Help! Need declawing alternatives!

[Leonessa]

I'm sorry if this got posted multiple times, I keep getting an error
message.

I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I have
scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from his little
"play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly angry at him, because
he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much. And it
REALLY, REALLY hurts -- I'm sure my neighbors have heard me scream in
agony when he's dug his razor sharp claws into my skin.

I really don't want to declaw him! But if I don't figure out what to
do, I'm going to HAVE to get rid of him, despite how much I love that
little guy. There's no way I can continue this. I am always even
worried about having people over, because he attacks my guests!

I've only seen one declawing alternative online...I believe it was
called SoftPaws. This also concerns me, because I can't imagine my
cat letting me put these things on his claws without massive
bloodshed. But if people have truly found sucess with SoftPaws, I
could try to find a way.

Does anyone know about SoftPaws? Or any other declawing alternatives?

THANKS!!! Your responses are much appreciated, I'm in a really bad
situation here, because I love my cat, but I can't keep him if I don't
find a solution!

[Mary]

"Leonessa" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm sorry if this got posted multiple times, I keep getting an error
> message.
>
> I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild.


First, train him. When he comes at you with his claws out, a
gentle "plunk" from your thumb and forefinger on the paw
will make him retract them. If he scratches you, say OW
loudly and tell him no. Take him into another room where
he has a box and food and water, and leave him there
every time he scratches you. Be patient.

Softpaws is a good idea, but you still have to
train him.

I had my first cat declawed, and she lived to be very
old. However, I will never forget how she looked when
she came home from the vet. I did not understand that
it was mutilation. I did right by her, never ever let her
out, etc. But I would never do it to a cat again. I have
trained my current rescue not to scratch. Get your boy
some nice scratching pads/posts, too. When he claws
furniture or rugs, pick him up and take him the the posts
or pads. If you are willing to take the time and patience
to train your baby boy, you will not have to live with
mutilating him. (They chop off their toes.) Good luck.

[Mary]

"Leonessa" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm sorry if this got posted multiple times, I keep getting an error
> message.
>
> I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild.


First, train him. When he comes at you with his claws out, a
gentle "plunk" from your thumb and forefinger on the paw
will make him retract them. If he scratches you, say OW
loudly and tell him no. Take him into another room where
he has a box and food and water, and leave him there
every time he scratches you. Be patient.

Softpaws is a good idea, but you still have to
train him.

I had my first cat declawed, and she lived to be very
old. However, I will never forget how she looked when
she came home from the vet. I did not understand that
it was mutilation. I did right by her, never ever let her
out, etc. But I would never do it to a cat again. I have
trained my current rescue not to scratch. Get your boy
some nice scratching pads/posts, too. When he claws
furniture or rugs, pick him up and take him the the posts
or pads. If you are willing to take the time and patience
to train your baby boy, you will not have to live with
mutilating him. (They chop off their toes.) Good luck.

[Mary]

>Does anyone know about SoftPaws? Or any other declawing alternatives?

Your vet or vet tech can put them on for you. I also suggest that you teach him
how to play differently. This is why it's not a good idea to let kittens bite
or scratch as play. When they get older, it hurts. This also happens when some
kitties are separated from mom too early. Mom would teach him not to play with
claws out. I would play with him with toys on a string, never hand to cat.
Reward him for proper play. Say NO real loud if he scratches you and leave him
alone. If that doesn't work, get a squirt gun. Don't scratch his belly. It
might trigger scratching. Only touch him when you are petting him. I couldn't
play with one of my cats directly or he'd slice me to ribbons. I also suggest
wearing a sweatshirt, jeans, shoes until he learns. When he gets older, he'll
calm down more. Exercise his youthful energy with toys. Good luck.

[Mary]

>Does anyone know about SoftPaws? Or any other declawing alternatives?

