Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm actually totally thrilled my cat has his claws, and uses them on the furniture (even though we've bought him stuff to claw on, and he uses that too.)
We moved into a nice new house, and often when you buy your first house, you have this insane urge to run yourself into the poorhouse buying all new things for your all new house. I had been mulling it for a couple months when I decided to get myself a cat. I have perfectly serviceable, comfortable old furniture. It's ugly though, so I cover it with these nifty microfiber throw blanket sofa covers and stuff. I have gorgeous lambskin rugs in my chair and sofa too. All at a fraction of the cost of a fancy new sofa...and I don't worry one bit about Nimbus clawing it. I'm really glad...the cat seems to have saved me at least hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars that might have been spent impulsively buying stuff we totally didn't need. And I guarantee I get much more happiness from my cat than I would from a new couch.
Twice in life, albeit many years ago, I had the experience of losing everything I had in some life catastrophe. I learned the hard way that things are just things. I think too many people haven't learned this lesson...
Where did you get such covers? I can google, but you seem happy with what you have, and I just purchased a brand new sofa set, and I'm looking for covers that actually work for people with cats with claws.
This silly cat keeps crawling under the blankets I have covering the new sofa now.
So far this cat does two things I've never seen a cat do.
1. Pull clothes off hangers with his claws.
2. Crawl UNDER blankets and stay there.
FWIW: I LOVE my new couch set. I needed a new couch reeeeeaaaaallllllllly bad.
I have a cat who never sleeps on top of something if she can sleep under it. It's quite a common cat characteristic and cats who do this are usually called Burrowers. My Burrower is very special and I love that personality trait in cats.
She also likes to climb things, and would climb the clothes hanging in my closet (which would pull them off the hangers) if I didn't keep the closet door closed. I keep the closet door closed.
She also climbs the fabric shower curtain, but it is sturdy and doesn't pull down. I keep the bathroom door closed tightly when I am not home, because I worry she might hurt herself.
She climbs the blanket I keep draped in front of the entry door in winter to stop drafts, and pulls that down, though.
I love my new couch too. It's brown velvet. Well it's not really new any more, I bought it two years ago, it was the first expensive new couch I ever bought. No cat has ever scratched it. They scratch all their own furniture.
I do keep the couch covered with throws, mostly to protect it from fur, though the Burrower usually sleeps under the throws.
I'm glad you didn't declaw your cat. It's an evil thing to do, as you no doubt by now realize. Maybe he needs you to play with him more?
Where did you get such covers? I can google, but you seem happy with what you have, and I just purchased a brand new sofa set, and I'm looking for covers that actually work for people with cats with claws.
This silly cat keeps crawling under the blankets I have covering the new sofa now.
So far this cat does two things I've never seen a cat do.
1. Pull clothes off hangers with his claws.
2. Crawl UNDER blankets and stay there.
FWIW: I LOVE my new couch set. I needed a new couch reeeeeaaaaallllllllly bad.
My vet, a feline specialist, will not declaw a healthy cat. Two of the three I currently have will destroy anything. They are also not agreeable to trimming. It is a struggle, me with my bad knee taking them there for that and I try to combine it with an appointment for other needs.
On the other hand, foster cats whom I have taken in have sometimes been declawed. Front claws only. It does not seem to deter their spirit at all.
Truthfully, it has caused me to reconsider the issue from my own limited understanding.
Cats take great pleasure in cleaning their front claws, but also this can be a sign of getting ready to play and/or just simply pleasure in the experience of sinking their claws into something and feeling the resistance which strengthens their paws and joints and fends off arthritis and makes them much more nimble. Think of losing your finger nails, and how that would change your life. Please don't do it.
