Buford Showing His Claws

wildman63

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We just adopted (rescued) Buford from the local pound where he was an inmate in a cage for a year and a half. After a month of hiding out under the bed, we've coaxed him out and he'll let us lightly touch his tail... he even holds it up to let us pet it. He purrs very loudly and flops down in front of us. When we move a hand near him, he displays his ample claws. We're making progress, (very) slowly. I'm unwilling to press the issue, but think he'll socialize better if/when we can stroke him.

Buford is, as best we can tell, about three or four years old. Those BIG claws are a deterrent at this point. Hopefully, patience will win out.

I doubt he'll ever be a lap cat, but it would be nice to be able to pet and brush him without fear of stitches. We've made a lot of progress so far and are willing to press on. Any suggestions?
 

jen

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Does he swat out at you or just keep his legs still like on the ground but stick out his claws? If he is just sticking out his claws with no other aggressive or defensive acts then he is just kneading because he enjoys it. Especially if he is purring.
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by Wildman63

We just adopted (rescued) Buford from the local pound where he was an inmate in a cage for a year and a half. After a month of hiding out under the bed, we've coaxed him out and he'll let us lightly touch his tail... he even holds it up to let us pet it. He purrs very loudly and flops down in front of us. When we move a hand near him, he displays his ample claws. We're making progress, (very) slowly. I'm unwilling to press the issue, but think he'll socialize better if/when we can stroke him.

Buford is, as best we can tell, about three or four years old. Those BIG claws are a deterrent at this point. Hopefully, patience will win out.

I doubt he'll ever be a lap cat, but it would be nice to be able to pet and brush him without fear of stitches. We've made a lot of progress so far and are willing to press on. Any suggestions?
Keep trying. That is one long time for a cat to be penned up. This one will take some patience, but it can be done. Best of luck to you.
BTW, I served in the USN several (many) years ago at Oak Harbor.
 
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wildman63

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Jen...

I'm not sure it's "kneading". He simply displays his claws, but will swipe at me if I press the issue. He makes progress on some days and regresses a little on others. If I try to stroke his back and tail, he'll sometimes tolerate it, but if I move my hand toward his neck, he'll turn his head and show me his teeth.

I suspect it's going to take a long time before he trusts us. We work with him daily and the progress so far has been good. I think socialization will improve if/when we can provide more contact and petting.

Sometimes I feel like Sigfried and Roy. Buford is very large and weighs close to 20lbs so he has the "stuff" to back up any threats. He's losing some weight due to diet food and a lot more exercise than he was getting in the cage.

I guess we'll just have to be patient.
 

kalikat

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Welcome to the forum. If he's showing some progress, that's good. I guess it will take a lot more slow progress. Blossom wouldn't let us pet her tummy, which was hard because it looks so inviting. I could only pet her near her front legs. I slowly moved my hand down until she started to react. After quite a long time, I can now give her tummy rubs. She's now 18 mths old & I've had her since she was 3 weeks old.
 
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