Your vet or vet tech can put them on for you. I also suggest that you teach him
how to play differently. This is why it's not a good idea to let kittens bite
or scratch as play. When they get older, it hurts. This also happens when some
kitties are separated from mom too early. Mom would teach him not to play with
claws out. I would play with him with toys on a string, never hand to cat.
Reward him for proper play. Say NO real loud if he scratches you and leave him
alone. If that doesn't work, get a squirt gun. Don't scratch his belly. It
might trigger scratching. Only touch him when you are petting him. I couldn't
play with one of my cats directly or he'd slice me to ribbons. I also suggest
wearing a sweatshirt, jeans, shoes until he learns. When he gets older, he'll
calm down more. Exercise his youthful energy with toys. Good luck.

[Alison]

Hi,
Maybe you could give him a large soft toy that he could take out his
aggression on . You could drag it around on a long piece of string or
throw it so he doesn't get you by mistake .

--
Alison

"Leonessa" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm sorry if this got posted multiple times, I keep getting an error
> message.
>
> I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I have
> scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from his little
> "play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly angry at him, because
> he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much. And it
> REALLY, REALLY hurts -- I'm sure my neighbors have heard me scream
in
> agony when he's dug his razor sharp claws into my skin.
>
> I really don't want to declaw him! But if I don't figure out what
to
> do, I'm going to HAVE to get rid of him, despite how much I love
that
> little guy. There's no way I can continue this. I am always even
> worried about having people over, because he attacks my guests!
>
> I've only seen one declawing alternative online...I believe it was
> called SoftPaws. This also concerns me, because I can't imagine my
> cat letting me put these things on his claws without massive
> bloodshed. But if people have truly found sucess with SoftPaws, I
> could try to find a way.
>
> Does anyone know about SoftPaws? Or any other declawing
alternatives?
>
> THANKS!!! Your responses are much appreciated, I'm in a really bad
> situation here, because I love my cat, but I can't keep him if I
don't
> find a solution!

[Alison]

Hi,
Maybe you could give him a large soft toy that he could take out his
aggression on . You could drag it around on a long piece of string or
throw it so he doesn't get you by mistake .

--
Alison

"Leonessa" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm sorry if this got posted multiple times, I keep getting an error
> message.
>
> I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I have
> scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from his little
> "play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly angry at him, because
> he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much. And it
> REALLY, REALLY hurts -- I'm sure my neighbors have heard me scream
in
> agony when he's dug his razor sharp claws into my skin.
>
> I really don't want to declaw him! But if I don't figure out what
to
> do, I'm going to HAVE to get rid of him, despite how much I love
that
> little guy. There's no way I can continue this. I am always even
> worried about having people over, because he attacks my guests!
>
> I've only seen one declawing alternative online...I believe it was
> called SoftPaws. This also concerns me, because I can't imagine my
> cat letting me put these things on his claws without massive
> bloodshed. But if people have truly found sucess with SoftPaws, I
> could try to find a way.
>
> Does anyone know about SoftPaws? Or any other declawing
alternatives?
>
> THANKS!!! Your responses are much appreciated, I'm in a really bad
> situation here, because I love my cat, but I can't keep him if I
don't
> find a solution!

[Philip ®]

In m,
Mary > being of bellicose mind posted:
> "Leonessa" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I'm sorry if this got posted multiple times, I keep getting an
> > error message.
> >
> > I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild.
>
>
> First, train him. When he comes at you with his claws out, a
> gentle "plunk" from your thumb and forefinger on the paw
> will make him retract them. If he scratches you, say OW
> loudly and tell him no. Take him into another room where
> he has a box and food and water, and leave him there
> every time he scratches you. Be patient.
>
> Softpaws is a good idea, but you still have to
> train him.
>
> I had my first cat declawed, and she lived to be very
> old. However, I will never forget how she looked when
> she came home from the vet. I did not understand that
> it was mutilation. I did right by her, never ever let her
> out, etc. But I would never do it to a cat again. I have
> trained my current rescue not to scratch. Get your boy
> some nice scratching pads/posts, too. When he claws
> furniture or rugs, pick him up and take him the the posts
> or pads. If you are willing to take the time and patience
> to train your baby boy, you will not have to live with
> mutilating him. (They chop off their toes.) Good luck.

