Mom and Declawing

[catsndreams]

I am VERY against declawing having read so much about it i coul not bare to put one of my new kittens through it. Now my mom has that thought in her head that kittens need to be declawed or they will ruin her furniture

. Im starting though to have her mind changed. Last night a printed out a large packet on declawing. What was wrong with it and ways to avoid doing it. We have had arguments about it she did'nt understand their nails can be clipped soft paws can be used and it just takes training. It seriousely got me angry because these are going to be MY kittens im out of here in anouther year and their coming with me. I bought all my kitten supplies and the only thing she will be paying is adoption fees. Anyways she finally broke down and agreed to try soft paws and nail clipping first.

Trust me she is really changing. A women who would never take a cat to the vet has agreed to have both our kittens neutered and to have their kitten shots done.

Anyways just had to vent a bit and then be happy I really hope this works i don't want to have these kittens declawed.

Any extra advice for teaching a kitten not to claw would be great

.

Sam

 

[eburgess]

Get a scratching post and cat nip... and show them where to scratch but scratching on the post yourself, they will get the idea.

 

[bren.1]

Scratching posts are great, you might need to try a couple of different materials till you find one they like. One of my cats loves plain wood, and the other prefers fabrics.

 

[eburgess]

They also have these cardboard "posts" they are filled with catnip. One brand is called "Super Scratcher" it works too

 

[scamperfarms]

and make sure to give them lots of treats when they scratch the proper place!

 

[catsndreams]

Ok thanks everyone

I have been browsing scratching posts at Petsmart.com and have seen all those types there.

 

[sar]

Good on you for changing your Mum's mind!

Yes, as everyone has said, scratching posts are an excallent way to prevent furniture scratching!

I would also add that if you have carpets, you may want to put a mat under the door - if the kitties are going to be kept in/out of that room - they may scratch and pick at the carpet, so this prevents it! (I have to do this, as Tibby and Molly hate closed doors - especially if i'm on the other side!

and I rent the property I live in!)

Clipping claws works well too! I have never tried SoftPaws though, so I can't comment on that! Just make sure that you know what you're doing with claw clipping (of which there are a number of helpful threads) and you get your kittens used to it!

You may also want to check out eBay for scratch posts and condos etc - a lot of people here have found some excellent ones!

 

[irisanth]

catsndreams..i am going through the same problem.
i hope my mom says no to declawing too:-\\

 

[sar]

Originally Posted by irisanth

catsndreams..i am going through the same problem.
i hope my mom says no to declawing too:-\\

I truly hope you can do it! Can you not just refuse? Here in the UK, declawing is illegal and we don't all live in cat scratching squalour!

Maybe you could get your Mum to take a look at the 'House' thread! We all have great homes that have not been damaged! I live in rental property and my two kitties haven't caused any problems!

I wish you lots of luck and am sending lots of }}}VIBES{{{ to you so that your Mum will change her mind!

(have you shown her the articles etc that are on here? It might be woth a try!)

 

[okeefecl]

Hi Sam and welcome to TCS. I've moved your thread to our Behavior forum where you should get good advice on how to prevent scratching. You can start by looking at this thread, stickied at the top of the forum:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22301

 

[irisanth]

Originally Posted by Sar

I truly hope you can do it! Can you not just refuse? Here in the UK, declawing is illegal and we don't all live in cat scratching squalour!

Maybe you could get your Mum to take a look at the 'House' thread! We all have great homes that have not been damaged! I live in rental property and my two kitties haven't caused any problems!

I wish you lots of luck and am sending lots of }}}VIBES{{{ to you so that your Mum will change her mind!

(have you shown her the articles etc that are on here? It might be woth a try!)

sar, from the month i have been with my cat she doesnt scratch furniture..just people.

however, i like her having claws because i like her climbing on me and pretending to be a parrot. and i have seen her using jer scratching post. next time i see her using it i will try and give her a treat. ive been scratching at it to show her its olay to scratch there. the only time she could even come close to scratching things is when she climbs onto my bed...so are some cats just not scratchers at furniture? and arent there some cloths that cats are more attracted to scratch?

 

[hissy]

What I do here is I have a couch upstairs that the cats are allowed to scratch up. It is their sofa and they know it. The reason that most cats scratch on furniture is because furniture is very solid and does not move. The cats not only scratch to shed their nail beds, but also to stretch their back and leave their mark so others cats know who is in charge. If you have a scratching post be sure it is sturdy, steady and tall. Also try different scratching surfaces, a big hit here is also a cork bulletin board, just leaning against the wall. I had my jewelry hanging on it and when Mike made me a jewelry box, I took down the board and leaned it against the wall- the cats all love it and scratch on it all the time.

Good job at changing your mom's mind about declawing, it truly is an totally unneccessary surgery 95% of the time.

BTW there will be an article appearing on the site soon written by one of our members valanhb- it is about declawing and is quite extensive and well put together-

 

[simmyandnunny]

Originally Posted by CatsNdreams

I am VERY against declawing having read so much about it i coul not bare to put one of my new kittens through it. Now my mom has that thought in her head that kittens need to be declawed or they will ruin her furniture

. Im starting though to have her mind changed. Last night a printed out a large packet on declawing. What was wrong with it and ways to avoid doing it. We have had arguments about it she did'nt understand their nails can be clipped soft paws can be used and it just takes training. It seriousely got me angry because these are going to be MY kittens im out of here in anouther year and their coming with me. I bought all my kitten supplies and the only thing she will be paying is adoption fees. Anyways she finally broke down and agreed to try soft paws and nail clipping first.

Trust me she is really changing. A women who would never take a cat to the vet has agreed to have both our kittens neutered and to have their kitten shots done.

Anyways just had to vent a bit and then be happy I really hope this works i don't want to have these kittens declawed.

Any extra advice for teaching a kitten not to claw would be great

.

Sam

Aww! Sam, good for you!

You can get a subsitute for clawing because you know they need to do it, and spray the areas they prefer with a scent they don't like that you can get from a petstore. I'm so glad you were able to change her mind!!!