Posted by Bob Newman
Is your favourite cat driving you to distraction by tearing up the legs of your favourite table or destroying the fabric of your favourite couch? Are you now starting to consider de-clawing your cat as a solution?
Cats just love to scratch at things, it’s quite natural and normal and instinctive. It helps them shed some of the excess dead nail material on their claws and it also helps them mark their territory in the house by leaving slight amounts of scent around. Of course your cat doesn’t know that you’re not intending to let any rival cats in any time soon.
If you plan to try and stop your cat from clawing the furniture then you should know that you’re backing a loser. You can scold him, you can punish him, you can throw him outside or smack his paws till your hands hurt and chances are good that it won’t do anything at all. He will still scratch the legs of your favorite table and drive you to distraction.
Eventually cat owners who are subject to these problems reach, in some cases, the stage where they are considering de-clawing their cat. Ce-clawing is the removal of the claws and a part of the bone in the toe and is a serious surgical procedure. It’s expensive to undertake and the pain to the owner is matched by the pain to the cat who has to walk around on injured paws for some time before they heal.
Cats do some very important things which require claws, including running, stretching, climbing trees and digging in a litter box.
And remember that claws are his only source of defence against a dog attack. They work very well unless he doesn’t have any.
There are some much cheaper and much less painful solutions to cat scratching than cat de-clawing. A cat scratching post can cost less than $20 and once you’ve trained him to use his scratching post your problem is over.
If you don’t know about them then a cat scratching post is a simple piece of cat furniture which gives him a place to scratch away without damaging anything important. Whilst it can be difficult to train him to use it is certainly way less stressful and less expensive than subjecting him to unnecessary surgery.
There are many countries where cat de-clawing is illegal. It is expensive and unnecessary and painful for the cat and the need for it is removed simply by buying cat scratching posts and training your cat properly.
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Posted by Bob Newman
When did you last see a cat on a leash? If your answer is everything I think it will be, it’s understandable because most cats refuse this kind of “treatment”.
This is exactly why patience is the first crucial factor. It is obvious that the cat will not take such a suggestion without some kind of argument. Anyway, if we are talking about an apartment cat, we can say it is important for it to get used to the idea that it is not imperative that once out of the house something bad is going to happen.
Use your imagination and first build a surrounded space for your cat. And don’t forget that the cat would be really happy to climb something. High plants or low trees can be an attraction to your cat.
Buy a collar for the cat and try to get her used to it. It is important that it would be worn just around the house at first. The same thing needs to be done with the leash. After a few days, encourage her by walking short distances on the leash, tempting her with a toy or some food. Then get out of the house for short walks. Increase distance one day at a time. Pick quiet places and make sure she got used to the outside street noise.
If you really want to make her walk on a leash, then try to get her with you when you are going shopping or on longer walks.
In time you can make her accept routes with intense traffic, but it is important for her to feel safe and to understand that she can rely on you. And if she wants to run around a little, make sure the collar isn’t too rigid.
You can even place a bell on her collar to find her easier in case she escapes or hides behind a bush. It will stop her from hunting, but take the bright side of this suggestion. You can find your cat even if somehow she runs away or escapes from the collar.
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Posted by Bob Newman
It’s natural for cats to scratch but often it destroys your good furniture. Thankfully there are some things that you can do to relieve the problem.
Many people watch in sadness as their cat destroys virtually everything that he can get his claws into. You can improve this behavior. To do so, you need to know why he is doing what he is doing.
Why Scratching?
Cats were hunters. They needed those sharp claws to help them to climb trees and to leap down on their prey. Although your cat is not likely to be pouncing on their dinner anymore, they still instinctively need to sharpen their claws and that is exactly what they are doing on your furniture. The scratching that they do is a way of trimming their nails and it removes the old outer part of the claws. Another reason they are ruining your home is because they know it to be their territory. They release a scent from special glands in their paws which helps them mark the area as theirs. They also do it because they are working the kinks out of their body as well as burning some energy.
Before you head off to have him de clawed, you may want to try out some of the alternative methods of preventing the scratching.
Alternatives
One way is to provide them with scratching pads or posts. There are a wide variety of them available including those that are part of a cat condo. You can even make your own by using two foot high section of a four by four, two foot by two foot piece of heavy plywood and a carpet remnant. When you have one of these, take it and put it right next to his favorite piece of furniture to destroy. Then, gradually move it away from the furniture as he gets accustomed to it.
You can also use a pet repellant spray such as Bitter Apple on the furniture that the pet is clawing at. Take the time to test the spray on a non visible area of the furniture before using it though. Or if you do not want to spray the furniture, then cover the material with aluminum foil or tape that is placed sticky side up. The cat will not like the material and will turn to the scratching post instead.
The Last Resort
Some cats just can’t seem to stop. A lot of cat owners like to use nail caps instead. These are applied as false nails would be to the cat’s nail.
Undesirable scratching is one of the prime reasons for surrendering cats to shelters, but there are less aggressive alternatives to declawing or abandonment. Soft Claws, developed by a veterinarian, ranks high on the list of humane alternatives.
Since Soft Claws has long been on my recommended list of alternatives to declawing, I welcomed the opportunity to review this innovative product. Soft Claws comes in a reclosable plastic container, which includes 40 nail caps (enough for several applications), two tubes of adhesive, and instructions for application. If your cat is used to having his nails trimmed, applying Soft Claws is a breeze.
- Trim your cat’s nail tips as usual
- Fill the nail caps one-third full with adhesive
- Slide the nail caps onto the nails, one by one.
- Wait a minute or so to allow adhesive to set, then let your cat go.
Until you feel completely proficient with the process, you might want to just do one nail at a time for steps 2 and 3. If you or your cat are too timid, many veterinarians or retailers will handle the application for you, for a small fee, or even for free, if you purchase the Soft Claws from them.
Soft Claws come in Kitten, Small, Medium, and Large sizes, and in Natural, Purple, Pink, Blue, and Red colors, and are available online, in local pet stores, and from veterinarians. If you are seeking relief from destructive or painful scratching by a cat, I highly recommend Soft Claws.
I hope that some of these simple tips help you save your furniture from cat attack without stopping your cat from enjoying life.
Soff Claw review by: By Franny Syufy, About.com Guide
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