Kitten question?

[Virgo10]

Luckily for me, all our cats hate the water thing. Another deterrent is the air spray you can use to clean your computer keyboard. That really makes them stop and take flight.

I don't want to jump on the declawing issue but I have 16 cats and no wrecked furniture problems. Scratching posts and frequent nail clipping should win out over amputation every time.

 

[totalia]

I so completely agree. I just cut my cats nails. Sometimes she fights but its infinately preferable to the surgery.

Not to mention, I can deal with a few scratches occasionally and with clawed up furniture. I love her. Those things are par for the course with cats.

 

[CheshireVal]

I so completely agree. I just cut my cats nails. Sometimes she fights but its infinately preferable to the surgery.

Not to mention, I can deal with a few scratches occasionally and with clawed up furniture. I love her. Those things are par for the course with cats.

I agree with this too. If people don't want their furniture scratched, I can't figure out why they'd think cats would make good pets.

I don't understand mutilating a cat that way just to make it fit in with a perfect home.

I lost all my belongings in a house fire when I was 12. I guess that sort of changed my perspective on "stuff."

 

[mssocks]

I agree with the finger in the mouth - worked for me on my previous cat. My current two little hellions are not biters (except each other when it gets too rough), but they do respond to the water stream right in the face. I use that when I need to break it up - when the little one finally hisses as she is pinned to the floor. The big one has no idea he's too rough.

I chose to not declaw - I clip them. I cradle each one in my arms on their backs and do it gently and quietly. As long as it takes, no rush. They act all offended after, but 3 seconds later are begging to sit in my lap. I would never belittle someone who has already had their cat declawed. It's too late. But when someone is deciding, I will share what I chose for my kitties so they have informed opinions.

OP - you also mentioned dashing out the front door. I had that problem as well. On cat# 1 - plastic bags. She was terrified of the noise. So I hung one on the inside door knob and shook it like crazy every time I went out. And I carried one in with me as well. Open the door a crack, stick the bag in and shake! Eventually I trained her to eat some treats in the bedroom while I left. She would go in and wait there everytime I put my shoes on! On cats#2&3 - I had to use the water bottle thing. They still sneak out, but will come to me if I call them......after climbing all through the bush where they had watched a squirrel all day! There was a reason they wanted out!

Glad the biting is improving and congrats on your new buddy!

 

[IceQueen777]

I was not really a cat person (always had dogs), but when we found a stray kitten and my DD begged to keep him, I thought that I would get him declawed. It was my 8 year old DD who begged me not to do it. I started researching it and when I realized what was involved, I couldn't do that to him. So he still has his claws, and I just clip them every week. He is such a good cat and doesn't really scratch any furniture. He loves his scratching posts.

Maybe some people are like me and didn't realize what declawing involves. I truly thought that it was only removing what would be the cat equivalent of my fingernail. Now that I know, I don't recommend declawing to anyone I know.

As far as the kitten biting, I think that is just what they do. But ours didn't do it too much, and now that he is one year old, he has pretty much stopped that. But I will remember Rajah's trick for those rare occasions when he feels the need to playfully bite!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We have lots of scratching posts throughout the house. When we first got our kittens almost 5 years ago I used to trim their nails, but then I got lazy. The only thing that that they have scratched was the carpeting in our study when one of them was locked in there. Never a couch or any other carpeting.

Many years ago we had other cats that were more destructive that we had declawed and it was terrible. At that point I vowed never to have another cat declawed since I then understood what went in to declawing. I won't come down too hard on someone for declawing, though, because at one time I didn't understand it, either.

T&B

 

[always dreamin']

Although some of you feel the need to bash me on an issue I didn't ask your opinion for, I'm sorry you feel the need to be so mean without knowing all the circumstances. And because you chose to cast judgement on me so quicky, I'm not even going to share those circumstances with you. The way I look at it, at least he has a nice, loving home (albeit, declawed) rather than be destoyed because nobody wanted him. Why don't you get on the people that don't help control the pet population so I didn't have to be one of those that helped save him!

And by the way...thank you very much to those you gave me very helpful suggestions. I appreciate you staying on the original topic.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I hope that you didn't think that I was bashing you about the declawing because that wasn't my feeling at all! I know with my first set of kitties it was a complicated issue and without getting into it too much, they were destroying my carpeting and furniture and we were getting ready to move and I knew they would do it at another place. If I had of know then would I later knew I wouldn't have done it (and I did learn other measure that helped), but the same could be said about a lot of things. Isn't hindsight 20/20? Don't take this too personally and I'm glad that the biting is improving!

Trust me, I've had others disagree with me about issues here and the pet issues seem hotter than childrearing, for some reason.

T&B

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Oh, and one more thing--I've had two kitties that tended to be on the biting side--one was one of the declawed ones and one is one of my current one with claws.

T&B

 

[always dreamin']

I hope that you didn't think that I was bashing you...
T&B

No offense taken with your post. I do appreciate your concern though. I also appreciate those who have an opion on the topic, but I don't appreciate those who bash me on my decision. Like I mentioned before...at least he has a home!

BTW, you are so right with this being a hot topic. This is the first encounter that I have had and I can't believe how rude some people can be. Wow...had I known I'd get this kind of response, I never would have asked the question.

My response to this topic: Agree to disagree on the subject...enough said!

