Petey is in danger of being declawed...

sweet72947

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if we can't teach him not to claw the nice new leather couch!! We just had the upholstery guy fix it today. My mom doesn't really understand why its cruel, even though I've explained it to her before since all our other cats have been declawed and were fine. and I asked her if she wanted to take the chance of Petey developing litter box problems if it hurt his paws to use the box and she didn't answer. Siam, our other cat, was declawed by a previous owner before we got her and she is a fine, normal cat. But its not that way with all cats, and I am worried that Petey will develop behavioral problems if we get him declawed.

Is there a good way to teach a cat not to claw the furniture? He's almost 7 months old, neutered. We have plenty of toys for him to play with and appropriate things for him to claw. Squirting with water doesn't work because he likes to play in water. It isn't really possible to keep him away from the couch all the time because the dogs have the main floor and Benji (terrier) can't be around cats because he will eat them. In the other rooms we have drapes and Petey has decided that its fun to try to jump up them. The couch is kept in the finished basement which is the best place for Petey to have run around time because its a nice big carpeted area for him to do cat zoomies. Petey is kept shut in a small room during the day with his bed and toys and food and water and litter pan so that he won't destroy things while we are not there to watch him.

Help, or Petey may lose half his front toes!
 

boris

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What helps with some cats is getting a cat tree, i.e., a piece of furniture just for your cat to stretch out on. I got one for my cat, and he knows to use that to stretch out on and claw at. Cats have a natural need to do both things, and lacking an appropriate area for him, Petey is using the couch as the next best thing. Cat trees are not that cheap (but you can find a good deal buying it on ebay), but getting one beats an expensive surgery.

Another thing you can convince your mom to do is get softpaws. They are plastic nail caps that can be glued on a cat's claws. This will allow Petey to scratch to his heart's content, but not actually scratch the couch. You can find them at pet stores, or on the web. They retail for about $15-20 a pair, and they grow out with a cat's nails (so they need to be reapplied every 4-6 weeks).

Good luck.
 

pami

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Put scratching posts by the leather sofas so he will use those instead.

Research online declawing, print it out for your Mom to read exactly what a declaw is.
 

lmunsie

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Double sided tape worked wonders with my first cats. When they were young and started scratching the couch, we left scratching posts close by and put double sided tape on the couch. They did not like that!! and they opted for the scratching posts, eventually we could move the posts wherever we wanted.

You just have to be on top of the tape, it'll come off, so put it right back on.
 

dragoriana

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Have you tried trimming his claws? Putting on soft paws?
 

dragoriana

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I'm assuming your cats are both indoors, or are going to become indoor permanently when they are older. I suggest you build them some sort of secure outdoor enclosure where they have sunshine, fresh air, scratching logs, things to climb and jump, grass etc.

Keeping a cat inside a little room every time you aren't there will make it lonely, and it may become depressed and stressed. You need to learn to trim their nails or get your vet to do it. And having your mum not answer you when you have a serious question about your cats health, you need to get her to talk. It seems she does not actually care about their welfare.
 

urbantigers

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Once a cat has been scratching a piece of furniture for some time, it can be difficult to get them to stop as they leave their scent every time they scratch so are attracted back to top up the scent. But it's not impossible. I would suggest trying the following, if you haven't already.

Put double sided sticky tape on the place where he's scratching. You could try deterrent spray too.

Get several scratching posts. Make sure they are tall enough and sturdy so that they don't wobble when used. You may need to experiment to find out what he likes best.

Place a post as close to the leather sofa as possible. It doesn't necessarily need to stay there permanently as once he's using that instead of the sofa you can try to move it gradually away and to a more convenient location.

Encourage him to use the post - catnip spray, putting treats on it etc. I found that going over to the post and actually pretending to scratch it myself encourage my cats to use it!
You could also try rubbing a cloth along his face and then rubbing the cloth on the scratching post, thereby putting his scent on the post. That might attract him to use it.

Keep the claws trimmed so that they cause minimum damage. If he persists in using the sofa, try soft paws.

Put a throw on the sofa and/or try to hide the area he uses by blocking off access to that part of the sofa so that you break the habit and he's forced to scratch elsewhere.
 

werebear

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A bright active cat like Petey is the most likely to react badly to being crippled. What I do is show people the Petfinder for cats in the area. That damning purple paw (showing the cat is declawed) rarely comes up alone. It's always accompanied by a whole bunch of other warning signs. Petey would be better off in the shelter, whole, than trying to solve the problem that way.

Put something over the couch until he's trained. Get him something else covered in leather he can scratch, if you want. He's asking for something sturdy that he can dig into. Provide him that. It's a need, and needs can only be redirected, not extinguished.

