Cat: To De-claw or Not to De-claw (1 Viewer)

[Jack Briggs]

Get a really big scratching post, something that's big enough for her to play and hide in. Also remember that most "catsperts" will tell you small children and cats are not a good combination. Really young children do not know how to interact properly with a feline. Any scratches or bites will seem justified to the cat, who's just protecting herself in her view. Good luck.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Any scratches or bites will seem justified to the cat

This reminds me of a cat which my wife’s parents had when she was young. If she or her younger brother annoyed the cat beyond his patience, ‘Pogo’ went to the nearest parent and scratched the parent.

Guess the cat knew who was really responsible.

 

[Julian Reville]

the good doctor will chime in soon I'm sure

No, he won't.

(This is one of those "when did you stop beating your wife questions").

Julian Reville, DVM

 

[Tony Whalen]

At one point I had a cat that didn't like the posts. However, I found this cardboard-thing that was laced with 'nip. Just sorta a tightly packed box of corrugated cardboard. Kitty loved it.

My only concern was for my toddler, who, at almost 3, has taken a liking to chasing the cat. I just don't want her scratched.

Perhaps if your toddler DOES get scratched, she'll think twice about chasing the cat? I think the key is to be patient with both kitty and kid.

Site note: I've had plenty of scratches in my time as a cat owner... if you wash them shortly after, no problem should occur. I've never had an infected scratch.

 

[Zen Butler]

What worked for me was not catnip treated or treats around the post. I bought one of those rods with a 8" feather at the end. I just played with Ali on and around the post, circling the feather around the post etc. It took a few days and some time, but he finally took to it. Make sure it never tips over, or they will never use it again.

 

[MickeS]

We have 3 cats. One has her claws, one is declawed, and the third one has something in-between, some kind of surgery that left her claws intact, but removed her ability to detract (is that the word?) them.

IMO, the inbetween alternative works great. The cat is just the same as before, there seems to be no sideeffects whatsoever (she's been this way for just under 2 years). The claws have to be trimmed every once in a while though.

I didn't have the declawed cat before she was declawed, so I don't know about any change in her behaviour. But she does bite more than the other cats do, for sure.

I would advice against declawing, but I would recommend looking into this other surgery (not sure what it's called). If the cat will be outdoors, leave it like the creator intended it to be.

As for whether declawing is wrong for moral or ethical reasons, my opinion is that since the alternative would in many cases be that the cat is thrown out of the house and left to die, declawing is better than that.

 

[Angelo.M]

(This is one of those "when did you stop beating your wife questions").

Wow.

 

[Malcolm R]

Of course they do! They're not dogs, after all. :wink:

 

[Cam S]

We have 3 cats right now, and they do occasionally scratch at the couches, but we live with it. We have a passion for Cats and would never give one up or declaw it just because of the minor couch thing. The HUGE scratching post that we have, much like Jack's, seems to do the trick as thyey play on it and sleep in it all the time. I had an ex-gf who had 2 cats that were declawed, and YES, they were both indoor and outdoor cats, I couldn't believe it. If you think you'll need to declaw your cat, get a dog!

 

[Mike Voigt]

No, don't.

Mike

 

[Angelo.M]

I appreciate all of the viewpoints here; thanks. She's a wonderful animal, and I'm having fun getting to know her, having always had a dog and never a cat. Now we have both, and it's a lot of fun.