4 month old ruining my clothes

Hello all,

My 4 month old male kitten keeps jumping onto my clothes causing them to rip or be damaged. The was the closet is set up it is not possible to keep him out. i really do not want to declaw him but i dont know what else i could do. If i have his nails trimmed will he still be able to use them to climb up my clothes? If anyone has any suggestions i would appreciate it very much.

Thank you,
Justin

Have you tried those little nail cover things? (excuse my lack of correct terminology!) The ones where you glue these little bits of, I think it's plastic, onto the nail so that their nails don't do any damage?

I haven't tried them before but, my new kitten is a terror and I KNOW she's going to do some serious damage to my expensive curtains and I really really do NOT want to declaw either her or my 4 month old kitten. So, perhaps someone else who has experience with them can tell you more about it.

People in more advanced countries where the barbaric practice of declawing is illegal, manage to have cats and not have ruined homes and clothes.
I suggest you read through this thread and try some alternatives before you mutilate your cats.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...threadid=20568

Learn how to clip their nails weekly, give them a scratching post... please, don't declaw.

Buy a new closet - one he can't get in. It would be cheaper than declaw surgery.

how about something way cheaper than a closet or mutilating a kitty..go to a local hardware store and by a "hook and eye" ($2.99) , screw them both in and problemsolved..when people get cats they have to realize.it is there nature to climb, and scratch. I have six cats and four foster babies and when they getplaying..omg watch out..yes..they did break a few things..but thats my fault for not putting it away. Cats are not like dogs...big difference. I love to watch them get wild. It means there happy....Isn't that the goal we wanted when we adopted them..My husband thinks I am nuts..but who cares My cats make me happy and I love them..thats all that matters...oh and my theory about those "Soft paws" how would we feel if someone superglued plastic on the tips of our fingers!!

I truely would hate to think that you are considering declawing. It is illegal in most countries, we just haven't caught up yet. Declawing will cause you more problems than ripped clothes. Like a wet bed or couch because declawed cats don't like the way litter feels on their feet and they tend to look for softer places to go. They also can get quite "mean" because they have no defense on their feet and tend to bite more. Again - I think shredded clothes is a better option than cat bites. I would search best you can to try to find something to block that closet - folding door, shower curtain, anything and get some scratching posts - both vertical and ones you put on the ground ($10 at walmart for these. They are cardboard and come with catnip. My cats go nuts over these!). I've got 6 cats and not one scratch on my furniture (or my clothes), but with that said - they were babies once and babies will be babies. They will grow out of it, but they're little now and just want to play. It's like I tell all our adoptive parents when giving them advice on what to get - "I hope you aren't to attached to your curtains"

But please, please don't declaw them. It's a terrible thing to do. It's not a nail removal, it's an amputation. Anyone wanting to adopt from us that is considering declawing I ask them to go have their toes amputated at the first joint, then come back and see us about adoption.
Think of it this way - if you had adopted a puppy instead and the puppy was chewing up your clothes - you wouldn't have his teeth removed would you?
Please understand I'm not trying to lecture - just educate.

I really appreciate all the feed back from everyone. Believe me i know how inhumane it is to declaw a cat, and i wish i could do something as easy as buy a new closet. Unfortunately i live in an apartment not a house so a new closet is not an option. And due to the way the closet opens it is not the easiest thing to find a way to latch it closed. A scratcher would not help the situation i dont think due to the fact that he is not climbing my clothes as a way to sharpen his nails, if he was doing it for this reason he would be scratching the carpet or side of the bed also i would assume. The reason he climbs is because he is an energetic cat. Like i said Declawing would be a very tough decision and a last resort for me. Does anyone have any advice on whether i clipping his nails regularly or putting the caps on him would be a better option?

Originally Posted by DMannOC

I really appreciate all the feed back from everyone. Believe me i know how inhumane it is to declaw a cat, and i wish i could do something as easy as buy a new closet. Unfortunately i live in an apartment not a house so a new closet is not an option. And due to the way the closet opens it is not the easiest thing to find a way to latch it closed. A scratcher would not help the situation i dont think due to the fact that he is not climbing my clothes as a way to sharpen his nails, if he was doing it for this reason he would be scratching the carpet or side of the bed also i would assume. The reason he climbs is because he is an energetic cat. Like i said Declawing would be a very tough decision and a last resort for me. Does anyone have any advice on whether i clipping his nails regularly or putting the caps on him would be a better option?

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Both are an extremely better option! I myself had not had to use the caps, but many many others on this forum have on a regular basis with great results!

Originally Posted by DMannOC

A scratcher would not help the situation i dont think due to the fact that he is not climbing my clothes as a way to sharpen his nails, if he was doing it for this reason he would be scratching the carpet or side of the bed also i would assume

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He must be scratching somewhere, you're better off gettting him a post now while he's young and teach him to use that.


There are websites with pics showing how to clip claws like this one or you can ask a vet to show you, I've heard they only charge around $10.

I just trim my kitties' claws...if you catch your kitty doing it again soon...give a good spray with a water bottle. Do it every time...my kitties have learned to NOT do a lot of things. Good thing they all hate the dreaded water bottle

Originally Posted by Allie72

I just trim my kitties' claws...if you catch your kitty doing it again soon...give a good spray with a water bottle. Do it every time...my kitties have learned to NOT do a lot of things. Good thing they all hate the dreaded water bottle

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I agree. There are some folks on here that aren't too fond of the waterbottle idea, but I do use it occasionally. I have a few throughout the house and keep it on a long thin stream. You see kitty doing something they shouldn't and just "zap" them once with the water stream from a distance and since they didn't know it was you and don't know where it came from they start associating whatever they are doing with getting a blast of water out of nowhere. It's definitely kept mine off my kitchen counters and table - where they definitely are not allowed.