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 Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 4:43 am
My cat has been scratching wall posts and couches since he was a kitten but my parents never got him declawed. They thought he would stop eventually. I'm just wondering if it's okay to still get him declawed as an adult cat. Would that cause him a lot more pain? Thanks to anyone who can answer this. smile
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 7:00 am
I would not suggest getting him declawed. I'm glad they didn't get him declawed. It's a very cruel and painful procedure that causes a lot of pain no matter what age it is done at. It removes a part of their toe (their equivalent of our fingertips from the joint up) because it's the only way to take the claw off. It also severs muscles and ligaments that need to be stretched. Cats walk on their toes, and declawing them removes a part of their toes, forcing them to have to alter the way they walk, run, jump, and do other regular activities. By altering the way they have to walk, and because they can't stretch the ligaments and muscles that were severed, declawing can also cause back problems later in life. It can also cause them permanent pain when they try to do every day activities. While their feet are healing and in pain, they have no choice but to walk, run, jump, etc. on them. Also, if the bone isn't removed properly, the claw will grow back inside the skin and then puncture through the skin, causing a lot of pain. It would also be deformed. There is also a high risk for infections since they have to continue walking and also step in their "business" when they use the litterbox, which would then lead to a need to amputate the foot/feet. They could also stop using the litterbox, associating it with a lot of pain. Declawing also removes the cat's main form of defense. I'm assuming your cat is indoor only (or at least hoping he is) considering the debating on declawing him. If he were to get outside and get attacked, he wouldn't stand a chance against the cats that have all their claws, or other animals that would try to harm him. There are many alternatives that would not cause him any pain. You can train him not to scratch stuff he's not allowed. It just takes time and patience.
Here are many better ways to solve the issue:
Do you have any vertical scratching posts? If you do, find ways to make them more attractive to him. One way is to spray catnip spray on them. You might also have to pick up more and put them in the rooms that have items that he is scratching. You need to make sure they are big enough that he can stretch out all the way while he's scratching. If you don't, you need to pick up some. Typically, if a cat has many good alternatives, they'll leave your furniture alone. My cat had been scratching my furniture until I got her a cat tree. Now she scratches the posts on it and she doesn't scratch my furniture anywhere near as much (I'm still working with her on what little bit she does do).
They also make sprays that you can spray on the surfaces you don't want your cat to scratch that will deter him from scratching those areas. I'm not sure how well they work though since I've never used it, but it's worth a try. I'm considering trying it.
There is also a product called sticky paws. It's a thick piece of plastic that you stick to places that he's been scratching that you don't want him to. It will make it so he can't scratch it and will lose interest. I have used this and it does work. My cat had scratched a spot on the wall and I put one of these on it and she hasn't scratched my wall since.
There is also a product out called soft paws. Soft paws are little plastic caps that you glue to the cat's claws after trimming them. They will last about a month or two before new ones will need to be applied. They will make it so he cannot scratch and harm anything. He'd likely continue to try to scratch things, but at least he wouldn't be able to harm it. You could stop using them once you have him trained to scratch the scratching posts rather than your furniture, wall posts, and anything else he is scratching that he's not supposed to if you wanted to and just continue to trim his claws. I used them on my cat until I had gotten the cat tree and saw that she had mostly stopped scratching my furniture.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 7:11 am
Thank you for responding! =) I'll probably drop by PetsMart and see if I can get some of the things you mentioned. My wall post is already ruined, but at least he'll stop scratching the couch and other areas of the house. =)
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 7:37 am
No problem! And once you have him to where he won't scratch anything, I'm sure you could get your wall post fixed. biggrin Another nice place to look is Petco. Petco's and Petsmart's websites also have some nice things that you can't find in the stores as far as cat trees and scratching posts go. I got a nice big cat tree from Petco's website for at least half the price that many that are half as big cost. I think it was also Petco brand. My cat loves it! biggrin Here's a picture of the one I got my cat shortly after it was assembled (it had some fuzzy balls that hung on it, but she broke those off within minutes lol. She loves things that dangle and they don't usually last long with her. lol):  I'm sure with enough determination, time and patience, you'll be successful at getting him to stop scratching your wall posts and furniture. biggrin
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:01 am
This solution takes some dedication and some tough love. People think that if they discipline their animals, that their animals will hate them (evidently, the same can be said for children gonk ). But if you don't discipline your pets, they walk all over you. Not because they think you're weak, but it's the way their society works. It's a hierarchy.
First of all, get a scratching post. Make sure it's tall enough for your cat to get a GOOD scratch on it. They need to scratch, it cleans their nails and keeps them sharp, so it's not something he's meant to grow out of, it's natural.
After you get the post, encourage him to use it. When you see him scratch something he's not meant to, bring him to the post and try to get him to use his nails on it. I see you have one already (just noticed the pic below), try rubbing it with some cat n**. Lay treats on it occasionally so he associates the post with pleasure.
Next, and this is the mean part, but a squirt bottle. Not a super-soaker, you can find one of these at any dollar store. Fill it with a bit of water. Whenever Fluffy goes to sharpen, squirt Fluffy. You would be surprised how well this works. I'm sure you'll only have to squirt him a few times before you'll only have to point it at him to get him to listen.
Vinegar! Cats hate the smell of it. If you can tolerate it for a week or so, the cat will no longer want to scratch anything. Use this as a last resort. If all the other stuff hasn't worked, try spraying the locations he demolishes with a straight shot of vinegar. When the cat goes to scratch, he'll smell it and not want to get the smell on his paws.
If you think it's strong, just imagine what an animal, who relies mainly on their sense of smell, must think of it.
Also, do you know much about eye contact and cats?
