Kitty advice, please

jcardino

I have had cats my whole life and I have never had a cat declawed. I usually just squirt at them with a water bottle to teach them to stop scratching on stuff. As long as cats cant speak for themselves, I would say that none of us know for sure whether or not de-clawing hurts them permanantly but my cats vet doesnt even do the procedure because she says that it causes them permanant pain in their paws when they walk (imagin having your nails ripped out of the nail bed so far down that they will never grow back (sounds dramatic, but its true). I would say to try to find an alternative (like the squirt bottle method) or whatever works.

RobinShay

Just do it. the cat will be just fine!!

RobinShay

the younger the better too

poisongirl6485

yeah I saw declaw the front claws, leave the back. Both ours are front declawed (done by someone else), and it was a nice perk when getting the cats to not have to worry about the claw issue. Especially with kids, I prefer it. I've had cats that weren't front declawed and no amount of training/discipline etc was worth dealing with that BS, even more so when one of them scratched my kids face. No thanks.

Haha, I always find this argument funny, mutilate the cat's feet so your precious kids don't get scratched when they F with the cat...maybe the kids will learn something valuable by being scratched, like don't F with the cat LOL. I know that's how I learned, and also how my 2 year old learned as well. While I can't vouch for every cat on the planet, experience would lead me to believe that most cats don't attack kids for no reason.

I also feel that way about dogs, if a kid gets bit, most of the time it's their fault, not the dogs. While I am quite certain there are dogs that will attack for no good reason, most dogs give plenty of warning before biting, kids are just too dumb to pick up on it until they get bit once or twice. I can't stand seeing people beat their dogs because a kid got bit, maybe they should have a talk with the kid...

Oh give me a break. I've had cats all my life. This cat was crazy anyway, and would tear through the house and jump all over everything like a maniac. My kid was just sitting there on the floor (age 2 at the time) and wasn't 'messing' with him at all, the cat just jumped up on him and caught his face with the claws. Nice assumption, though.

A lot of pretty sweeping judgments when you don't really know the situations. Classy.

Kelico528

I know this may seem repetetive, but I am just one other "success story" in training cats not to claw furniture.

First of all, take care of their nails from a young age. Every opportunity you have, touch your cats paws! Pet the bottom, touch the pads while you're holding them/petting them. This will help them to learn that you are not going to hurt them! Also, try "pretending" with the nail clippers. Let them smell the clippers etc. so they will be comfortable. I know this sounds silly, but I did this with my 2 cats and now they BOTH let me cut their nails every week. I use regular nail trimmers (not pet clippers) and they give me no trouble at all. The one actually purrs while I'm trimming LOL. Weirdo!

Just like many others suggested, leave small rugs/scratching posts around the house for the cat to use. Try buying carpet samples. Some places will sell them for only a few dollars and my cats LOVE them.

As for the furniture, during the training process you could always cover parts of your chairs/couches/etc. with a thick blanket, if you have one. Does it look nice? No, but it will help you in the training process. For my cats, if they started to "stretch" on the couch like they were going to scratch, I would say "No!" and move them over to a carpet sample. Scratching is an impulse, like needing to scratch an itch. Take your kitty over to the designated scratching areas often. OR, better yet, put some catnip on said areas or spray them with a little catnip spray.

Yes, I am against declawing. No, I am not against the use of kitty drugs, in moderation LOL.

diloed

I was completely against declawing and swore I'd never do it to my cat. He clawed the furniture but i could live with that. He was a holy terror when he was younger and I still have the scars to prove it , from his scratches and bites. I tried soft paws, clipping, etc etc. to protect me not the furniture. One day he clawed my face and I had a pretty big gash just below my eye..a little bit higher and I might've been blinded. It killed me to do it but after that I had him declawed and I cried for days. Thankfully he never had any problems with the surgery or after the fact.

firesoforion

Declawing is exceptionally painful for the cat and there are some real horror stories associated with it. I've had a lot of cats and my family has, and they've never been declawed and never messed up the furniture. Teach your cat not to. Kitties need to scratch on something though, so give them a piece of kitty furniture (there are a lot of great ones out there, ones covered in carpet, or even these little cardboard ramp things with catnip in them that my cats have loved) You can also deter scratching on the furniture by placing aluminum foil around it until he learns to scratch at a different place, and kitties hate the smell of orange so any orange smelling thing you put around the furniture will also deter them scratching on it. Once you've got the place you want him to scratch, any time he starts to scratch the furniture, put him at his scratching place and tell him to scratch there. When he scratches there, give him a treat as positive reinforcement.

