a cat pissing away a perfectly good Mustang or scratching up a five hundred dollar paint job does not make me particularly well-disposed to them. That a single member of the cat community as a whole f'ed up a Mustang...makes me furious thinking about it.
Now, if it had been a Mustang II, I'd have been all for finding that particular cat and awarding him his own desert and aquarium.
Cat claws are not sharp enough to scratch a decent paint job.
I've had cats all my life, and seen them scratch all kinds of things, from trees to furniture, but never make a dent in automobile paint.
I just don't believe it.
They need to be able to dig into something soft. Then, they can rip it to shreds. But something hard, they just paw at it pathetically.
My favorite cat tries to follow me when I go to the bathroom, and paws at the door trying to get in, and never leaves a mark on the door. My favorite chair she's clawed to pieces.