Dominance my friend, learn it! XD
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 9:13 am
Starla Q This solution takes some dedication and some tough love. People think that if they discipline their animals, that their animals will hate them (evidently, the same can be said for children gonk ). But if you don't discipline your pets, they walk all over you. Not because they think you're weak, but it's the way their society works. It's a hierarchy. First of all, get a scratching post. Make sure it's tall enough for your cat to get a GOOD scratch on it. They need to scratch, it cleans their nails and keeps them sharp, so it's not something he's meant to grow out of, it's natural. After you get the post, encourage him to use it. When you see him scratch something he's not meant to, bring him to the post and try to get him to use his nails on it. I see you have one already (just noticed the pic below), try rubbing it with some cat n**. Lay treats on it occasionally so he associates the post with pleasure. Next, and this is the mean part, but a squirt bottle. Not a super-soaker, you can find one of these at any dollar store. Fill it with a bit of water. Whenever Fluffy goes to sharpen, squirt Fluffy. You would be surprised how well this works. I'm sure you'll only have to squirt him a few times before you'll only have to point it at him to get him to listen. Vinegar! Cats hate the smell of it. If you can tolerate it for a week or so, the cat will no longer want to scratch anything. Use this as a last resort. If all the other stuff hasn't worked, try spraying the locations he demolishes with a straight shot of vinegar. When the cat goes to scratch, he'll smell it and not want to get the smell on his paws. If you think it's strong, just imagine what an animal, who relies mainly on their sense of smell, must think of it. Also, do you know much about eye contact and cats? Dominance my friend, learn it! XD Actually, the pic of the cat tree you had noticed is the one I have for my cat, not Lilting's. I posted it to give him an idea of a really good one he can get (and it was fairly inexpensive for its size. It was only $119, which is much cheaper than ones that are half its size). lol
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 9:47 am
CrissAngelLover12345 Starla Q This solution takes some dedication and some tough love. People think that if they discipline their animals, that their animals will hate them (evidently, the same can be said for children gonk ). But if you don't discipline your pets, they walk all over you. Not because they think you're weak, but it's the way their society works. It's a hierarchy. First of all, get a scratching post. Make sure it's tall enough for your cat to get a GOOD scratch on it. They need to scratch, it cleans their nails and keeps them sharp, so it's not something he's meant to grow out of, it's natural. After you get the post, encourage him to use it. When you see him scratch something he's not meant to, bring him to the post and try to get him to use his nails on it. I see you have one already (just noticed the pic below), try rubbing it with some cat n**. Lay treats on it occasionally so he associates the post with pleasure. Next, and this is the mean part, but a squirt bottle. Not a super-soaker, you can find one of these at any dollar store. Fill it with a bit of water. Whenever Fluffy goes to sharpen, squirt Fluffy. You would be surprised how well this works. I'm sure you'll only have to squirt him a few times before you'll only have to point it at him to get him to listen. Vinegar! Cats hate the smell of it. If you can tolerate it for a week or so, the cat will no longer want to scratch anything. Use this as a last resort. If all the other stuff hasn't worked, try spraying the locations he demolishes with a straight shot of vinegar. When the cat goes to scratch, he'll smell it and not want to get the smell on his paws. If you think it's strong, just imagine what an animal, who relies mainly on their sense of smell, must think of it. Also, do you know much about eye contact and cats? Dominance my friend, learn it! XD Actually, the pic of the cat tree you had noticed is the one I have for my cat, not Lilting's. I posted it to give him an idea of a really good one he can get (and it was fairly inexpensive for its size. It was only $119, which is much cheaper than ones that are half its size). lol Oops. redface But height is important to cats, I bet they love it. 4laugh
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:00 pm
Starla Q CrissAngelLover12345 Starla Q This solution takes some dedication and some tough love. People think that if they discipline their animals, that their animals will hate them (evidently, the same can be said for children gonk ). But if you don't discipline your pets, they walk all over you. Not because they think you're weak, but it's the way their society works. It's a hierarchy. First of all, get a scratching post. Make sure it's tall enough for your cat to get a GOOD scratch on it. They need to scratch, it cleans their nails and keeps them sharp, so it's not something he's meant to grow out of, it's natural. After you get the post, encourage him to use it. When you see him scratch something he's not meant to, bring him to the post and try to get him to use his nails on it. I see you have one already (just noticed the pic below), try rubbing it with some cat n**. Lay treats on it occasionally so he associates the post with pleasure. Next, and this is the mean part, but a squirt bottle. Not a super-soaker, you can find one of these at any dollar store. Fill it with a bit of water. Whenever Fluffy goes to sharpen, squirt Fluffy. You would be surprised how well this works. I'm sure you'll only have to squirt him a few times before you'll only have to point it at him to get him to listen. Vinegar! Cats hate the smell of it. If you can tolerate it for a week or so, the cat will no longer want to scratch anything. Use this as a last resort. If all the other stuff hasn't worked, try spraying the locations he demolishes with a straight shot of vinegar. When the cat goes to scratch, he'll smell it and not want to get the smell on his paws. If you think it's strong, just imagine what an animal, who relies mainly on their sense of smell, must think of it. Also, do you know much about eye contact and cats? Dominance my friend, learn it! XD Actually, the pic of the cat tree you had noticed is the one I have for my cat, not Lilting's. I posted it to give him an idea of a really good one he can get (and it was fairly inexpensive for its size. It was only $119, which is much cheaper than ones that are half its size). lol Oops. redface But height is important to cats, I bet they love it. 4laugh She does. biggrin She loves sitting up on the top posts and looking down at me lol. She also loves scratching the posts and jumping up and down it. biggrin She also loves sitting in it and looking out the window. biggrin
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