Kitty advice, please

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  • PlanetVelma
    PlanetVelma Posts: 1,231 Member
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    I have had a variety of animals throughout my lifetime. You can train cats just like you train dogs.

    I personally wouldn't declaw the cat. If I was that attached to my furniture where I think I may "kill" the cat, I'd find the cat a new home.

    Pets will have accidents, it's inevitable.

    Are you going to freak out if the cat stops using the litter box because you didn't clean it one day? What are you going to do if the cat hurls up a fur ball?

    These are serious questions you and your significant other should have considered before even getting a pet.

    Moral of the story: Don't buy a pet as a gift.
  • cPT_Helice
    cPT_Helice Posts: 403
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    First, there are several ways to train cats not to claw furniture, and many never do, regardless.

    Second, WHY would you get a pet whose instinct is to claw if you're that worried about your furniture????

    Declawing is painful and cruel. That's like getting a dog and saying, "I love it to death, but the barking must go."

    Give the kitten to someone who will appreciate it, before it gets older and can't be adopted, and then get yourself a goldfish! Just keep the bowl away from anything it might splash on.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    Declaw the cat. Cats get very bitter. We trained our two cats growing up to scratch on the post, but if we went away for a couple days (even if they were watched), they would "get us back" by scratching up the doors, walls, the ends of my mom's island in the kitchen. It was bad. They never stopped and my parents got rid of them because they couldn't afford the $120 to declaw them.

    Cats only need claws if they're outside... they don't need to defend themselves in a home. Just declaw the thing. You'd be paying more to replace or fix your furniture than the $60 or so to declaw it.
  • tattooedtwiin
    tattooedtwiin Posts: 246
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    My dad is a vet and we have had declawed cats as long as I can remember. #2. Do the front ones only. If your cat ever gets outside and has to fight, they use their back claws, not their front ones.
    REALLY? Tell that to my dog as my cat swats his nose if he pushes things .... :grumble:
  • jlewis2896
    jlewis2896 Posts: 763 Member
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    Wow, did NOT realize this was such a hot topic!

    I am not against de-clawing cats, but I must say, I don't think it's necessary at all. If you train your cat to stay off your tables/countertops and give it a scratching post it should do fine and not damage your furniture. I've owned a few cats, none were declawed, and never had any problems. And in all honesty, I'm not a very responsible pet owner. Kinda lazy. If I can make it work, you can too.

    Good luck and enjoy your kitty!!
  • Ashalena
    Ashalena Posts: 162
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    I feel the same way about it being inhumane to declaw BUT I have 2 cats that I did not declaw and my leather furniture was ruined. They clawed everything...the beds, the carpet, pillows, couches, etc. We bought new furniture and ended up having to declaw them. Even as adult cats, they were still clawing.

    If you're keeping them indoors, I say declaw.
  • jpalimpsest
    jpalimpsest Posts: 24
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    Declawing is unnatural and inhumane. Don't adopt a pet if you're not prepared to handle the possible consequences.

    I'm in absolute agreement with kacee75. Pets are NOT gifts, anymore than you would present someone with a unexpected baby and say Merry Christmas.
  • samatalma
    samatalma Posts: 197
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    I would do research on it first. Declawing the cat is the equivalent of removing your finger at the joint. It is very painful for them and I have read that some cats, the pain never really goes away.
    Invest in a claw cutter and trim your kitties claws once a week. Also, invest in a scratching post. We have done these things and have never had a problem with our cat clawing our furniture.
    It's the same concept as a dog, it's all about the training. Cats are just a little more difficult in this process and require a LOT of consistency.
  • LadyNeshoba
    LadyNeshoba Posts: 159 Member
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    My cat is de-clawed. I had her front nails removed about two years ago at the same time I got her fixed.

    I was wary of behavior problems but got really lucky with her. Her only issue is that now she bites. Which I figure if she were to get out she could bite and use her back claws. But she only has one eye now so she definitely wont be escaping anytime soon.
  • jlewis2896
    jlewis2896 Posts: 763 Member
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    people are insane. i can't believe people who are so pet dumb and feel like they need to have pets. Insane.

    I totally know what you mean!! That's like people who are socially inept and critical and still feel the need to post on message boards!!!!!
  • boneyEm
    boneyEm Posts: 34
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    I wonder how you would .like it if someone came along and de-clawed your finger nails! how cruel and inhumane- i believe its actually illegal in my country and for the right reasons!!!! its sick please dont do it
  • Amber82479
    Amber82479 Posts: 629 Member
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    I have two suggestions... First, if you want to declaw, use laser declaw. Instead of taking off the top of the toe like traditional declaw, the laser seals the nail bed to keep nails from growing. It's the same procedure used on humans when they consistently get ingrown nails. Or, try the caps that you can put over the cats nails. That one requires consistent maintenance, but if you're not interested in pursuing laser declaw, that will at least help... Best of luck!
  • Ashalena
    Ashalena Posts: 162
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    Wow, did NOT realize this was such a hot topic!