Mary, you make a good point. Teach the cat what is NOT acceptable
"play." I have done this with several cats over the years. When
one would jump out and nail my bare leg with claws out or bite me on
the back of the ankle even though in a playful way, I'd grab him/her
by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em under the
faucet of cold running water. Hey... I don't like getting scratched
or bit and cats (universally) don't like water. Even Steven. It
took less than a month to break the habit. "We" can still rough
house but the claws stay withdrawn unless a dunking in desired.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In m,
Mary > being of bellicose mind posted:
> "Leonessa" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I'm sorry if this got posted multiple times, I keep getting an
> > error message.
> >
> > I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild.
>
>
> First, train him. When he comes at you with his claws out, a
> gentle "plunk" from your thumb and forefinger on the paw
> will make him retract them. If he scratches you, say OW
> loudly and tell him no. Take him into another room where
> he has a box and food and water, and leave him there
> every time he scratches you. Be patient.
>
> Softpaws is a good idea, but you still have to
> train him.
>
> I had my first cat declawed, and she lived to be very
> old. However, I will never forget how she looked when
> she came home from the vet. I did not understand that
> it was mutilation. I did right by her, never ever let her
> out, etc. But I would never do it to a cat again. I have
> trained my current rescue not to scratch. Get your boy
> some nice scratching pads/posts, too. When he claws
> furniture or rugs, pick him up and take him the the posts
> or pads. If you are willing to take the time and patience
> to train your baby boy, you will not have to live with
> mutilating him. (They chop off their toes.) Good luck.

Mary, you make a good point. Teach the cat what is NOT acceptable
"play." I have done this with several cats over the years. When
one would jump out and nail my bare leg with claws out or bite me on
the back of the ankle even though in a playful way, I'd grab him/her
by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em under the
faucet of cold running water. Hey... I don't like getting scratched
or bit and cats (universally) don't like water. Even Steven. It
took less than a month to break the habit. "We" can still rough
house but the claws stay withdrawn unless a dunking in desired.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Annie Wxill]

"Philip ®" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> In m,
....>
.... I'd grab him/her
> by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em under the
> faucet of cold running water.
Philip

Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way to get
scratched while dunking the cat.
You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
Annie

[Annie Wxill]

"Philip ®" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> In m,
....>
.... I'd grab him/her
> by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em under the
> faucet of cold running water.
Philip

Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way to get
scratched while dunking the cat.
You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
Annie

[Phil P.]

"Leonessa" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm sorry if this got posted multiple times, I keep getting an error
> message.
>
> I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I have
> scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from his little
> "play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly angry at him, because
> he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much. And it
> REALLY, REALLY hurts -- I'm sure my neighbors have heard me scream in
> agony when he's dug his razor sharp claws into my skin.
>
> I really don't want to declaw him! But if I don't figure out what to
> do, I'm going to HAVE to get rid of him, despite how much I love that
> little guy. There's no way I can continue this. I am always even
> worried about having people over, because he attacks my guests!
>
> I've only seen one declawing alternative online...I believe it was
> called SoftPaws. This also concerns me, because I can't imagine my
> cat letting me put these things on his claws without massive
> bloodshed. But if people have truly found sucess with SoftPaws, I
> could try to find a way.
>
> Does anyone know about SoftPaws? Or any other declawing alternatives?
>
> THANKS!!! Your responses are much appreciated, I'm in a really bad
> situation here, because I love my cat, but I can't keep him if I don't
> find a solution!

http://www.maxshouse.com/facts_about_declawing.htm


Trimming Claws & Soft Paws

http://www.maxshouse.com/Claw%20Trimming.htm

[Phil P.]

