My mother wants to declaw Ozzy

I dont want my kitten to be declawed,but she doesnt like that sometimes when I'm not there he scratches up her couch.I dont know how to get her to listen and try soft paws or something.

I dont mind when Ozzy scratches me.He doesnt d it much,normally its only when he's scared and then he climbs up my leg.He cant do that when he doesnt have claws..

How do I convince my mother to not declaw him?Do soft paws actually work,are they hard to put on?And how old should Ozzy be before we have him neutered?

Yes the soft paws do work, My daughter used them for a long time, and they do stay on for a good while you can replace them as they fall off you don't have to change them all at the same time,you just have to check those little paws, and there's alot in a kit. I have never used them nor would I personally declaw. I would say they will nueter around 2 mos, but I am not sure, depends on your vet.
I'm sure there are articles on here about declawing,

I have some brochures from the lady who does soft paws, as well as articles on declawing if you want to Pm you address I can send them in the mail.

Do you have a scratching post for your kitty? If not, get one please. You can also get a spray from the pet store that will attract the kitty to the post. Please try that before making any further decisions on de-clawing.

Perhaps you could try showing you mother some of the info that is linked to under the declawing resources sticky at the top of this Health and nutrition forum.

My sister has has success with soft paws. And I know people who had success with just trimming the claws.

I trim my kittens nails from the time they are 6 weeks old and discpline them to NOT scratch furniture. If you clip the nails once a week, you will have less problems. And get a good quality scratching post (not the little kind).

Declawed cats have more behavior problems - biting more, being afraid of people, and most important many litter pan problems are from declawed cats. They don't like the litter and will use other places. Not the fault of the cat - but the fault of the person who declawed them.

Claws are for a purpose. Its like getting your finger cut off - its not the claw that is removed, but the JOINT that is removed.

I've had many cats over the years and no furniture has been destroyed!

Your kitten can be neutered at about 5 months old (but I prefer the males to be 8 months old before neutering).

Scratching the couch is very much of a habit. Through 3 cats who are scratchers, my leather couch has gone from scratched to torn up to torn open in one area now! This is a very bad habit for your kitten to be adopting.

At my house I'm the Mom, so I have the choice of how to handle it. For you, I would say definitely get the soft paws and apply them as soon as you can. I wish I had done it when Festie was younger, so she wouldn't be so naughty now about inappropriate scratching! (And now Sugartoes is working on the furniture, too!)

Also be sure he has a scratching post, and maybe even a sisal rug to sharpen his claws on. Read the info about declaw at the top of the forum, and ask your Mom to read it too. Sometimes a declawed cat is more prone to biting!

Best of luck. Remember every teenager and parent have conflicts about various issues, help your Mom understand this is not a power struggle, but just you trying to care for your kitten the best you can!

Soft paws have worked very well for 3 of my reformed furniture-destroying cats (my husband's cat has never been a furniture scratcher), and there are several other TCS members who've used them successfully too. If you go to www.softpaws.com you'll find instructions for applying them, and good info on their FAQ page.

If you call around to vets & groomers in your area, you'll probably find someone who is willing to apply them for you and let you watch, so you can apply them at home next time. That's what I did - the vet tech did one of my cats, and I went home & did the other 2 cats. Then all you have to do is reapply new caps as the old ones fall off, one at a time, usually.

This thread (click here) and this article (click here) have lots of good information about cats & furniture scratching - it is possible to train a cat not to scratch the furniture, as long as you provide good alternative scratching surfaces that the cat likes, in locations that the cat likes. You can use the soft paws to protect the furniture, while the kitten learns where to scratch, and what not to scratch.

Also, the web site www.declawing.com has good information about the declawing procedure, along with good articles about how to solve scratching problems.

I agree with starting to clip their claws at a young age. Bijou and Mika get their claws clipped pretty much weekly or so. Sometimes we just "play" with their paws so they get used to having them handled. Bijou will now let me sit and hold his paw and stroke it and kiss it and not pull it away from me.

Please try everything else first.

Originally Posted by broken

I dont want my kitten to be declawed,but she doesnt like that sometimes when I'm not there he scratches up her couch.I dont know how to get her to listen and try soft paws or something.
I dont mind when Ozzy scratches me.He doesnt d it much,normally its only when he's scared and then he climbs up my leg.He cant do that when he doesnt have claws.
How do I convince my mother to not declaw him?Do soft paws actually work,are they hard to put on?And how old should Ozzy be before we have him neutered?