    I am not against de-clawing cats, but I must say, I don't think it's necessary at all. If you train your cat to stay off your tables/countertops and give it a scratching post it should do fine and not damage your furniture. I've owned a few cats, none were declawed, and never had any problems. And in all honesty, I'm not a very responsible pet owner. Kinda lazy. If I can make it work, you can too.

    Good luck and enjoy your kitty!!

    I've tried to train my cats. How did you train yours? I've sprayed them with water when they clawed and use those sprays that are supposed to direct them from not doing it....nothing worked.

    I have toys and all kinds of different scratching posts. We even have one of those gigantic cat tree things.
  • TheAnonGit
    TheAnonGit Posts: 123
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    I don't believe declawing cats is inhumane at all. It doesn't cut off the toe or pad. Cats also do not use the last bone to walk. Your cat doesn't feel any irregular pain outside of the normal post operation pain. Do you plan on fixing your cat? I'm sure that won't feel too well either. It isn't even necessary for your cats to have their paws shaven or for them to bleed. Laser removal works great and minimizes the recovery time. I have never heard of a cat that was traumatized by the loss of their claws. I have owned many cats and they have all had their front and back claws removed.

    Spaying and neutering are done so that there arne't thousands upon thousands of homeless cats and dogs running around fending for themselves (many of which will die very young because they are domestic and nt able to properly care for themselves in the wild). Not to mention that male cats that are not neutered get injured in fights and female cats who have even one litter of kittens have an increased chance of getting cancer.

    Declawing is done simply because people care more about asthetics than the animals in their care. No comparison. If you don't want your furniture clawed, don't get a cat. Or work with the cat to ensure the best outcome.

    How do you know what kind of pain the cat feels from being declawed? How would you like a bone from each toe removed, plus every nail?

    There is nothing inhumane about it. Declawing isn't only for aesthetics. There are many other reasons to declaw a cat. Also, contrary to popular belief, declawing a cat is not comparable to removing a bone or fingernail from the human body. I don't understand how you are coming to this conclusion.
  • puggleperson
    puggleperson Posts: 740 Member
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    First, there are several ways to train cats not to claw furniture, and many never do, regardless.

    Second, WHY would you get a pet whose instinct is to claw if you're that worried about your furniture????

    Declawing is painful and cruel. That's like getting a dog and saying, "I love it to death, but the barking must go."

    Give the kitten to someone who will appreciate it, before it gets older and can't be adopted, and then get yourself a goldfish! Just keep the bowl away from anything it might splash on.


    Totally ^^^^^ I will take it! It will have a painless life!!
  • Dethea
    Dethea Posts: 247 Member
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    I adopted a full grown cat from the humane society, and he has a terrible scratching problem. He has multiple scratching posts, but he still prefers my couch. (The couch is ruined, btw. Oh well.)

    I'm getting my cat declawed because he loves to jump on my back when I bend over, and he digs his claws in. Deep. Sometimes he will playfully attack my feet and take huge chunks of skin out. I can't really train him to not do that!

    The caps are annoying. Come off easily, and a pain to put on.

    The double sided tape is a good idea, but are you really going to tape up all of your furniture for the weeks it takes to teach your cat not to scratch?

    It has to be your choice whether or not you declaw your cat. Since it's a kitten, there's a small chance that it will do any "permanent" damage.
  • Tskitzo
    Tskitzo Posts: 42
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    I'd go with the nail covers or training. When I first got my cat I didn't care about the claws, but my parents forced me to get him declawed because he was tearing up the doorframes from climbing up them and sliding back down in his hyperness (otherwise he'd only use his scratching post or my shoes >_> ). At the time I had no friends with cats, or anyone to give me adviced on these things. I wish I had been able to keep his claws (they declawed all four paws) because I am always afraid he'll get outside and then that's the end of him. :( He's mostly a scaredy cat so I'm not too worried, but that means if we ever get another cat he can't defend himself either if they fight.
  • peterson_jessica
    peterson_jessica Posts: 119
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    I'm a hugeee cat lover & even I would say go ahead and declaw her. The procedure is way less invasive than it used to be and your kitty should be back to normal in no time.
  • mmonconduit
    mmonconduit Posts: 51 Member
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    If you have the patience it may be better to simply train your cat by spraying it with a spray bottle of water when it does claw the furniture.
  • debswebby
    debswebby Posts: 326
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    Can you imagine what it would be like if you had an itch that you couldn't scratch? You know how irritating that is right? Well you have opposable thumbs so can pick something up and use that instead. A cat can't. It won't be able to groom itself at all. Cats are very clean and particular animals and this will stress it no end.
    Please, I beg you, if you value your furniture, give the cat to someone who will love it and if you really must have a pet, get a goldfish.

    Also, how are you going to deal with the cat fur on your precious furniture? Are you going to shave it bald?

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