"Leonessa" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm sorry if this got posted multiple times, I keep getting an error
> message.
>
> I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I have
> scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from his little
> "play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly angry at him, because
> he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much. And it
> REALLY, REALLY hurts -- I'm sure my neighbors have heard me scream in
> agony when he's dug his razor sharp claws into my skin.
>
> I really don't want to declaw him! But if I don't figure out what to
> do, I'm going to HAVE to get rid of him, despite how much I love that
> little guy. There's no way I can continue this. I am always even
> worried about having people over, because he attacks my guests!
>
> I've only seen one declawing alternative online...I believe it was
> called SoftPaws. This also concerns me, because I can't imagine my
> cat letting me put these things on his claws without massive
> bloodshed. But if people have truly found sucess with SoftPaws, I
> could try to find a way.
>
> Does anyone know about SoftPaws? Or any other declawing alternatives?
>
> THANKS!!! Your responses are much appreciated, I'm in a really bad
> situation here, because I love my cat, but I can't keep him if I don't
> find a solution!

http://www.maxshouse.com/facts_about_declawing.htm


Trimming Claws & Soft Paws

http://www.maxshouse.com/Claw%20Trimming.htm

[PawsForThought]

>From: (Leonessa)

>I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I have
>scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from his little
>"play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly angry at him, because
>he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much.

You must not play with the cat with your hands, or he will see you as something
to attack. You must train him to use toys for play, not you. Unfortunately, I
see this a lot with new cat owners, where they play with the kitten with their
hands. Then when the kitten becomes a cat, those scratches hurt. But you
can't blame the cat and he shouldn't be made to pay by having the ends of his
toes amputated. When he bites or scratches you, put him in the bedroom for a 5
minute time out. Tell him firmly but gently "no". By ignoring him when he
gets aggressive with you, he will learn. One of my cats' favorite toys is the
feather on a stick toy that you play interactively with them.
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

[PawsForThought]

>From: (Leonessa)

>I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I have
>scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from his little
>"play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly angry at him, because
>he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much.

You must not play with the cat with your hands, or he will see you as something
to attack. You must train him to use toys for play, not you. Unfortunately, I
see this a lot with new cat owners, where they play with the kitten with their
hands. Then when the kitten becomes a cat, those scratches hurt. But you
can't blame the cat and he shouldn't be made to pay by having the ends of his
toes amputated. When he bites or scratches you, put him in the bedroom for a 5
minute time out. Tell him firmly but gently "no". By ignoring him when he
gets aggressive with you, he will learn. One of my cats' favorite toys is the
feather on a stick toy that you play interactively with them.
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

[PawsForThought]

>From: "Annie Wxill"

>
>"Philip ®" > wrote in message
ink.net...
>> In m,
>...>
>... I'd grab him/her
>> by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em under the
>> faucet of cold running water.
>Philip
>
>Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way to get
>scratched while dunking the cat.
>You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
>Annie
>

No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My cats don't scratch
me and I never treated them with physical punishment.
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

[PawsForThought]

>From: "Annie Wxill"

>
>"Philip ®" > wrote in message
ink.net...
>> In m,
>...>
>... I'd grab him/her
>> by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em under the
>> faucet of cold running water.
>Philip
>
>Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way to get
>scratched while dunking the cat.
>You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
>Annie
>

No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My cats don't scratch
me and I never treated them with physical punishment.
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

[MaryL]

"PawsForThought" > wrote in message
...
> >From: (Leonessa)
>
> >I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I have
> >scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from his little
> >"play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly angry at him, because
> >he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much.
>
> You must not play with the cat with your hands, or he will see you as
something
> to attack. You must train him to use toys for play, not you.
Unfortunately, I
> see this a lot with new cat owners, where they play with the kitten with
their
> hands. Then when the kitten becomes a cat, those scratches hurt. But you
> can't blame the cat and he shouldn't be made to pay by having the ends of
his
> toes amputated. When he bites or scratches you, put him in the bedroom
for a 5
> minute time out. Tell him firmly but gently "no". By ignoring him when
he
> gets aggressive with you, he will learn. One of my cats' favorite toys is
the
> feather on a stick toy that you play interactively with them.
> ________
> See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
> Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
> http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
> Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm


Good suggestions. In addition, try a laser pointer. Holly loves it -- in
fact, she comes dashing from anywhere in the house when she hears me open
the drawer where it is stored. I am careful not to let the light reflect in
her eyes, although I understand that it is not powerful enough to do damage.
Be sure to get the type with replaceable (preferably rechargeable)
batteries.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly (pictorial history of my blind cat Duffy's
integration into our household):
Duffy, Part I: The Introduction -- http://tinyurl.com/8y54
Duffy, Part II: Life at Home -- http://tinyurl.com/8y56

