I Want to Get A Cat, But.......

Factual Questions
1

OK, so I finally decided to I am one step closer to getting a pet, a cat to be more precise. The only hang up I am having is the “claw” issue. Now, I don’t want to de-claw the poor thing because I heard it was akin to cutting off a human’s fingertips. I couldn’t put a little kitty through that. But I also do not want everything in my apartment to be scratched to all Holy Hell.

Is there an alternative method to de-clawing a cat that won’t mutilate it? How hard is it to get a clawed cat to stop clawing everything?

2

http://www.softclaws.com/

3

There’s always training the cat not to claw the furniture. I have had several cats and some weren’t that into clawing in the first place and the ones that did I trained not to. You have to stay on top of them and provide them some alternative (a scratching post dusted with catnip works) but cats can be trained not to claw at furnituire (or people). If you have patience you can do it.

4

It’s amazing what you can train a cat to do. Directing their natural behaviors towards a mutually acceptable object is among the very easy things.

First, you have to realize that training a cat is not like training a dog. Dogs will respond to negative feedback (i.e., scolding, spanking, punishment). Cats do not. Repeat: Cats do not respond to negative feedback.

However, they do respond to positive feedback, and deterrence.

So, how does one use positive feedback and deterrence to keep one’s cat from clawing the $15,000 suede sofa?

1 - Provide a good scratching post. Get one that is large enough for your cat, and includes both a carpeted section and a jute or sisel rope wound section. This will be preferable to most anything else in your house. Put it in front of the place where the cat is scratching inappropriately.

2 - Make the scratch post attractive to your cat. The easiest way to do this is to put a catnip scent on it, assuming your cat responds to the herb. If not, then you can try your own scent, from dirty socks and underwear.

3 - Make the furniture unattractive. Pin or tape sheets of aluminum foil over the furniture where the cat is scratching. (These can be removed when company comes over. Don’t obsess like my wife.)

4 - Reward the cat when it uses the post. Speak to it kindly, and pet it and show it affection when it behaves appropriately.

5 - Once the cat begins using the post, you can start inching it towards the place where you want it. Move it an inch or two every day.

You’ll be amazed how well this works!

5

Also, some cats just do not claw the furniture. One of mine is like that. She loves to claw the scratching post, but that’s all.

Another thing I’ve heard about (and I hope someone else with more info will chime in), there’s some kind of alternative to de-clawing that involves using a laser. It’s permanent but supposedly it doesn’t hurt the cat.

6

Oops… I don’t know how I forgot to mention catnip spray.

It’s a pump spray bottle sold in the catnip section at Pets’R’Us or whatever, and it’s usually labeled “100% Pure Catnip Essence” or something.

Spray the scratching post until it is saturated. Don’t be afraid to use the entire bottle. My cats take immediately to a scratching post after I use this, and it only takes one bottle.

7

Cats typically like to scratch when they wake up. I have one of those cheap corrugate cardboard pads near the bed, which they always use. I also have a large cat tower with four posts they can scratch on, part sisal and part carpeting. I’ve never had a problem with either cat scratching furniture. When they were young if they ever went for any furniture I just picked them up and took them to their posts and they figured it out pretty easily.

If you’re more worried about your furniture, then don’t get a cat. Get fish or reptiles. Mutilating a cat’s feet because of vanity is unbelieveably lame.

Or, maybe you might adopt a kitty from a shelter that has already been declawed. (That’s an endorsement of cat shelters, not declawing.) Just know though that if you ever get another pet, the declawed cat will always be at a disadvantage. And you never want to let your declawed cat be an outdoor cat, for the same reasons – they won’t be able to protect themselves very well. (I’m also not endorsing letting your cat be an outdoor cat, their life spans are generally much shorter.)

8

Some more tips:

A scratching post is, for a cat, not just a scent marker, but also a visual marker of his territory. They like to have their work in full view. You might be tempted to put it somewhere back, and to replace it if it gets scratched to shreds, as a scratchingpost is a bit unsightly, but that could render it less effective.
If you don’t have room for a sturdy post, you could make one yourself. It should be as tall as the cat can reach with its claws, when it stands on it’s hind legs. You could also make a scratching board, paint it white and attach it to the wall, so it takes up even less room.

Some cats hate the scent of lemon and mint. You could use those scents (scented oils should work well) on the furniture.

9

Elaborating on bughunters good tips:

A scratching post is, for a cat, not just a scent marker, but also a *visual * marker of his territory. They like to have their work in full view. You might be tempted to put it somewhere back, as a scratchingpost is a bit unsightly. Or to replace it if it gets scratched to shreds. but both actions could render the scratchingpost less effective.

If you don’t have room for a sturdy post, you could make one yourself that you attach to the wall. It should be sturdy: if it moves or falls, the cat will never use it again. The post should be as tall as the cat can reach up with its claws, when it stands on it’s hind legs.

You could also make a scratching board, paint it white and attach it to the wall, so it takes up even less room.

Some cats hate the scent of lemon and mint. You could use those scents (scented oils should work well) on the furniture.

10

There is one alternative to declawing that I know of and it is a procedure you can get done at the vet. I am not sure what it is called, but they put little plastic covers on the cats nails. Unfortunately though, you have to make routine visits to the vet every 4 months or so to have the covers replaced because they chip, break and wear off as the nails grow. I don’t think it a very expensive procedure but you could check with a vet.

There are several websites on the internet discussing the issues against declawing that give helpful suggestions to training your cat to use a scratching post. They also suggest trimming the cat’s nails yourself, which is what I do. A couple of the good ones are catscratching.com and Amby's DECLAWING CATS: Issues & Alternatives

Hope you find this somewhat helpful.

