Kitty advice, please

JacksMom12

We have a bengal and were told that declawing our cat is the same as cutting off our fingers at the knuckle. No thanks! We did the spray bottle thing and scratch posts. The only time he catches his nails on furniture now is if we are behind on trimming his nails.

Bahet

Spraying hem with water doesn't always work. We have 2 cats. Cisco will run if I say "No!" and pick up the spray bottle. Ninja doesn't care unless I spray him in the face of butt. If I hit him in the side it doesn't phase him. He'll eventually jump down (usually he gets sprayed for being on the counter) then lick himself and look at me as if to say "Thanks, I was thirsty but didn't feel like going all the way upstairs to my water bowl." He's a monster but he's the most awesome cat ever. If he had front claws though Cisco would be a bloody mess. Ninja loves his brother but he lives up to his name and can be a bit rambunctious in his playing. :laugh:

Capt_Chev

Agreed!

SueGremlin

Since it will be an indoor cat, it won't need it's claws. I would de-claw the cat. You and the cat will be happier in the long run.

This is absolutely false. Cats do need their claws to properly stretch and exercise their back muscles. Declawing is absolutely and completely unnecessary. You can trim your cat's claws often to keep them blunted and take the time to teach them "NO!". Also provide them an attractive scratching post. This includes one that is tall enough for them to really stretch upward and grab onto.

Declawing is NOT necessary.

SueGremlin

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.

Worse than dropping it off at a shelter or in the woods somewhere? Or on the side of a road? Really??

Why do either of these have to be an option?

YummyTpn

I have used soft paws and they rock.
I had trouble getting them on, so I had them done at the vet, and sometimes the groomer's.
Declawing is VERY inhumane, where I live, you'd be hard-pressed to even find a vet that will perform that surgery.
I also use sticky (invisible) double-sided tape on the corners (or parts of) my furniture that are vunerable to kitty claws. As well, spraying the kitty with water when you see her/him going to scratch your furniture lets the kitty know that's WRONG!
If you aren't willing to do what goes along with having a cat, then I would think a cat isn't the right pet for you. I think declawing is disrespecting what the animal is and trying to change it to the point of mutilation seems to make little sense.
Good luck! I have two cats and they are part of the family...Hope your kitty becomes a respected member of your family too.

Oh, I forgot to add..Provide the kitty with as many scratching posts as you can...She/he needs to scratch somewhere and you CAN teach her where is appropriate to scratch and where is not.

YummyTpn

I dont agree on declawing and im glad that in my country it isnt an option. Often the declawing ends up in some sort of pain.

Also if you are really worried about your furniture and 10.000 dollar curtains you might want to consider the fact that there are other ways you cat could destroy them too. Think of spraying your curtains / furniture or hairball accidents. A lot of those possible accidents will happen at least once, and if you cant accept them you might want to get a dog or other pet then a cat

I agree with this post.

YummyTpn

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!

And your cat has to go through this every week or so? And this is better? Sounds extremely anxiety-producing to me.

They do get used to it...Hearing the loudness of a blender, for example, is usually anxiety-provoking for a cat, but that doesn't mean someone should stop using their blender (or vacuum, or whatever.) Cats get stressed out/anxious about things everyday, it's just how they're tempered.
A natural relaxant I' ve used many times on my cats over the years, is called Rescue Remedy. It calms them down when facing what I know to be s atressful situation, Works like a charm! It can be bought in most health food or supplements/vitamin store.

livnlite

Never understood why anyone would choose declawing. Holding the welfare of furniture higher than the welfare of a living breathing creature, just doesn't compute.

Either you are a cat friendly household, or you are not .. IF, you opt to have this torturous operation done rather than spending the time to train your cat, then perhaps you are not mean to be a cat owner. Perhaps a goldfish may be a better choice for a pet.

livnlite

Honestly, I absolutely love cats and I would de-claw.

I know some people might view that as being cruel, but in the long run, I don't think your kitty will hold it against you.

In the long run? Performing a torturous act on an animal is still a torturous act .. whether or not they 'hold it against' you is irrelevant.

YummyTpn

Never understood why anyone would choose declawing. Holding the welfare of furniture higher than the welfare of a living breathing creature, just doesn't compute.

Either you are a cat friendly household, or you are not .. IF, you opt to have this torturous operation done rather than spending the time to train your cat, then perhaps you are not mean to be a cat owner. Perhaps a goldfish may be a better choice for a pet.

Amen to that!

Jellyphant

Declawing is horrific and medieval. I couldn't imagine having the tips of my fingers chopped off. What did an innocent cat ever do to you besides the potential of clawing up an inanimate object?? :grumble:

boneyEm

dont want kitty to claw- dont buy a cat- simples- some people dont think- they just buy a cat and dont do the reasearch and its really cruel and you dont deserve to be an owner if you de-claw

boneyEm

Honestly, I absolutely love cats and I would de-claw.

I know some people might view that as being cruel, but in the long run, I don't think your kitty will hold it against you.

In the long run? Performing a torturous act on an animal is still a torturous act .. whether or not they 'hold it against' you is irrelevant.

i bet if somone de-clawed ur finger nails- IN THE LONG RUN- ud hate them- ur cat will HATE YOU FOREVER!!!!

april522

I have 5 cats - yes 5, and none of them have ever scratched on my furniture. They have a big cat tree with 4 different levels (with scratching post material in some areas between levels), a small scratching post on the other side of the room, one of those round toys with a ball going in circles around a scratching post cardboard in the middle, and a little scratching rug. That's just in one room. In the office area, there's one of those wavy looking scratching stands as well. I sprinkle just a little cat nip on all of these about once a month, and they've used the scratching posts on the cat tree so much, we are in need of a new one (you can see the bare wood and staples now that they've scratched all the material off). I could never put my cats through declawing.