[MaryL]

"PawsForThought" > wrote in message
...
> >From: (Leonessa)
>
> >I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I have
> >scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from his little
> >"play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly angry at him, because
> >he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much.
>
> You must not play with the cat with your hands, or he will see you as
something
> to attack. You must train him to use toys for play, not you.
Unfortunately, I
> see this a lot with new cat owners, where they play with the kitten with
their
> hands. Then when the kitten becomes a cat, those scratches hurt. But you
> can't blame the cat and he shouldn't be made to pay by having the ends of
his
> toes amputated. When he bites or scratches you, put him in the bedroom
for a 5
> minute time out. Tell him firmly but gently "no". By ignoring him when
he
> gets aggressive with you, he will learn. One of my cats' favorite toys is
the
> feather on a stick toy that you play interactively with them.
> ________
> See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
> Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
> http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
> Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm


Good suggestions. In addition, try a laser pointer. Holly loves it -- in
fact, she comes dashing from anywhere in the house when she hears me open
the drawer where it is stored. I am careful not to let the light reflect in
her eyes, although I understand that it is not powerful enough to do damage.
Be sure to get the type with replaceable (preferably rechargeable)
batteries.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly (pictorial history of my blind cat Duffy's
integration into our household):
Duffy, Part I: The Introduction -- http://tinyurl.com/8y54
Duffy, Part II: Life at Home -- http://tinyurl.com/8y56

[Philip ®]

In ,
Annie Wxill > being of bellicose mind posted:
> "Philip ®" > wrote in message
> ink.net...
> > In m,
> ...>
> ... I'd grab him/her
> > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em under
> > the faucet of cold running water.
> Philip
>
> Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way to get
> scratched while dunking the cat.
> You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
> Annie

That's your theory which has never been born out in any of my/our
cats. You CANNOT get scratched when "restraining" a cat by holding
firmly to the skin covering the area between the shoulders (just
below the nap of the neck) and lifting the cat off the ground. When
you do try to restrain and adult cat by the holding onto the back of
the neck, you do run the risk of choking off the cat's ability to
breathe which makes the cat all the more anxious to escape. That's
why you get hold a few inches lower .... the area between the
shoulder blades. The paws get outstretched, the cat doesn't choke,
and you are BEHIND the cat. Perhaps your cat is built differently?
LOL Annie.... I have not had a fraction of the behavioral issues or
bizarre health problems with cats that I have read about in this
forum.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
Annie Wxill > being of bellicose mind posted:
> "Philip ®" > wrote in message
> ink.net...
> > In m,
> ...>
> ... I'd grab him/her
> > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em under
> > the faucet of cold running water.
> Philip
>
> Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way to get
> scratched while dunking the cat.
> You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
> Annie

That's your theory which has never been born out in any of my/our
cats. You CANNOT get scratched when "restraining" a cat by holding
firmly to the skin covering the area between the shoulders (just
below the nap of the neck) and lifting the cat off the ground. When
you do try to restrain and adult cat by the holding onto the back of
the neck, you do run the risk of choking off the cat's ability to
breathe which makes the cat all the more anxious to escape. That's
why you get hold a few inches lower .... the area between the
shoulder blades. The paws get outstretched, the cat doesn't choke,
and you are BEHIND the cat. Perhaps your cat is built differently?
LOL Annie.... I have not had a fraction of the behavioral issues or
bizarre health problems with cats that I have read about in this
forum.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> > From: "Annie Wxill"
>
> >
> > "Philip ®" > wrote in message
> > ink.net...
> > > In m,
> > ...>
> > ... I'd grab him/her
> > > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em
> > > under the faucet of cold running water.
> > Philip
> >
> > Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way to
> > get scratched while dunking the cat.
> > You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
> > Annie
> >
>
> No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My cats
> don't scratch me and I never treated them with physical punishment.

