Letters to the Editor
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rampart
cements my opinion that you are a dengenerate
That's ok, your posts demonstrate quite well that you're an imbicile with little or no education and a predeliction for taking extreme positions to cover your complete lack of a spine in the real world.
I'm sure I've wasted enough of your time here, I'll let you get back to your hobby of sniffing and organizing old ladies underwear.
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DurianJoe
but with all due respect, I think you are absolutely wrong on this issue.
Not a problem, with all due respect, I think you're absolutely wrong on this issue too.
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Scratching
Every 3rd time my cat, Fritz, a big, too fat, orange cat, scratches his post, I give him a pounce. Now, when he wants a pounce he scratches his post, all the while looking at me, as if to ask, "I want a Pounce".
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@ Lynx declawing
You could not be more wrong. Declawing is not simply removing the claws although that would be bad enough, it is an amputation. Like removing the last joint on your fingers. Some cats are in pain for the rest of their lives as result of that mutilation. Like with any operation some cats develop infections and need amputations or they will die.
In England declawing is illegal, as, quite rightly, it is considered abuse. Many cats will also injure themselves when the jump and have no way of stabilizing themselves when they land.
You probably care about your cat and don't want to see yourself as a bad or cruel person, but you did a bad and cruel thing.
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Cat misbehavior
I had a cat (now deceased) who started behavior that drove me crazy. (I took her in at an older age.) She was being loudly vocal during the night and keeping me from sleeping. She was also anxious. She was other-wise well behaved and loving. I thought she was just being neurotic, but I found out that she was having health problems, in this case hyperthyroid and probably also some form of cancer. If your cat starts exhibiting strange behavior, a check-up is in order. It could be due to health issues.
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An alternative to declawing
There is a product available which are tiny plastic caps inserted over each of the cat's nails & held in place by a dab of non-toxic glue. I believe they're called Soft Paws, & they're supposed to last for several weeks with more & more vets currently recommending them.
That said, I had each of my 3 cats declawed when they were only a few months old (they are 18, 16 & 14 yrs. old respectively) & have not had a single incidence of serious behavioral problems. Being that declawing is such a controversial subject matter, two schools of thought come to mind: Without intact front claws, cat owners are better able to establish more connected, closer relationships with them since they are not tearing up the house, gouging skin & causing resentment on the part of the cat owner. With claws, a cat doesn't suffer through the cruelty of an amputation, but unless an owner is patient & willing enough to sacrifice time & energy into training them to only scratch on designated areas, a cat can suffer from potential abuse or neglect from an angry, irresponsible owner.
Had I known about the nail caps before I had mine declawed, I really can't say whether or not my decision would have changed to declaw or not, because what's done is done. I suppose my cats were lucky not to have been psychologically damaged somehow. But my observance throughout the years of my kitties' development has always been one of being healthy, happy, & contented little babies. As long as they're under my loving care, they will continue to be as such & continue to give me their unconditional love in return.
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Biting
A lot of people here today are talking about their cats "biting" them. I just want to point out, that if a cat was serious, the bite will be deep, it will draw blood and is a serious wound. A cat can easily sink their fangs all the way into your flesh and will if they are really mad or scared.
Most times when a cat "bites" it is in fact playing, or perhaps just warning you. You will see a mother cat "bite" her kittens, but she never will draw blood. This is the human equivalent of a slap on the hand or saying "NO!" in a loud voice.
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Training Cats
My age is 65 years young and I have been around cats all of my life. Yes, they are able to learn new things with lots of love and gentleness. I have trained a cat to lay down upon command. It took three months of gentle training to do so but he did learn. I have also trained cats not to claw on the furniture but gently moving them to a claw post and moving their paws up and down the post each time they try to claw furniture. Cats are very intelligent creatures. Each one has a different personality which is quite fun to compare to one another.
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Re: Biting
Regarding Bill's post, it's a good point that some cats are only gently nipping. But others — including, I imagine, the ones in the article and mentioned in people's posts — are biting hard and mean it. There's blood drawn in the attacks. It's not like the gentle, play imitation of biting.
This article has nothing to do with declawing, so I'm sure the author and the other readers would appreciate it if the declawing argument were taken somewhere else, where it would be relevant.
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Talk About Flushing Money Down the Toilet!!
Not to mention time.
I suppose with Thompson you had no choice. But in the future, to create a nice, lovable, people-oriented cat, do the following:
1. Adopt them when their about a week old
2. Bottle feed them and "groom" them by dipping your finger in lukewarm water and gently rubbing kitty's fur.
3. Make a habit, for a time, of carrying the kitty by the scruff of its neck, just like its mother would.
4. LOTS of affection.
5. LOTS of play, but not too rough.
6. Cat box train them.
7. At two weeks introduce hunt/chew toys. The point is for the cat to learn that THAT is what they can bite, not YOU.
8. Gradually ease up all the playing and petting near the end of their second month.
9. Allow the cat to roam more and more widely around your house/apartment. If it's going to be an outdoor cat, start letting go outside.
10. If you're not in the mood to play, ignore them. They'll entertain themselves.
When you do this you are bonding with them as they're mother, and since you will smell like/resemble other humans, the cat will respond positively to ALL people (except cruel ones, obviously). Just let people know to let your cat smell them before petting.
Now you've got an awesome cat, every time. And no need for a "cat whisperer." Such people should be reserved for older cats like Thompson who haven't been properly raised.