LabRat529

I declawed my cat. It was the price I paid to keep the cat. Or I suppose I should say, it's the price the cat paid so that I could keep her. The cat has not suffered any long-term ill effects that I can tell, and it has been tremendously convenient. But I still feel guilty about it.

I can't really advise you on what to do. With my next cat, I will probably try the soft-paw things. But I don't think its the most horrible thing ever to declaw your cat. It's certainly no more brutal than cutting their uterus + ovaries or testicles out.

How can you possible compare declawing to spaying/neutering? Have you visted an animal shelter, EVER?
I have had dogs and cats(and many other animals) all my life. They all lived in and outdoors and lived 16+ years as healthy happy pets, with their claws and without their reproductive abilities. :grumble:

In terms of the harshness of the surgery, spaying especially is "harsher" than declawing in my opinion. You're opening the abdominal wall and taking out some major organs. Neutering is not quite so bad, but still no picnic for the animal.

Yes, I have been to an animal shelter. I adopted my dog from an animal shelter.

I have also worked for a veterinarian. I've been in the surgery room on multiple occasions when a cat was spayed, neutered, and/or declawed.

My whole point is... yes, declawing hurts. Yes, it can be considered cruel. But I'm not sure it's morally wrong. And I think the high-and-mighty, my-way-is-better-than-your-way stuff on here equating declawing to abuse is just kinda silly. We humans put our animals through all sorts of painful procedures for what-ever reason. For some people, it's done for convince (we don't want the torn up furniture or a bunch of kittens/puppies). Others do it for moral reasons. Others choose not to do it for moral reasons (I knew someone who thought it was morally wrong to spay/neuter at all).

Personally, I spay and neuter my pets because I can't take care of a bunch of pets and because I don't like to see feral animals sick and starving and run over by cars... BUT... I still consider spay/neuter to be a surgery done for my convenience and for my own human reasons. And while I probably will not declaw another cat, I do not think someone who has declawed their cat or who will declaw their cat in the future = evil.

As far as dogs/cats being healthy after you spay/neuter... yes... sure... sorta... but testosterone and estrogen do some pretty important things in mammalian physiology. Not all of those "things" are reproduction related. When you spay/neuter, you are removing those hormones... and you are changing your animals' physiology. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. I'm just sayin' that maybe we all shouldn't be so naive and think that one type of surgery is 'good' when another is OMG EVIL!

sofaking6

I had both of my cats de-clawed, front feet only, when I got them fixed at a very young age. That was almost 17 years ago. It was more to protect ME than my furniture, since they would chase each other up and down my body all day long.

Although they both healed fine and I never noticed any resulting pain or behavioral issues, knowing what I know now about the procedure I would definitely have kept their claws. Bonnie passed away a few months ago, but she and Clyde never ceased to 'sharpen their paws' on my laundry baskets. It makes me feel like they're missing something Also, there are feral cats in my area and I hate the idea that my boy couldn't defend himself if he got out.

If you do get them declawed...front ONLY, take out the kitty litter and use shredded newspaper for about a month after (which you will have to replace basically every day or two), and keep your floors cleaned and vaccumed DAILY...don't let anything get in their wounds. Be super nice.

And never let your husband get another pet for you!!!!!!

bmacholiday

I trained my cat when she was little, luring her with kitty treats held high on the scratching post. Never have a problem with furniture scratching, etc. I also starting clipping her nails as a kitten, no freaked out cat when I clip them now.

Good luck with your decision. Maybe try training your new kitten and see if that works. You can always revisit the decision as to whether you should declaw or not in a few months when it's ready to be spayed/neutered.

robin52077

Piss and **** can be cleaned off a floor, replacing $10,000 curtains may not be so simple.