Soft Paws and nail clipping are also options. But declawing really isn't one.
 

ldg

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This thread, five posts down, has an EXCELLENT, well laid out discussion of why it is harmful to a kitty to be declawed: http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=150790

If you can print things out for your mom, there are also some wonderful articles here that you can print out for her to read: http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/html/declaw_detoe.html

Leather is often processed with a product that attracts cats. To discourage kitty from scratching on the couch, you will have to do several things:

1) provide an alternative place to scratch. Sturdy posts with sisal near the couch should help.

2) do something to make the couch not attractive to him to scratch on. Taping the back and sides with aluminum foil for about a month and covering the front with a throw blanket for about a month should do the trick IF he's got alternative places to scratch.

Praise him to high heaven any time he scratches in a good place. If you see him at the couch, hiss at him and blow a short, sharp puff of air in his face.

You can also purchase - or ask your mom to purchase - Feliway Spray. It is available at most pet stores. You can safely spray it on the couch and it won't leave any mark - people can't smell Feliway, but kitties can, and it will discourage him from scratching on the couch.

Thank you for wanting to save your kitty from this torture!

Laurie
 
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sweet72947

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Oh yeah, its only the back of the couch he's scratching.

As for the soft claws, I have mentioned them, but my mom doesn't like the fact that they have to be reapplied.

I will talk to my mom about buying a cat tree, and the double-sided tape. Thank you all for your suggestions.
 

tabbytail

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As a cat owner, I would never buy a leather couch in the first place. But I really do hate to see an inanimate object put above a living one. Just my feelings.
 
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sweet72947

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Originally Posted by TabbyTail

As a cat owner, I would never buy a leather couch in the first place. But I really do hate to see an inanimate object put above a living one. Just my feelings.
I agree. But I can't change my parents' (especially my dad's) views.


Although, I don't think they really value the couch MORE than the cat, its just that they paid good money for the couch and don't want to see the back of it get ripped up.
 

tabbytail

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Originally Posted by Sweet72947

I agree. But I can't change my parents' (especially my dad's) views.


Although, I don't think they really value the couch MORE than the cat, its just that they paid good money for the couch and don't want to see the back of it get ripped up.
Oh it's your parents, I understand. My parents were both from the country and believed animals all belong outside. Is there any way you can lock Petey up in your bedroom when you aren't there to supervise? (I had to do this with my cat I had when I lived at home) Then you won't have to worry about him messing with the couch.
 

pami

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3 years ago I bought a leather sectional sofa and a regular leather sofa. My cats wanted to claw them immediately. I put the scratching post and they stopped but their back claws when they are jumping will still make minor scratches.

I wish I wouldnt have bought leather and I wish they were not scratched, but they are because I have cats. If you think that Petey is in danger of being declawed because of it, I urge you to find him another home.

I know you love him and I know its not your decision, but if the decision comes to that, look for him another home before that happens.

If it all possible keep him out of the room weather sofa is because like I said, their back claws can cause scratches, too.
 

siggav

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Ok I would do a few things if possible at all.

First of all get a good solid scratching post for him. Since he likes to scratch at the back of a sofa he likes solid tall vertical scratching areas.

I really highly recommend the Ultimate Scratching post: http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Cat-Ulti...7662743&sr=1-1
(you can probably get it elsewhere as well). It's quite pretty for a scratching post and it's nice and tall and solid and most cats absolutely love it.

Secondly, if you can, get a spray bottle of feliway. It's basically fakes the scent that cats give off from the scent glands on their face (it's what they use to mark when they rub their cheeks on things). That scent is the most "I'm at home, this is my safe area" scent that a cat can have. Basically if an area is marked with that, odds are high that the cat won't mark that area in any other way (by scratching for example) so it'll hopefully help with that aspect of redirecting the scratching.

Double sided tape is good too.

Keep his claws trimmed as well, that will really help minimise the result of any scratching of his, however if that's not enough please try and get your mother to try the plastic soft paw claw-caps for cats before having Petey's toes cut up. I know they need to be reapplied regularely but it's a much better solution for the cat and then in the future if he calms down and stops scratching the sofa you might not have to use them on him anymore while there's no way of putting the claws back on a declawed cat.

Can you volunteer to keep that going (i.e. the soft paws?) so that it doesn't mean any work for her? a long post I made on declawing was linked to earlier in the thread. Do you think you could talk with her about a few of the issues I bring up there? It's easier getting her to work with you on working with Petey to redirect his scratching if she understands that declawing isn't just a manicure and can in fact have very bad consequences for everyone involved.
 

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Bad situation to be in. When we got this cat it started to scratch up my moms couches. There is no way to trim her nails either. Even the vet couldn't do it. He gave us some pills to give her to sedate her to make it easier. Impossible to give her the pills also. So my mom wanted to get her declawed. We got into a huge fight over it. But we put covers over the couches and she stopped. The whole talk of getting her declawed kinda went away for now and hope it stays that way.

But her furniture is pretty screwed up. Plus all the window ledges are bad as well since she likes to climb up and look out the window. She loves to be outside, so another reason she needs her claws.