 

[chager]

When our youngest is being a brat, I tap her on the nose. Very similar to the way our other cats discipline her. SHe is the only one that is not declawed. If we had decided to we would have had laser treatment done because it is easier on them. She has small razors even after they are trimmed. (This is true even when the vet does them! The vet tech was clawed really bad after they had trimmed her nails.I'm talking one nail literaly went in and came out the top of one of the girls fingers. She was a very ticked off kitty at the time!)
Both of the other cats are declawed and came to us that way.
The kitten is about 8 months old now and has an attitude twice her size! She is not afraid of water at all because I have had her since she was 3 weeks old and had to bath and bottle feed her. Her brother is not near as aggressive as she is. She doesn't seem to have any inbetween right now. She is either totally loving or totally mean. Of course she is a "teenager" right now too though. She wants attention right now and I am getting kitty kisses
Good luck!

 

[Jeanny]

No offense taken with your post. I do appreciate your concern though. I also appreciate those who have an opion on the topic, but I don't appreciate those who bash me on my decision. Like I mentioned before...at least he has a home!

BTW, you are so right with this being a hot topic. This is the first encounter that I have had and I can't believe how rude some people can be. Wow...had I known I'd get this kind of response, I never would have asked the question.

My response to this topic: Agree to disagree on the subject...enough said!

don't worry about the rude people... just use the ignore button, I have two on this thread on my ignore list because they are in my opinion a) rude b) dumb as a bag of rocks.
don't worry about starting this thread. I'm glad you did, because I too have two kittens who are neutered, not declawed and bite all the time when I patting them... I've sprayed them with water, Malibu loves it, Dakota sees the green bottle and runs, but they still bite. I think they'll outgrow it, but I'm going to try the tongue thing!!!

Carolyn~ don't you just love the kittie kisses?? Dakota taps me with his cute little paw on my nose to get my attention first

 

[aeryn]

I have a 6 month old kitten and he is *finally* out growing the biting phase. I rescued him when he was 5 weeks old, so he's always looked to me as 'mama'. He was so tiny when I found him that I had to teach him to eat & suck. He's turned out well tho

The *best* thing I've found for protecting both my furniture *and* my kitties paws (since I'm adamantly against declawing) is to use a product called Soft Paws. They are basically nail caps that you glue onto a cats paws. I trim them before I apply them and they last about 6-9 weeks. The cats initially hated me putting them on, but they're *much* better about it now. If you're interested, the site is: http://www.softpaws.com

Good Luck

 

[Jasminesmommy]

Sorry but you will be getting a good fair share of bites because thats what littens do. They also LOVE to attack feet as you sleep. My baby is a year and a half and just barley got out of her biting stage.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Sorry but you will be getting a good fair share of bites because thats what littens do. They also LOVE to attack feet as you sleep. My baby is a year and a half and just barley got out of her biting stage.

I can't sleep with kittens or even cats. We used to have one cat that I could sleep sometimes (I would have slept with him all the time, but my DH didn't like that), but then we had kids and we valued our sleep too much and didn't allow it any more. Our current cats are too playful. Sometimes when we return from vacation I let them sleep with up because they will otherwise cry for us (the big babies) and they won't settle down and occasionally when my DH is out of town I'll let them sleep with me and they spend the night chaising my feet. They are too darn playful at 5yo. Very adorable, though, just not in the middle of the night.

 

[totalia]

I DO get on the people who don't help control the pet population. Thats why I'm also a proponant of neutering/spaying your animal. But I think it's alot worse to torture the poor thing for your convenience.

If you can't handle everything that goes with owning a pet (including scratching, biting and the occasional "accident" on the floor) then you shouldn't have the pet.

I don't really care what the circumstances are.

 

[totalia]

I have a 6 month old kitten and he is *finally* out growing the biting phase. I rescued him when he was 5 weeks old, so he's always looked to me as 'mama'. He was so tiny when I found him that I had to teach him to eat & suck. He's turned out well tho

The *best* thing I've found for protecting both my furniture *and* my kitties paws (since I'm adamantly against declawing) is to use a product called Soft Paws. They are basically nail caps that you glue onto a cats paws. I trim them before I apply them and they last about 6-9 weeks. The cats initially hated me putting them on, but they're *much* better about it now. If you're interested, the site is: http://www.softpaws.com

Good Luck

Those are fascinating and very tempting. Its times like these when I wish I had a credit card to order online. Though, Sasha might try to take my head if I tried to put those on her lol.

 

[MariettaC]

Thats your view. I'm an advocate against declawing. its unneccesarily cruel just for your own convenience. If you can't handle a few scratches and clawed furniture then you shouldn't have pets.

I'm sorry but I have to agree. Declawing is not only cruel but extremely painful for the cat. I know you didn't ask for it but here goes. My opinion don't have a cat for a pet if you have to declaw it.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

This is all fine and good and I can't say that I disagree with you all about declawing, as I have stated, but this is not what the OP had asked about or what the post is about. Maybe this would make a good thread, though. And would be a good thing to discuss, especially with some educational links and personal experiences for people thinking now or in the future about declawing. I would be happy to post my experiences on a new thread, but don't want to muddy up the water on this thread, since it's straying off topic.

T&B

 

[Meezers]

On the declawing issue...I have no idea what the euthansia rate for cats is where other live.

Here...I worked next to Animal Control for over a year. They cremated every Wednesday. You do not want to know the amount of animals destroyed.

I have pedigreed cats and have agreed not to de-claw them. They get manicures...

Before my brother knew much about cats he insisted that their cats have the front claws removed. As these were rescue cats from animal control....it was lose the claws or lose their lives. Once again...life over limb is a decision I have had to make when I worked as a paramedic.

No I don't agree with it....I would not do it and now neither would my brother...but in this case it was better than the alternative...which surely would have been death.

Glad your baby has stopped biting....my Mom's cat likes to bite her on the shins when she sits on the commode...but they are love bites