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thank you so much for all your responses! we got a cat tree and it is in my room. They love it. We want to set up their neuter/spay appt around sept 20. no declaw as of yet, thank God. I just don't know any good vets in my area. I want to go to a vet who (does laser) even though I don't want to!! I would rather, as a last resort, declaw by laser. I read it is less painful. Still painful, but healing is faster. So if I go to a vet who does that then if worse comes to worse I will have that laser option. I live in Gilbert/East Valley Area in Arizona, if anyone knows of a good vet, thanks!!
Sorry I took so long to respond!
I'm glad to hear you haven't declawed them yet. I hope you can completely avoid having to do it at all. They really don't do as much damage when their claws are cut bluntly. Give that option a try before taking drastic surgical measures.
Aluminum foil has stopped my cat from jumping on my kitchen table. It works as does bubble wrap! Of course the dog is afraid of it too if it hits the floor!
Unless you have freakie cats like mine. They LOVE bubble wrap! I have to say, all I have to do is wave my water bottle around as though they will be squirted with water and they stop doing what they aren't supposed to. I HAVE noticed though that once we are out of the house, they break ALL the rules. I am positive one of them is the lookout while the others are getting into things. We finally had to put baby locks on all our cupboards.
My very first cat my mother trained to use the scratching post. She would stroke the post with her paws from kittenhood and keep on her day and night to train her to use the scratching post.
Even though scratch posts are made of the same fiber as carpet, she still never once scratched a single thing besides that post. That came from having the time being home all day (mom) in order to keep the cat trained right.
my cat peanut, only uses the cardboard scratchers. She just doesn't care for furniture, and I got very lucky.
I worked at a vet clinic and watched them amputate a kitten's arm from an infection by declawing. It swelled for two days and the vet soaked it in some solution and gave the kitten anti biotics, but they had to amputate.
I never was a fan of declawing, and I'm sure this is rare to happen, but there are options out there, it just depends on the time and skill you have to try them out, as alternatives to declawing. One cat takes enough training, but 3? They can be trained, but it takes determination and to figure out the personality of the cat what works.
Unless you have freakie cats like mine. They LOVE bubble wrap! I have to say, all I have to do is wave my water bottle around as though they will be squirted with water and they stop doing what they aren't supposed to. I HAVE noticed though that once we are out of the house, they break ALL the rules. I am positive one of them is the lookout while the others are getting into things. We finally had to put baby locks on all our cupboards.
Mine hates the bubble wrap and is only afraid of the foil if it is new. My husband figured out that it must make a different sound if it's all crinkled versus new. We still have to have ours on the gate to our bedroom. The gate is up so our older dog won't get lost wandering around. We had to put the foil up to keep the cat out because she likes to sleep in the living room on her couch. She only comes to our room when she is hungry. But she won't jump on the bed to wake us up. She will hit the blinds and try and make all sorts of noise. That wasn't the problem. She started jumping up on my dresser and knocking things so we would hear her and feed her. My problem is I have several things from my Mom on the dresser and I am so afraid they will be knocked off or broken. There's really no place else to put them and I do get comfort by seeing these items every day. So the foil went on the gate. And now she just sits in the hall and yells. She is so deprived.
The cat was my daughters and she never used the spray bottle. She thought she trained her pretty good as she wouldn't jump up on the counters or tables. I had to laugh because one time I told her that Katie was jumping on the table and my dresser, the top of the refrigerator and she was shocked that this was going on. My son was there and they used to share an apartment and he told my daughter that when she wasn't around the cat would jump all over everything but was an angel when she was home. Kind of sounds like kids!
The best thing she trained her with though was to only use the super scratchers. Catnip comes with them and I have about four around the house and that is the only thing she scratches. The cat loves them! She never used anything with material because then the cat would think she could scratch any material. Now if we could only get her to jump on the bed instead of the dresser..............
I hear what you are saying and I believe you don't have to get rid of your kittens just yet or have to de-claw them or put out any expensive cost that would affect your schooling - I agree that de-clawing is cruel and some Vet's refuse to do the surgery.
I have seen the nail - covers that are tacked on by glue that prevent them from clawing the leather furniture. It takes a lot of time to train them to use a scratching post instead of furniture.
What I have done is put packaging tape on the corners of the couch and where my cats were trying to scratch after buying my new couch - I did it so the tape attaches at the top and bottom and the sticky side out - the cats try to scratch and realize the noise and that they will stick to the couch and they don't like it at all. I wanted to use double sided tape but think that it will take off any finish and pull on the fibers of a material couch when removing it- I did that for less than three weeks and they have not touched the couch in that manner since - that was in June 2008.
I guess you can use any tape, I found this one the best - I know it doesn't look good but - what are the alternatives. I hope this helps a little.
My cats have all their claws, and for the most part they scratch on an old wooden chair that I sacrificed to them , and on a couple of cat trees. Even if they scratched the furniture, though, I wouldn't have them declawed. It's cruel and inhumane.
I have had a cat declawed, he lived. He was fine. The reason he was declawed was that he was scratching the baby, (just playing with him, not mean) declaw cat, or get rid of him. The baby loved him, so he was declawed.
I know how everyone goes on about declawing, but would you like to lose the tips of your fingers or be dead or homeless?
You are lucky your dad will let you have three cats, declawing them is not a big deal. But make sure not to let them outside.
I have had a cat declawed, he lived. He was fine. The reason he was declawed was that he was scratching the baby, (just playing with him, not mean) declaw cat, or get rid of him. The baby loved him, so he was declawed.
I know how everyone goes on about declawing, but would you like to lose the tips of your fingers or be dead or homeless?
You are lucky your dad will let you have three cats, declawing them is not a big deal. But make sure not to let them outside.
Declawing them is a big deal. And a cat can't rationalize...declawing vs. being dead or homeless.
Declawing them is a big deal. And a cat can't rationalize...declawing vs. being dead or homeless.
Yes it is a big deal. There is a reason to why this procedure is banned in so many countries. Cats come with claws and we should adjust after them, not the other way around. Designing a cat to fit our idea of how they should be is simply wrong. Only the owners benefit from this and the cat doesn't benefit from it at all.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'd rather my cat scratch and claw my furniture than to have her declawed. Even if I did get a baby and my cat would claw it. I'd rather watch them or separate them until the child gets older.
And that is a good point. Cats can't rationalize.
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no declaw as of yet, thank God. I just don't know any good vets in my area. I want to go to a vet who (does laser) even though I don't want to!! I would rather, as a last resort, declaw by laser. I read it is less painful. Still painful, but healing is faster. So if I go to a vet who does that then if worse comes to worse I will have that laser option. I live in Gilbert/East Valley Area in Arizona, if anyone knows of a good vet, thanks!!
, and on a couple of cat trees. Even if they scratched the furniture, though, I wouldn't have them declawed. It's cruel and inhumane.