11

A method I’ve seen work successfully is the use of a water pistol. You have to be around the cat ALL the time for a couple of days at least, probably longer. Every time he/she goes to scratch on furniture, ZAP! with the water. The cat does not know the water came from your action, he/she thinks the furniture emitted it. Of course, if you happen upon one of those weird ones who likes water, you are s.o.l.

12

Again, that’s negative feedback. It doesn’t work.

If the cat learns that any sort of punishment or retribution is coming from you, it’s not going to work. And I have yet to find a squirt gun or spray bottle that was silent enough to fool a cat for long.

So unless your cat is deaf, a spray bottle is not really effective. Many, many cats will intentionally to do things out of spite, or in retribution for punishment, even for something as simple as getting spritzed with a squirt gun.

And do you really want to teach your cat to express displeasure with a squirt of something liquid? :eek:

I advise against it.

13

Alls I knows is, it worked for the cat we had when I was a child. She had a good scratching post, was praised highly for using it, and when she was a kitten she got a quick spritz. Never a problem.

When I had my own cat in my own place we used the same method. Not only did she learn the lesson with no problems, when she had kittens she taught them the right place to scratch. And yes, all the kittens had good, loving homes waiting for them and we had her spayed after that.

Both cats in question were purebred Siamese. Maybe they’re just smarter :wink: .

14

I don’t want to plunge this thread into Great Debates (probably a losing battle, but I’ll try not to be too confontational) but just because you may have “heard” something doesn’t make it true. Some people believe that declawing is inherently evil and an abomination, and those people cannot be reasoned with. In reality, it is not so terrible. It is a surgical procedure, and if it is not necessary you shouldn’t put your pet through any surgical procedure, but it does not mutilate or emotionally scar them if it is done.

First off, here’s a site discussing declawing and it’s alternatives, including explanations of the surgery involved and an FAQ:

Declawing and its Alternatives

I have four cats. Three are declawed, one is not. The one that isn’t just never was destructive with his claws in any way. They are all happy loving contented cats. The youngest (who is declawed) will occaisionally get into little “fights” with some of the other cats. Not full scale cat fighting type fights, but some hissing and boxing going on until one runs away. She does no worse against the cat with claws as she does against the cat without claws.

One thing that I never see discussed on any websites or discussions concerning this issue is the fact that the cat-human bond is very important to the cat. A cat who is constantly yelled at or scolded or punished for scratching the furniture or the drapes or its owner is not going to be as happy as a cat who does not have to endure this type of confrontational behavior from its owner. If scratching is a problem at all, you are going to be yelling or upset or punishing the cat. A surgery with one or two days of discomfort (recovering from the surgery) is a small price to pay to keep the cat happy and contented and vastly improve its quality of life.

I would suggest you see how your new cat does. If scratching is a problem certainly try the other methods discussed in the other posts and on the site I linked to. But if this does not work, please consider whether or not your cat would be happier with a declaw surgery.

My brother got some sort of surgery on his throat a few years back. He did not need this surgery for any medical reason. But his snoring had become a problem with his wife. So he underwent the surgery in order to improve his quality of life (and his wife’s). He is certainly glad he did this. I think it is exactly the same with a declaw surgery, except our cats don’t have the cognitive skills to be able to understand and approve of it. You have to decide for them.

Good luck.

15

I use the Soft Claws on my cats.

You do not need to have a vet put them on. The first application is the hardest, when you put on ten plastic claw caps. You don’t have to do them all at the same time, though- you can spread it out over a few days if you like. Once they’re on, though, it’s just a matter of replacing them one at a time when they fall off. I make a point of checking the cat’s paws every night (and giving them a treat!) so they aren’t scared or anxious about the caps.

Once my cats got over the initial shock, they don’t seem to even realize that they’re wearing claw caps.

Cats can be trained to scratch a post and not the furniture, but if that doesn’t work for you, Soft Claws are a good alternative to declawing.

16

I clip my cat’s claws. You just need to be careful not to cut the quick.

It is very tough at first, but if you keep with it, and reward the cat after each time, it gets easier.

After a while, the blood loss is minimal.

17

The cat will claw the furniture. The cat will throw up on the rug. The cat will knock your favorite breakable whatever off the shelf. And the cat will pull off those Softclaws things with its teeth in two minutes flat.

If you can’t deal with this, you do not want a cat.

18

First, wait and see how aggressive of a clawer your cat turns out to be.
Second, there are more humane ways of declawing cats now. My cats are declawed, and it was done by laser - they just nipped off the claw, not the bone. The old way, where they did remove the tip of the bone, was very inhumane.

When my cats were done (I had one VERY aggressive scratcher), they pop out the claw and laser off just the claw at the base. No bone was removed at all. They came home the next day with no sutures or bandages. They never even had to go back for a checkup.
The only reason the vet kept them overnight was to monitor them from the effects of the anesthesia.
We had to use a different litter for a couple of weeks, that stuff called Yesterday’s News (made from recycled newspapers) to keep that clumping stuff from getting in their toes, but that was it. They were running around and jumping off furniture like nothing had happened. They both still “claw” the furniture, and to be honest, I don’t think they even realize their claws are gone.

You’ll have to find a vet that has the equipment, and can do it, though. It’s a fairly new method.

19

Blood loss? Who? You or the cat?

And thanks everyone for your replies. I think I may look into giving an already declawed cat a good home.

20

If you cut the quick, the blood loss would be from both of you.

When you take the kitten to the vet, tell him you are interested in clipping its nails. Your vet should show you how to holf the cat, where to cut, and how to avoid bleeding.