:huh:

sc1572

PLEASE refrain from declawing! I worked at a vet clinic in high school and hated having to see declaws for cats, as well as their recovery. If it becomes a problem, talk to your vet, and they can help give alternatives. Also, teach the cat to keep away. We keep a spray bottle of water by the couch and my cats know if they scratch, they will get sprayed with water. Also, provide things for it to scratch on likes posts, toys, etc. Lastly, check out the claw covers many have mentioned.

Alacey88

Declawing a cat can change the personality of the cat as well. I would look into the soft tips that some people have mentioned above.

Also you can potty train your kitty to use the toilet instead of the litter box.

JohnnyResets

You know, I have had it both ways; I had a cat once that just tore the heck out of my furniture. I've also had a cat that was declawed (front paws only) . One thing I didn't know that I heard was that in the declawing process a bit of the first "knuckle" of the kitty is trimmed along with the nail so I sort of agree with the folks here. But I understand what you mean. If you can spend the time in training the kitty, I would definitely go for that and try to provide areas that the cat can pull it's claws on. Also, you can keep your cat's nails trimmed, but you should talk with your vet about that. Here's a link to a page at About.com regarding declawing. It's a tough decision so I wish you and your kitty all of the best!

http://cats.about.com/cs/declawing/a/declawing.htm

scottberrydsm

We've had a cat for two years - my first, but my wife has had cats before. I was totally against getting a cat because:
a) All cats will tear up your furniture if you don't have them declawed (and she didn't want to do that)
b) All cats will pee on your stuff and ruin it no matter what you do.

She won (of course), we got the cat, the cat was declawed (thank God! he does the pawing/clawing behavior on furniture constantly, he'd be doing the same thing and shredding it if he had claws).

The other issue; he peed all over a $3,000 leather sofa and soaked the under padding, permanently ruining it. He also developed the habit of peeing on our down comforter, and just when we thought we had him broken of this he did it some MORE only this time with me IN the bed (deliberately peeing ON ME through the comforter!)

He probably would have gotten a transplant to elsewhere, but we have some badly behaved dogs as well and he is good friends with them (he's the only male animal, and he seems to think he's part dog) so it bought him some slack. I now love him, but I do miss my couch. The peeing problem was only cured by dosing him daily with ProZac (works like a charm!)

scottberrydsm

We've had a cat for two years - my first, but my wife has had cats before. I was totally against getting a cat because:
a) All cats will tear up your furniture if you don't have them declawed (and she didn't want to do that)
b) All cats will pee on your stuff and ruin it no matter what you do.

She won (of course), we got the cat, the cat was declawed (thank God! he does the pawing/clawing behavior on furniture constantly, he'd be doing the same thing and shredding it if he had claws).

The other issue; he peed all over a $3,000 leather sofa and soaked the under padding, permanently ruining it. He also developed the habit of peeing on our down comforter, and just when we thought we had him broken of this he did it some MORE only this time with me IN the bed (deliberately peeing ON ME through the comforter!)

He probably would have gotten a transplant to elsewhere, but we have some badly behaved dogs as well and he is good friends with them (he's the only male animal, and he seems to think he's part dog) so it bought him some slack. I now love him, but I do miss my couch. The peeing problem was only cured by dosing him daily with ProZac (works like a charm!)

JediMaster_intraining

i don't think it's necessary. there are pros and cons of each option. i adopted my cat declawed only on his front paws. he seems fine. if you don't declaw play with the kitty a lot so he won't have energy to scratch your furniture.


but cats are sneaky so just be cautious when he's learning to not scratch. :flowerforyou: also there is more to worry about with a cat (like breaking things or hiding places you can't find them) than just scratching! enjoy! they are beautiful creatures!

tattooedtwiin

My opinion:

If you are even thinking about de-clawing a cat, you are not a cat lover and should not even contemplate cat ownership.

:flowerforyou:

tattooedtwiin

Piss and **** can be cleaned off a floor, replacing $10,000 curtains may not be so simple.

:huh:

^YES! HAHAHAHAHA

tattooedtwiin

We've had a cat for two years - my first, but my wife has had cats before. I was totally against getting a cat because:
a) All cats will tear up your furniture if you don't have them declawed (and she didn't want to do that)
b) All cats will pee on your stuff and ruin it no matter what you do.

She won (of course), we got the cat, the cat was declawed (thank God! he does the pawing/clawing behavior on furniture constantly, he'd be doing the same thing and shredding it if he had claws).

