My partner and I have three indoor-only cats, a 16 year old tabby who is very sedate and relaxed, a second cat that is only around 6 years old and very affectionate. Both of these first two cats are used to sleeping in the same bed as people and have been very good about not making noise, thrashing around, etc.
However, a couple years ago a friend who was staying with us for a time got a third cat. He later moved to an apartment that was too small to reasonably take care of a cat, so we decided to keep her here ourselves as opposed to putting her in a third floor efficiency. She started out very standoffish, but has really warmed up to people - almost too well. Early in the mornings, after I've had around four hours of sleep, she'll come into bed and start yowling for attention as she tries to cuddle up right against my face.
This would not be a problem if it weren't for the fact she's also very twitchy about the other two cats. If one of them hops onto the bed, or interferes with "her " space, she launches herself with full claw extension, toward the door.
The night before last, she launched herself off my face twice. I have two scratches on the bridge of my nose only about a quarter inch from my eyeball, from where she dug in and cut me pretty badly. This morning, I tried to discourage her from curling up next to my face, but she started yowling and dug her claws into the bedclothes when I tried to discourage her. I got about four hours of sleep.
I'm not a fan of declawing, and neither is her owner (who has had her with us for around 6-9 months, while we've had her for the last two years) but my oldest cat did have his front claws removed when my landlord told me it was his claws that went, or I did as he was scratching paint off the walls.
This cat is unfortunately very, very resistant to behavioral changes. She was a rescued stray, and even several years later wants to be sure that she gets what she wants.
What is the best way to handle this? I'm loathe to lock all the cats out of the bedroom, because two of them have been sleeping with us for almost their entire lives, and all three would probably scratch at the door all night. There's no real room for a catbox in there, and the cats are all used to feeding any time they want with an always-filled bowl. Additionally, the house is cooled by a swamp cooler, and airflow is pretty crucial here in Nevada.
Unfortunately, I'm thinking the only way to handle this would be to have her rear claws declawed. As all the cats are indoor-only, and none of them ever show interest in leaving the house at all, I don't feel like she'd lose any defensive ability if her back claws were removed. We've tried claw caps, but they're just not something I feel like I can trust my eye to - even if we can get them on her in the first place.
Does anyone else have ideas on this? Is this a case where declawing might be the only option left?
However, a couple years ago a friend who was staying with us for a time got a third cat. He later moved to an apartment that was too small to reasonably take care of a cat, so we decided to keep her here ourselves as opposed to putting her in a third floor efficiency. She started out very standoffish, but has really warmed up to people - almost too well. Early in the mornings, after I've had around four hours of sleep, she'll come into bed and start yowling for attention as she tries to cuddle up right against my face.
This would not be a problem if it weren't for the fact she's also very twitchy about the other two cats. If one of them hops onto the bed, or interferes with "her " space, she launches herself with full claw extension, toward the door.
The night before last, she launched herself off my face twice. I have two scratches on the bridge of my nose only about a quarter inch from my eyeball, from where she dug in and cut me pretty badly. This morning, I tried to discourage her from curling up next to my face, but she started yowling and dug her claws into the bedclothes when I tried to discourage her. I got about four hours of sleep.
I'm not a fan of declawing, and neither is her owner (who has had her with us for around 6-9 months, while we've had her for the last two years) but my oldest cat did have his front claws removed when my landlord told me it was his claws that went, or I did as he was scratching paint off the walls.
This cat is unfortunately very, very resistant to behavioral changes. She was a rescued stray, and even several years later wants to be sure that she gets what she wants.
What is the best way to handle this? I'm loathe to lock all the cats out of the bedroom, because two of them have been sleeping with us for almost their entire lives, and all three would probably scratch at the door all night. There's no real room for a catbox in there, and the cats are all used to feeding any time they want with an always-filled bowl. Additionally, the house is cooled by a swamp cooler, and airflow is pretty crucial here in Nevada.
Unfortunately, I'm thinking the only way to handle this would be to have her rear claws declawed. As all the cats are indoor-only, and none of them ever show interest in leaving the house at all, I don't feel like she'd lose any defensive ability if her back claws were removed. We've tried claw caps, but they're just not something I feel like I can trust my eye to - even if we can get them on her in the first place.
Does anyone else have ideas on this? Is this a case where declawing might be the only option left?
