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How many of you have cats with claws that have never bothered your furniture?
We have a new kitten ~ 5 months old and she is behaving wonderfully - she uses her scratch post but does scratch us and our kids occasionally.
I know alot of you are very much against declawing and have read your posts. But, my main question is : Will our kitten possibly scratch up our furniture later in life if she is not doing it now?
Hence, my husband wants to declaw her if she turns into a destructive cat as she ages.
Two of my cats are declawed and that was done when I was a teenager in my parents home, nobody reallly knew different.
They are now in my home with hubby and I and a third cat who is not declawed.
She does a great job of using her scratch post.
Only goes after the chairs when the dining chair covers are off and in the washer. I get her right away though bc I am usually cleaning around the house.
Not sure why she does that....
She is a great cat though and does not mess with anything.
Except for digging through my drawer and makeup bags for my hair ties and leaving them around the house!
Sounds like your doing a great job. Supplying her with scratch posts, pads, etc. will help deter her. And, keep the tips of her claws cut.
I have all leather furniture and my 5 leave it all alone. Only scratches on it are from the chase scene they occasionally have. But the scratches are not deep and are wiped away with leather conditioner.
If she should try and scratch on the furniture, a spritz from a water bottle will help her change her mind.
Cats claw what they feel like clawing--not all go for furniture but many do. The clear adhesive "Sticky Paws" tape on furniture deterred our last cat--he preferred to climb up my leg! The young one we have now will claw all around the tape! She also claws the scratching post and the door jambs. I need to get her a taller, sissel-coated scratching post and maybe a climbing gym. Clipping claws helps. Have not tried the little plastic nail caps--work for some cats. We do not believe in declawing because then the cat cannot defend itself--maybe not as important for an indoor city cat, but we live in the country. Our kitty is allowed outdoors on leash only but has escaped a couple of times. Having claws allows her to be an excellent mouser. Be sure you're also playing several times a day with the new cat so she's not clawing for attention. Distract your new kitty with a toy when she does something you don't like. Hope this helps.
The only thing that mine scratches on besides the posts/pads/toys/etc is the bottom of the bed. I've allowed him to use it as his scratching post since I got it and he knows not to mess with anything else.
I buy that double sided tape to put on my furniture and have foil around my end table legs. I have one that wants to scratch everything. They don't like tin foil or anything sticky. I have 4, and all with CLAWS!
I have also used soft paws on the worst scratcher, she hates them and works on getting them off her nails like crazy. Maybe get your baby use to those while she is young.
I have large pieces of cat furniture, but to be honest my cats do leave holes in my other stuff. But my furniture can be replaced, my cats can't. My cats do tend to scratch on the things they are supposed to (cat trees, cardboard scratchers), but like children, they are not perfect and sometimes get the couch or chair.
Please don't declaw, it isn't as easy as just removing the claw, the whole first digit of the paw is removed.
I'm not trying to be snarky, but so many cats lose out to the furniture in the long run (by either going through the mutilation of declawing, or abandoned at the pound by people who care more about their furniture than a living, breathing animal - I'm not saying you'd do this, I'm just saying) and it makes me sad.
Some cats claw furniture, but you can teach them not to. Most people don't take the time to watch their pets when their young and feel the easiest thing to do is declaw them. It really isn't necessary if you train them and I also don't believe in it. If they are doing something wrong, shoot them with a squirt gun and say no. Take them from what ever they are scratching and put them on a scratching posts. They'll get the idea eventually. I also found that if you have another cat that does not do those things, they will be the best teachers. You always will take a chance when you get a cat that it is a possibliity that they will scratch something you like. Owners really need to be more responsible before they get a kitty.
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