Declawing alternatives

chgojcs

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I already ran a search for this in these forums and the returns were overwhelming, so I am just going to put a post up.

Our two cats are almost two years old, still kittens, really, and while they don't scratch that much, I have noticed somethings over the last year and a half that they do use their claes to get into.

They, the little punks (I say that with love) can open cabinets. Yes, I am not kidding. They have learned to use their claws to open cabinets. Now, I have put child-safety latches on all the cabinets in the apartment, but they still try, and there are scratches on the edges of all of them, they can't open them at all.
Score one for humans.

Two, I just got a new chair for my desk. My old one was so old that if they scratched it, I didn't really care. But now, I'd like to be able to keep the thing relatively nice looking for a while at least.

Some of my friends say to get them declawed. I'd rather not do that. They don't scratch on the furniture, and use their pad.
But does anyone have a good recommendation for a spray THAT ACTAULLY WORKS, or a really good scratching post that, combined with spraying water, can deter them from the chair?

I don't want to get them declawed, so I am seeking advice.

Thanks.
J.
 

laureen227

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can't tell you about a spray/deterrent, but i can highly reccomend soft claws. i'm assuming they will let you clip their claws, right? both of my clawed cats wear soft claws, & i think it helps a great deal on cutting down on the scratches on both the furniture & me. they also have 3 cat trees w/posts for intentional scratching, as well.
 

molarszbt18

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Hello,
After reading up on declawing I am 100% against it even though previous cats I had it done. For now my girl friend comes over and she clips the cats nails every other week or so. As long as you stay on top of it they really cant scratch anything or cause any damage. No offence to your or anyone who reads this, but when getting a cat you have to realize its either declaw them or stay on top of cutting there nails, its part of the ownership of having one.
 

jen

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SOFT CLAWS!! and CARDBOARD scratching things that lay on the ground!
 

molarszbt18

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Originally Posted by Jen

SOFT CLAWS!! and CARDBOARD scratching things that lay on the ground!
I heard rope is better for them the shed there claws, is this true?
 

amy-dhh

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Get a few scratching posts. You'll find the cats like some but not others. They each may like something different.

And I agree with Molars... cut their nails often and it's really not as much of an issue. I clip my guy's nails about once every 3 weeks and it REALLY cuts down on him scratching things.
 

peeps

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Originally Posted by molarszbt18

I heard rope is better for them the shed there claws, is this true?
I don't know if it's better for them but our cat will only scratch on the scratching posts that have that rope stuff on them. We have 3 of them and put them in the living room, dining room, and kitchen. He uses them all the time. We tried buying the cardboard kind and he didn't pay attention to that one at all. I'm sure all cats are different in what they like to scratch.
 

malikitty

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Soft claws are a godsent. My landlord's only stipulation on us having cats was they had to be declawed cause she was worried about damage from verticle jumping, but i showed her Kirra's claw covers the other day and even she was amazed at em hehe, i HIGHLY recommend soft claws
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by peeps

I don't know if it's better for them but our cat will only scratch on the scratching posts that have that rope stuff on them. We have 3 of them and put them in the living room, dining room, and kitchen. He uses them all the time. We tried buying the cardboard kind and he didn't pay attention to that one at all. I'm sure all cats are different in what they like to scratch.
depends on the cat - Chip is the only one of mine who likes the cardboard ones. [& he's a declaw!] the other three all prefer the sisal rope [2 clawed, 1 declaw]. the cardboard ones are cheap, so it's easy to try one of those.
 

gigi

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Softclaws are great! Also, many cats will only scratch on a very tall scratching post (they like to be able to stretch out completely)-- taller than the majority of the ones you can buy at the store. I thought that cats who used scratching posts were mythological, until I bought the kind you can hang up on a high doorknob, etc... presto!! What also works well is to place the post very close to the spot the cats are already scratching.

Georgia is also really into drawers. For a long time I was coming home and finding my clothes on the ground and my cat asleep in the drawer. This solution may not work for you, but I happened to not need one of my dresser drawers-- so whenever Georgia started pawing at the dresser, I opened this particular drawer for her, and now she knows that it's the one she can open and sleep in.
 

kettle

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The declaw issue is a tough one. I say, declaw a cat if it's the only way he gets to keep his home. That is, if the cat's shredding your kids, and it's a choice between surgery or euthanasia, those claws are coming off. If it's just furniture... everyone has to decide how attached they are to their furniture, and it's really up to you. While the basic facts of the surgery haven't changed, the methods have improved.

I had one cat who stayed intact, and happily tore up my furniture his whole life. None of the usual stuff-- extra scratchers, feliway, the cat-off sprays-- had any effect. But heck, it was just stuff. My current two cats tore each other up. I'd find blood spots all over the rug and bedspread, and scrapes and scabs all over the cats. I couldn't have that, so I had them declawed and the injuries stopped. They're quite content and comfortable, and have never showed any detrimental effects. (I give them little paw-rubs all the time.)

As for softpaws: I'd say they're 80% satisfactory. I say that because of a full set, one or two of them invariably fell off within a few hours. Also, it happened a few times that one would fail to fall off as it should, and the new layers would start to grow over the cover. The removal involved two people, lots of tugging and yowling, and several days of cat-pout. After a few months, we decided it wasn't worth the trouble. If your cat is easy-going enough to let you put the covers on, you can probably trim the claws weekly and at least reduce damage to people, if not to your stuff.

Good luck!
 

cheylink

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I to am against declawing, though I did have one of my cats declawed in the past. This truely was I felt necessary in her case because she was vicious with her claws to people and completely distroyed things! But it is not something to consider lightly. All my other cats I have and do , trim thier claws. Though I don't know if that will keep yours out of the cabinets, Maia uses her mouth sometimes to get into things! I would suggest stronger magnets or hinge locks!
 

jb68711

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I would also recommend soft claws... I use them and they really are God's gift to cat claws! I never really saw the point in clipping Huckleberry's nails, because somehow they're still sharp and can scratch. But soft claws are relatively easy to put on (the first time was difficult, but from then on it only takes like 10 minutes)... and they stay on for weeks!
 

cheylink

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Originally Posted by JB68711

I would also recommend soft claws... I use them and they really are God's gift to cat claws! I never really saw the point in clipping Huckleberry's nails, because somehow they're still sharp and can scratch. But soft claws are relatively easy to put on (the first time was difficult, but from then on it only takes like 10 minutes)... and they stay on for weeks!
Oh yes, and Huck is a nut!
 
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