It's worse than losing fingernails as the last phalange is removed as well as the attached claw. This causes retraction or shrinkage of the tendons in the toes and the cat can never walk normally again. Why? Because cats are digitagrade. Many of them, perhaps most of them, suffer pain the rest of their lives and once mutilated the surgery cannot be undone. With their gate thrown off they're prone to joint problems including arthritis. This is a cruel practice that should have been outlawed ages ago here in the USA. Thank the greedy vets who refuse to get involved with passing laws to ban this mutilation of cats. A little Googling will bring up many sites, some with gruesome pictures of declawed paws.....
My vet, a feline specialist, will not declaw a healthy cat. Two of the three I currently have will destroy anything. They are also not agreeable to trimming. It is a struggle, me with my bad knee taking them there for that and I try to combine it with an appointment for other needs.
On the other hand, foster cats whom I have taken in have sometimes been declawed. Front claws only. It does not seem to deter their spirit at all.
Truthfully, it has caused me to reconsider the issue from my own limited understanding.
Do some real serious research before having your cats mutilated by declawing. If your cats are destructive there is a cause. Boredom. Not enough scratching posts or no variety of post surfaces. Claws overgrowing do to lack of trimming etc.
Oh, I don't intend to do it at all. My thinking may have gone from 100% negative to 98% negative. What prompted this was an interaction yesterday when a foster let me pick her up for the first time. While holding her I noticed (also for the first time) that she had been declawed and she is the sweetest. I know a fairly common reason for cats being given up is the mess they can make of furniture, etc. So, I wonder who gave up this sweetie and why, but that's another topic.
As for my kitties, I have been lax where the furniture is concerned. There are several scratching posts and I have found they also enjoy the mats you would put on the floor of a car. They probably can't tell the difference among the three and use them all.
I don't know their exact ages but estimate them at 12, 6 and 4. Even if I had no other feelings about it I would not declaw at these ages.
The oldest has claws that grow very curved. He has a couple of special needs so consequently he is at the vet's more often and so the claws get trimmed more often and it seems to almost balance out.
It's nice to so that the anti-declawing nazis are out in full force. It's like having an abortion discussion with vehement Catholics. All of our cats have been de-clawed without any changes in behavior. And as someone that has had the ends of two fingers removed by a table saw (as one posted likened the operation to), I have no residual effects (except that I can't pick up pennies very well when I try using those two fingers). I read the first four pages of responses and noticed no one actually answered your question about the cost - just lots of lectures. It's been 10 years since we last adopted so I don't remember the cost so I can't help on that issue. However, I would like to add one thing about kitty condos. I worked the cat show circuit part time as a vendor (cat hammocks) for about ten years. If you want to get really nice cat furniture, go to a cat show (you can find show schedules online). The quality of the furniture at cat shows far exceeds what you can find at pet stores. And, unlike Amazon, you can actually touch and feel the products and choose one that really fits your needs.
Oh, I don't intend to do it at all. My thinking may have gone from 100% negative to 98% negative. What prompted this was an interaction yesterday when a foster let me pick her up for the first time. While holding her I noticed (also for the first time) that she had been declawed and she is the sweetest. I know a fairly common reason for cats being given up is the mess they can make of furniture, etc. So, I wonder who gave up this sweetie and why, but that's another topic.
People give up de-clawed cats all the time. You can get them already mutilated from any shelter or Rescue. De-clawing doesn't guarantee a kitty a home for life.
Quote:
As for my kitties, I have been lax where the furniture is concerned. There are several scratching posts and I have found they also enjoy the mats you would put on the floor of a car. They probably can't tell the difference among the three and use them all.
I don't know their exact ages but estimate them at 12, 6 and 4. Even if I had no other feelings about it I would not declaw at these ages.
The oldest has claws that grow very curved. He has a couple of special needs so consequently he is at the vet's more often and so the claws get trimmed more often and it seems to almost balance out. My plan is to look into mobile grooming.
I wish I had a copy of my old post about the Siamese cat I had de-clawed many years ago through total ignorance and no internet in those days. I get sick inside every time I think of her....
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