After reading around this forum learned a few new tricks if she starts to scratch again. But definitely wont let her get declawed. Will drive her 10 miles away and let her go free before I would do that.
 

orltwa

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Well this is going to be the post that gets people throwing stones in my direction. I have two kittens, 8 months old and I got them from a friend of mine who had kittens in his barn. I brought them home at 7 weeks and they did a little scratching, but I already knew that once they got neutered they were also getting declawed (they are strictly indoor cats). I look at it this way, I am going to give them an excellent loving home and so there is a little compromise in that, they got declawed. They will certainly live a much healthier, longer life living here in my house than they would roaming the outdoors without a home. I got them declawed and neutered at 4 months and we had one day of a little discomfort once they came home and ever since they are just fine. I had four cats growing up, all declawed and they ALL lived a long and healthy life. In fact one of them just passed this week at 18 years old.

I know many folks on here are opposed to declawing and I understand their position, but I know that I can provide a nice comfortable, loving home to my cats and although they are declawed, they are just fine and enjoy it here. In fact I have one sitting on my lap as I type this, just purring away
 

boris

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I would like to point out that while a kitten might be able to tolerate a declaw without much of a loss for quality of life (that said I'd rather let any cat of mine rip my furniture to shreds before I'd go that route), to declaw an adult cat is horribly cruel, because they have been using their claws for a lot longer, and therefore clearly know that something is missing. Most declawed cats who develop behavioral problems are/were declawed as adults, so not an especially good option here.

If you do get a cat tree for Petey, do the same thing that you'd do with a tall post: first put it nearby the couch, and then slowly move it where you'd want it to be once Petey has been using it. My cat's tree has three tiers of sisal posts, which is plenty of scratching surface to keep a cat happily busy with it. My cat loves to stretch on it, and has never given our brand new couch a second thought (it was bought around the same time as the cat tree, actually). We actually liked it enough to leave it by the couch, plus people visiting get a kick out of it because Boris (the cat) likes to sit on the topmost nook as if he is king of the world


Another thing that you can do is see if the couch can be moved against the wall, or if some furniture can be put behind it to block access (back when we had an older couch, we had a bookcase right behind it, so there was no room for my cat to ever use it as he would a post). That's definitely an inexpensive temporary solution to that.
 

orltwa

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Originally Posted by Boris

I would like to point out that while a kitten might be able to tolerate a declaw without much of a loss for quality of life (that said I'd rather let any cat of mine rip my furniture to shreds before I'd go that route), to declaw an adult cat is horribly cruel, because they have been using their claws for a lot longer, and therefore clearly know that something is missing. Most declawed cats who develop behavioral problems are/were declawed as adults, so not an especially good option here.
Oh I totally agree, declawing an adult cat is not the right option to take. If you can get them done as kittens, fine, but as adults it will most likely create some behavioral issues.

I'm just not willing to let my kittens rip my furniture to shreds, others might. They will get so much love and affection living here at my place with or without claws and since it has been 5 months without claws we are all doing just fine. They know where their "bread is buttered!"
 

bonnie1965

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Originally Posted by orltwa

If you can get them done as kittens, fine, but as adults it will most likely create some behavioral issues.
I have to disagree with this. Getting them "done as kittens" is not fine. You chose this route. I believe a cat's claws are an important part of their body. From reading elsewhere on this site and from others, we understand how important.

To cut off a kitten's toes is akin to cutting off a child's fingers at the first knuckle because those fingers may cause some type of trouble or inconvenience at some point.

If it is such a wonderful solution why do so many other countries outlaw the practice considering it inhumane mutilation? Thousands upon thousands of cats in other countries manage to live in harmony with humans and still get to keep their claws. Those countries' human populations don't seem to be declining due to the threat of cat claws. I assume these people also still have furniture.

I really try to read the mutilation (declawing) posts with an open mind and try to understand. I simply have not seen a good enough reason yet to go this route.

To me, and this is just me, furniture will never be more important than my cats. If you have, or plan on getting, a new sofa, get one that can take some punishment. Paying thousands of dollars for a sofa when there are animals or children in the home is just asking for trouble. Why do it?

If my home were to catch fire, the first thing I would think of is my cats - not my sofa, bookcase, priceless antique. Perhaps it is because I grew up poor and never gained the upper class convenience mentality. No one in my family would have ever thought to have such a procedure done.

When I look at Seb and Daphne, my heart swells with affection. No way would I intentionally harm them. I admit I have not always (nor am I now) a perfect pet companion but I like to think that mistakes made were from ignorance.

No matter how many of these responses I read, I will never ever truly understand the logic. I do honestly try.

Edit: Seb and Daphe both use their scratching boards and cat tree. No trouble at all with furniture yet. Once in awhile one will scratch the side of the mattress, I simply redirect them. Now if only Seb would choose a litter he likes.
 
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