claws

Does anyone know any tricks for training a cat not to use their claws on people? I have a cat that always digs his claws into people when they are petting him. He is a very intelligent but very skittish cat that I adopted from a former roommate, who really didn’t take good care of him. As a result, he is extremely insecure and easily frightened. I would like to train him not to use his claws mainly because I think he would be a lot happier. He gets jealous of the other cat because I let her sit on my lap, but if I let him, he will dig his claws in deep enough to draw blood. I normally have to keep him an arm’s length away when I do pet him, because he rolls around, stretches out his arms as far as he can, and digs his claws into me. I have tried tucking his paws underneath, and he will sit like that for a while, but the happier he gets, the less he is able to control his temptation to dig into me with his claws. I have tried tapping his paws, but that has had no effect. And if I yell “ouch,” he looks hurt, and walks to his bowl to eat food, which he normally does when he feels insecure. This cat is smart enough to learn to lie down on command, but I cannot break him of this habit. I feel bad for him because he doesn’t seem to understand why people don’t want to pet him very long, and he is jealous of the other cat because she gets to be a lot closer when she gets petted. I have jokingly called him Edward Scissorhands; I think it’s a good comparison.

I never thought I would say this, but I have considered putting him on medication. He definitely has anxiety issues, and still cries if my old roommate happens to call and leave a message on the answering machine. I’m not sure if medication would have any effect on his clawing habit, but I know if he was able to break it, he would be a lot happier and much more secure. If anyone has any advice, I would appreciate it.