The other issue; he peed all over a $3,000 leather sofa and soaked the under padding, permanently ruining it. He also developed the habit of peeing on our down comforter, and just when we thought we had him broken of this he did it some MORE only this time with me IN the bed (deliberately peeing ON ME through the comforter!)

He probably would have gotten a transplant to elsewhere, but we have some badly behaved dogs as well and he is good friends with them (he's the only male animal, and he seems to think he's part dog) so it bought him some slack. I now love him, but I do miss my couch. The peeing problem was only cured by dosing him daily with ProZac (works like a charm!)

Maybe he peed on you cause he was mad for having his claws ripped out :ohwell:

Bahet

My opinion:

If you are even thinking about de-clawing a cat, you are not a cat lover and should not even contemplate cat ownership.

:flowerforyou:

Yes, it's much better to let that cat be among the hundreds of thousands killed every year in shelters or abandoned because no one wants them than to remove a few toe knuckles.

LuckyLeprechaun

In response to the guy who lost his leather couch, and for anyone who needs to get rid of the smell of cat urine:

I found a product that is incomparable in performance. It really does eliminate the odor entirely....even the cats can't smell anything anymore because they do not return to the spot. It's called Force Out, and they make 2 fab products - a stain remover, for the stains you can see, and the Odor Eliminator, which is simply amazing.

It's not that cheap, but I've never found anything that works as well. Hands down a necessity in any home where cats pee in undesirable locations....

jillybeanruns

My advice: give the cat to someone more humane than you and don't get any animals that will "mess up your expensive furniture".

For ****'s sake like.

oneorangekitty

Just have the kitty declawed on the front paws. Ask your vet to presribe a pain patch for the first few days after the procedure. The soft paws don't stay on.

Banks01

I'm not going to get into the "humane or train" discussion, but have you ever had a declawed cat play and swat you.

Pap pap pap pap pap

It kind of tickles and is pretty funny

Pap pap pap pap


Oh, and when they hold on to kick with their back legs, makes me laugh.

The last cat I will ever have was a declawed rescued that was pretty aggressive

tattooedtwiin

My opinion:

If you are even thinking about de-clawing a cat, you are not a cat lover and should not even contemplate cat ownership.

:flowerforyou:

Yes, it's much better to let that cat be among the hundreds of thousands killed every year in shelters or abandoned because no one wants them than to remove a few toe knuckles.

Maybe spaying or neutering is what your referring to since their claws have nothing to do with their reproductive system.:grumble:

gasolean

Don't declaw! My cats aren't--we just have a scratch post!

jillybeanruns

Oh and I should add that I just got a new kitten a few months ago and have brand new furniture. She has caused quite a bit of damage, I scold her and spray her with water, but you know what? I also shrug it off, it's part of owning a cat. I have 2 cats, love them dearly and would NEVER cause them harm so that my house would appear nicer. Maybe the kitten will grow out of it, maybe not...but you know what, declawing will never be my solution to that problem, ever.

ksmith2187

I will rip through the world to find you and take that poor kitty off you if you even think about the idea of considering to maybe declaw it.

That is the cruellest thing you could do and I cannot believe people still do it.

please don't.

Rynatat

I didn't have time to read through all the responses, but my Hubz & I have 4 cats right now, possibly a 5th who we think has been abandoned & is now living on our front porch. I've grown up with cats & they have always kept their claws. We train them to not scratch from a young age, and keep cardboard scratching posts around for them which they love!
My thought is this. What if the cat does get out? They have no defenses to fight or climb to get away from a potential "bully".

We clip their claws when they turn into talons (when the cat jumps on your lap to knead & you feel the claws, it's time to clip); start them out young enough & they know what it's about, they get treats once the clipping is done & they're happy. We do have 1 abandoned Cat who adopted us when she was around 6 or 7 who HATES getting her claws clipped. So much so that while I hold her wrapped in a towel, Hubz has a welding glove on because it's the only thing she can't bite through! But once its done, she runs off to sulk for about 5 minutes then she's back & loving as ever.

But to each their own. Cats are actually trainable, if you start them young & teach them. Yes, they're independent, but ultimately, you're the one with the food control & they will concede to food & a warm place to sleep :bigsmile: