How to deal with painful "kneading" on my lap.

[furfaceluvr]

Some of you might have read about my dilemma with my old cat named One Eyed Jack in the lounge section.
When Jack comes into my apartment, the first thing he will do once I sit down is climb on my lap.
Unfortunately, Jack loves to knead me continually with his protruding claws.
He also extendes himself vertically to get my attention while I am on the computer, clawing my legs in the process.
I enjoy catering to Jack, but is there anything I can do to get him to stop kneading? He leaves me with quite a few scratches.

I tried putting a thick towel on my lap, but Jack apparently does not like the texture, so he climbs up my shoulders and onto the top of the chair when I have the towel on me.

 

[kat013]

Are you trimming his claws on a regular basis? I've found I'm okay with my cats kneading with trimmed claws if I'm wearing pants.

Try a different fabric on your lap? Or try putting catnip on the towel to train him to be okay with it?

Try putting a scratching post and/or something elevated he can sit on next to your chair, this way he'll be on that rather than clawing your legs... you may have to train him to these things by picking him up when he claws your legs and putting his paws on the scratching post.

 

[momofmany]

I have an old boy that will do the same thing to me. When he reaches up while I'm at the computer, I simply pick him up and place him in my lap (he'll wind up there anyway). I keep an t-shirt I don't care about near me and will put that under his paws when he starts to kneed.

An issue with older cats is that they have a far more difficult time retracting their claws, so even if they aren't trying to kneed you, they will often tag you with a claw by accident. I keep a close eye on mine to see what he is about to do and will readjust him as necessary to keep from getting scratched.

 

[kailie]

My LP does this to me ALL the time! I literally have a ton of little puncture wounds on my stomach. It's fine if I keep up with trimming his claws, but I keep putting if off.

That's absolutely what I would suggest though.

 

[cat person]

Originally Posted by Kat013

Are you trimming his claws on a regular basis? I've found I'm okay with my cats kneading with trimmed claws if I'm wearing pants.

That is the best advice I can think of

. But you could try these:http://www.softpaws.com. I have never tried to use the product, so I have no personal experience

.

 

[arlyn]

You still have to trim claw to use soft paws.

I would just trim his claws, and keep in mind also that older cats' claws tend to grow faster as well.
If you are unsure of how to do it, you might get lucky and be able to convince one of your vet's techs to show you how.