give me alternatives to declawing

[flamingeaux]

We may be moving in with my IL's in the future, if DH gets a job he's applying for.  They would prefer we have our cat declawed, because he's a little rough on furniture, and would totally be the one climbing drapes, and has a habit of stalking and occasionally grabbing my legs. Their also strictly indoor cats are declawed.  I don't want to do it.  What are my other options that I can offer as a compromise?  I've seen the little nail caps, do they work?  He doesn't do well at the vet, (last time they gave us a free sedative, for the next visit), would it be bad for him to be knocked out and trimmed like every two weeks. 

[polarbearfans]

Keep the nails trimmed, have good scratchers (flat, slanted, and vertical), feliway diffusers, and feliway spray (cats won't scratch where you spray it but it needs done daily).

Eta: have the vet show you how to trim at home or watch some videos. Accept you may only get one or two nails at a time lol. I try to grab my cats when they are sleepy

[niemand88f]

Absolutely avoid declawing at all costs, it is so cruel and would probably introduce other unwanted behaviors in an adult cat like peeing outside the litter box and biting.

It probably wouldn't be good to sedate him every couple weeks, but there are options. Figure out what kind of scratchers your cat prefers (different materials and positions). Start playing with your cat's paws whenever they're relaxed, and then start clipping a couple whenever you can (offer treats when done)- gently squeeze the paw for the claws to show. The nail caps (Soft Paws) do work too, but I think they're at least as much work as trimming nails.

Feliway would be a great idea in any case since he'll be living with new cats.

[flamingeaux]

Jul 12, 2014 17:06:23 GMT -5 niemand88f said:

Absolutely avoid declawing at all costs, it is so cruel and would probably introduce other unwanted behaviors in an adult cat like peeing outside the litter box and biting.

It probably wouldn't be good to sedate him every couple weeks, but there are options. Figure out what kind of scratchers your cat prefers (different materials and positions). Start playing with your cat's paws whenever they're relaxed, and then start clipping a couple whenever you can (offer treats when done)- gently squeeze the paw for the claws to show. The nail caps (Soft Paws) do work too, but I think they're at least as much work as trimming nails.

Feliway would be a great idea in any case since he'll be living with new cats.

They've all met before, we do bring him with us if we're going for more than one or two nights. For the most part they get all get along, even him and the slightly territorial chihuahua.Usually though, there's someone there to fuss at him if he goes into destruction mode. He has a scratching post that he doesn't use and one of those curvy scratching pads from petsmart, that he does occasionally use, but not as much as he seems to prefer the side of the mattress or couch.
He weighs around 13 pounds,(part Maine coon), could he be preferring them, because they hold up to his weight better?

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[flamingeaux]

Also thanks

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using proboards

[locarb]

Kitty caps or soft claws

link

[polarbearfans]

He absolutely may prefer the bed/couch because it feels more secure. It was super pricey, but I just bought a mondo purrfect post and my cats LOVE it. They haven't scratched the couch or bed (I may have bought two, well one regular and one mondo lol) since. www.purrfectpost.com/mondo.html

Please do not declaw at this point. Also try other scratchers. The mondo is pricey, but trader joes cardboard scratchers are great flat scratchers... Best on the market!

Get the feliway diffusers. Keeps my wild guy calmed down. Worth the cost. The spray really does work well if he goes after the furniture.

Trimming the nails keeps the damage down. Really a nails day will help if that is all you can manage. A sleepy cat is a calm cat lol

[caddywompus]

I have used the "soft paws" on multiple cats. The are really easy to apply, and stay on really well (it comes with super glue). And we liked using the different colors each time.... lol
You could also try using some of that deterrent spray on the sides of the couch or wherever he likes to scratch.

[mnvegas]

Please do not declaw. Just imagine someone cutting your fingers off.

Try Feliway diffuser or Comfort Zone spray. You could also try Rescue Remedy, just make sure you get the RR for pets.

I use nail caps in the past for one of my cats and they worked well, lasted a long time. Good luck with kitty

[dottyblue]

Another vote for soft paws, a good scratching post and start training your kitty on the scratching pad/post NOW.