Cats...

[Jim Rimmer]

I rescued a cat about seven years ago she was a mess. Missing her tail and one eye.She also had a litter of kittens at the time full of fleas.She still thanks me by bring lizards to me in the shop.And even try's to sit between me and my wife.

Did you name her Lucky?

[Jim Rimmer]

Not to steal your thread Matt, but in the interest of cat owners maybe some of you will enjoy reading a story I wrote about our newest cat mentioned above - Attachment 238222

Great story, thanks for posting.

[Matt Meiser]

BTW, here is said cat..
photo.JPG

[ray hampton]

shame on you for giving this cat a black eye

[Paul McGaha]

BTW, here is said cat..
photo.JPG

Good looking cat Matt.

PHM

[Craig Matheny]

Matt mine use to sit on the corner of my drafting table during my schooling days. Thanks for the memory as he has been gone for 7yrs.

[Belinda Barfield]

Matt, from the photo it looks like he has an eye infection. That can be pretty serious. Just mentioning it in case he hasn't been to the vet yet. I can't remember if he has and didn't take time to read back through the entire thread.

[Don Morris]

We had a Tonkinese and was definitely an indoor cat only. The breeder didn't want any of her cats to be declawed. We agreed with her. After two years she totally destroyed our furniture to the point we were embarrassed to have guests. We tried all sorts of scratching posts, card board scratching boards, kept her claws short, etc, but she preferred our furniture. We finally called the breeder and said we couldn't go on like this. She agreed that in this case we should have her front claws removed. We did. BEST DECISION EVER! There was no change in Sara, she was the same loving cat she always was, with no personality diferences. The only change was that the new furniture we got had a longer life expectancy. She still tried to scratch it, but without effect. You have to judge the cat and decision to declaw or not to individually. It's not an all or none thing. It sort of seems to be like abortion and choice...some believe it's right under some circumstances, other don't.

[Belinda Barfield]

Matt, just be aware that if you declaw he may develop litter box aversion as his front feet will be so sore it will be uncomfortable to "scratch" the litter to cover. Please take a minute to read this info regarding how claws help the cat to stretch and the issues with declawing.

http://www.petfinder.com/pet-groomin...wing-cats.html

[Matt Meiser]

Matt, from the photo it looks like he has an eye infection. That can be pretty serious. Just mentioning it in case he hasn't been to the vet yet. I can't remember if he has and didn't take time to read back through the entire thread.

Yes, definitely a question we have for the vet. My wife is making him an appointment. It does seem to be getting better though.

And we have no plans to get him declawed.

[Bill Cunningham]

We just got a new kitten a few weeks ago..Born May 7th (also my oldest daughters birthday). Our last cat made it to 18 before he expired. He was a outdoor cat, and a hunter. Most cats like that don't make it that many years. Old Molson could stand on his back feet, front paws on the kitchen table, and could actually see what was on it..He was huge, 19 lbs, and no fat. He would lay on my front counter in the shop, and customers coming in would do a double take, and always comment on his size..The new kitten is currently in the play/biting stage, and my legs are now healing from the previous 'grab anything that moves' stage. Can't wait for the 'lazy cat' stage. He will be neutered by the end of the summer, but will keep his claws.

[Belinda Barfield]

And we have no plans to get him declawed.

I'm doing my Happy Dance! What's his name?

[Don Morris]

When we had our Sara declawed we put thin strips of paper in the litter box for a while which was soft and easy for her to use to "cover". After healing, the litter we used was Tidy Cat, and she seemed to have absolutely no problem scratching it to "cover" just as she did before. The amount of debris that she threw onto the floor seemed about the same. We marveled at how even though we kept a top on the litter box, she seemed to be able to always bat the litter out the entrance.

[Matt Meiser]

I'm doing my Happy Dance! What's his name?

Frankie...

[Larry Klaaren]

No cat that is outdoors at all should be declawed. However, a properly declawed cat, if good anesthesia and pain meds are used will not have any behavioral problems that are due to the declaw. This is not inexpensive. Some of the cheaper, injectable anesthetics do not block pain, and there may be some memory retention if they are used. Yes, paper litter should be used until the incisions are completely healed, about ten days in most cases. I have never had a client complain about litter box aversion that began after a declaw. We do see aversion, and it occurs in cats that haven't been declawed. Usually there are problems with the cleanliness or location of the litterbox, or there are not enough litterboxes. There are some cats that won't use clay litter, there are paper litters available, "Yesterdays News" being the best known. Most of my clients don't want to declaw on principle, about 25 % come back and have the declaw performed. The issue more often than furniture is that cat scratches are painful. Yes, some cats that are declawed learn to bite to protect themselves, but those cats most likely would have scratched. I have seen people euthanize a cat because they believed a declaw is abusive, and they can not train it to live in the house. Just some thoughts.