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Get plenty of scratching posts, cardboard and carpeted kind, put cat nip on it and he should go to town on it and leave the couch alone. -Try solf paws the vet should put them on for you and show you how to do it, I heard they work pretty good, but if he's scratching the posts then he shouldn't need them. -TRIM HIS NAILS OFTEN!!! I find that our cats scratch more when thier nails are longer then shorter. -Use double stick tape to deter Ozzy from sratching the couch, he's get the picture. It may take a while. -If your Mom still wants him declawed there is a procedure where they prevent the claws from coming out by cutting the tendons, it's generally less painful for the cats, but you still have to cut the nails. Your vet would have more information on that. 0 they suggest neutering your cat no earlier then 5-6 months of age. That may help to. It did with Limerick. - But if for some strange reason all that does not work and your Mom does not budge, you might have to get him delcawed in order to keep him. But he seems young enough to unlearn that behavior without having to go down that road.

Good luck!!

I just want to say GOOD LUCK in getting your mom to change her mind. I'm sure you're in a very stressful position right now.

When I first got Polly (my 5-month old kitten), she would try to scratch the bed. My cats have a sisal rug, a sisal rope scratching post and a turbo scratcher. When she would scratch the bed, I would tell her "no" firmly, then pick her up gently and take her over to the scratching post and gently rub her paws on it. This seemed to work, although she may have learned not from me, but from my adult cat. The little one tries to imitate everything the big cat does :-)

Also, my vet recommended putting catnip on the post to attract her. She also recommended hanging toys from it, especially if your kitten is playful.

Let us know how it goes.

Originally Posted by broken

And how old should Ozzy be before we have him neutered?

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I just got my kittens done at 14 weeks old.

Please!
Please!
Please do not have your cat declawed I have seen it done and it is horrible the vet cuts the end of the toes off puts on presser wraps the recovery is so painful I have seen cats that sit on their back legs in the corner of their cage because they can't put their front feet down.
Trim the nails it is so easy

Also I would wait to neuter a male cat till he is 5/6 months old

I would DEFINITELY suggest soft paws over declawing (if you do a search on soft paws on this site, you'll see how many times I've raved about them)... having assisted on many a declaw surgery while working for my vet, I can definitely tell you it is a very painful and unfair surgery for them to go through... I use soft paws on my Ollie because he LOVES to scratch and was destroying my things... as a quick overview:

-They come in sizes from kitten to large - the size will depend on his weight (it will be listed on the back of the package or on their website) ie: Oliver is about 13 pounds and wears a medium

-Each pack contains 40 caps and two tubes of glue - I've had a pack since mid-april that hasn't run out yet (I only cap his front paws)

-your kitty will get used to them and you only replace them as he sheds his nail naturally (he will try to lick or bite them off at first, but the glue will hold and he'll get used to them)

-if you're nervous or unsure about applying them (there are good directions on the packaging), you can usually get a vet or groomer to show you how the first time at little to no cost

-they come in colors or clear depending on you and your kitty's preference

-I believe the package says the kitty should be 20 weeks old before applying them

-I've found the packs from 15 to 17 dollars in PetSmart and Petco, but I've seen them even cheaper on ebay

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do all you can to get your mother to reconsider... like someone else suggested, maybe she could read some of these posts where people with first-hand experiences with declaw surgeries have given accounts of how bad it is for them, and that it is basically amputation (how would she feel if someone surgically removed her finger nails)... At least ask her to try another alternative first, before jumping to the popular yet not best solution.. good luck and let us know please!

Originally Posted by BuzbyJLC10

people with first-hand experiences with declaw surgeries have given accounts of how bad it is for them, and that it is basically amputation (how would she feel if someone surgically removed her finger nails)... At least ask her to try another alternative first, before jumping to the popular yet not best solution.. good luck and let us know please!

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This is good advice but i want to add I lost two of my finger nails in an accident and they grew back so ask your mom how would she feel having the the ends of her fingers amputated at the first joint That is the only way they cannot grow back . Has she read everyones post?

Good on you trying to prevent this

I think the best thing you can do is calmly explain the procedure to your mum, and show her any websites you can that give details about what actually happens during a declaw, the possible repurcussions, and any alternatives. Don't lose your temper, and don't get irrational. Try to stay away from emotive words like mutilation, just give the facts. You could also mention that declawing banned in most of Europe as it's deemed unnecessary. If she can see that you've researched things peoperly and know what you're talking about, she's more likely to think twice before going ahead. Shouting or trying emotional blackmail will just make her think you're being childish and digging your heels in for the sake of it.

Good luck

Is it absoloutely neccessary to clip your cats nails?Because I wouldnt feel comfortable doing it.I can try the soft paws,and yes he has a scratching post,he uses it quite a bit and only scratches the couch when i'm gone for a long time.

Where would I get soft paws?I've looked in pet stores around here but cant find them.Are they in Canada?

Clipping a cats nails is actually very easy once they get used to it, and it makes a huge difference to how sharp their claws are. It only takes 5 minutes too. Last time I clipped Alfie's, by the time I got to his second paw he actually put his claws out for me to cut!