My cats figure out real early that they do not get to scratch me
either. After the "no scratch allowed" lesson is learned, I have
been able to play quite aggressively with all of them without claws
coming out. Numerous people over the years are suprised how
combative cats can be without the claws coming out. (The fear of
getting dunked is one you have to instill early and .... it works).
My guess is your cats do not do tricks, do mock cat fights with you,
use the "people" toilet, or a few other amusements.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> > From: "Annie Wxill"
>
> >
> > "Philip ®" > wrote in message
> > ink.net...
> > > In m,
> > ...>
> > ... I'd grab him/her
> > > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em
> > > under the faucet of cold running water.
> > Philip
> >
> > Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way to
> > get scratched while dunking the cat.
> > You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
> > Annie
> >
>
> No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My cats
> don't scratch me and I never treated them with physical punishment.

My cats figure out real early that they do not get to scratch me
either. After the "no scratch allowed" lesson is learned, I have
been able to play quite aggressively with all of them without claws
coming out. Numerous people over the years are suprised how
combative cats can be without the claws coming out. (The fear of
getting dunked is one you have to instill early and .... it works).
My guess is your cats do not do tricks, do mock cat fights with you,
use the "people" toilet, or a few other amusements.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> > From: (Leonessa)
>
> > I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I have
> > scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from his little
> > "play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly angry at him,
> > because he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much.
>
> You must not play with the cat with your hands, or he will see you
> as something to attack. You must train him to use toys for play,
> not you. Unfortunately, I see this a lot with new cat owners,
> where they play with the kitten with their hands. Then when the
> kitten becomes a cat, those scratches hurt. But you can't blame
> the cat and he shouldn't be made to pay by having the ends of his
> toes amputated. When he bites or scratches you, put him in the
> bedroom for a 5 minute time out. Tell him firmly but gently "no".
> By ignoring him when he gets aggressive with you, he will learn.
> One of my cats' favorite toys is the feather on a stick toy that
> you play interactively with them. ________

"You must not play with your cats with your (bare) hands?" What
nonsense! Cat's who want to play with their owners are far more fun.
The lesson that has to be instilled early is "no claws allowed."
"Time outs" for cats? Hahhahhaa. Yeah, right. I tried that
approach years ago. A cat given "time out" either hides under the
bed and won't come out or the cat is at the door, frantic to get out
when you open the door. "Time out" just gives you to calm down.
Nothing accomplished. Saying "NO!" to a cat is meaningless too
unless you follow it up with something the cat really does not like.
Attention spans of cats is limited to the time it takes to catch a
fly or a small bird.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> > From: (Leonessa)
>
> > I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I have
> > scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from his little
> > "play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly angry at him,
> > because he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much.
>
> You must not play with the cat with your hands, or he will see you
> as something to attack. You must train him to use toys for play,
> not you. Unfortunately, I see this a lot with new cat owners,
> where they play with the kitten with their hands. Then when the
> kitten becomes a cat, those scratches hurt. But you can't blame
> the cat and he shouldn't be made to pay by having the ends of his
> toes amputated. When he bites or scratches you, put him in the
> bedroom for a 5 minute time out. Tell him firmly but gently "no".
> By ignoring him when he gets aggressive with you, he will learn.
> One of my cats' favorite toys is the feather on a stick toy that
> you play interactively with them. ________

"You must not play with your cats with your (bare) hands?" What
nonsense! Cat's who want to play with their owners are far more fun.
The lesson that has to be instilled early is "no claws allowed."
"Time outs" for cats? Hahhahhaa. Yeah, right. I tried that
approach years ago. A cat given "time out" either hides under the
bed and won't come out or the cat is at the door, frantic to get out
when you open the door. "Time out" just gives you to calm down.
Nothing accomplished. Saying "NO!" to a cat is meaningless too
unless you follow it up with something the cat really does not like.
Attention spans of cats is limited to the time it takes to catch a
fly or a small bird.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[PawsForThought]

>From: "Philip ®"

>PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
>posted:
>> > From: "Annie Wxill"
>>
>> >
>> > "Philip ®" > wrote in message
>> > ink.net...
>> > > In m,
>> > ...>
>> > ... I'd grab him/her
>> > > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em
>> > > under the faucet of cold running water.
>> > Philip
>> >
>> > Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way to
>> > get scratched while dunking the cat.
>> > You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
>> > Annie
>> >
>>
>> No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My cats
>> don't scratch me and I never treated them with physical punishment.
>
>My cats figure out real early that they do not get to scratch me
>either. After the "no scratch allowed" lesson is learned, I have
>been able to play quite aggressively with all of them without claws
>coming out. Numerous people over the years are suprised how
>combative cats can be without the claws coming out. (The fear of
>getting dunked is one you have to instill early and .... it works).
>My guess is your cats do not do tricks, do mock cat fights with you,
>use the "people" toilet, or a few other amusements.

Sorry, but I find grabbing a cat by the scruff of the neck and dunking them in
water to be extremely cruel. My cats don't use their claws, and are very
playful. They are not bullied or physically punished either.
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

[PawsForThought]

>From: "Philip ®"

>PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
>posted:
>> > From: "Annie Wxill"
>>
>> >
>> > "Philip ®" > wrote in message
>> > ink.net...
>> > > In m,
>> > ...>
>> > ... I'd grab him/her
>> > > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em
>> > > under the faucet of cold running water.
>> > Philip
>> >
>> > Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way to
>> > get scratched while dunking the cat.
>> > You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
>> > Annie
>> >
>>
>> No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My cats
>> don't scratch me and I never treated them with physical punishment.
>
>My cats figure out real early that they do not get to scratch me
>either. After the "no scratch allowed" lesson is learned, I have
>been able to play quite aggressively with all of them without claws
>coming out. Numerous people over the years are suprised how
>combative cats can be without the claws coming out. (The fear of
>getting dunked is one you have to instill early and .... it works).
>My guess is your cats do not do tricks, do mock cat fights with you,
>use the "people" toilet, or a few other amusements.

Sorry, but I find grabbing a cat by the scruff of the neck and dunking them in
water to be extremely cruel. My cats don't use their claws, and are very
playful. They are not bullied or physically punished either.
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

[MaryL]

"PawsForThought" > wrote in message
...
> >From: "Philip ®"
>
> >PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
> >posted:
> >> > From: "Annie Wxill"
> >>
> >> >
> >> > "Philip ®" > wrote in message
> >> > ink.net...
> >> > > In m,
> >> > ...>
> >> > ... I'd grab him/her
> >> > > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em
> >> > > under the faucet of cold running water.
> >> > Philip
> >> >
> >> > Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way to
> >> > get scratched while dunking the cat.
> >> > You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
> >> > Annie
> >> >
> >>
> >> No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My cats
> >> don't scratch me and I never treated them with physical punishment.
> >
> >My cats figure out real early that they do not get to scratch me
> >either. After the "no scratch allowed" lesson is learned, I have
> >been able to play quite aggressively with all of them without claws
> >coming out. Numerous people over the years are suprised how
> >combative cats can be without the claws coming out. (The fear of
> >getting dunked is one you have to instill early and .... it works).
> >My guess is your cats do not do tricks, do mock cat fights with you,
> >use the "people" toilet, or a few other amusements.
>
> Sorry, but I find grabbing a cat by the scruff of the neck and dunking
them in
> water to be extremely cruel. My cats don't use their claws, and are very
> playful. They are not bullied or physically punished either.
> ________
> See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
> Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
> http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
> Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

Agreed!!!

MaryL

[MaryL]

"PawsForThought" > wrote in message
...
> >From: "Philip ®"
>
> >PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
> >posted:
> >> > From: "Annie Wxill"
> >>
> >> >
> >> > "Philip ®" > wrote in message
> >> > ink.net...
> >> > > In m,
> >> > ...>
> >> > ... I'd grab him/her
> >> > > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em
> >> > > under the faucet of cold running water.
> >> > Philip
> >> >
> >> > Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way to
> >> > get scratched while dunking the cat.
> >> > You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
> >> > Annie
> >> >
> >>
> >> No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My cats
> >> don't scratch me and I never treated them with physical punishment.
> >
> >My cats figure out real early that they do not get to scratch me
> >either. After the "no scratch allowed" lesson is learned, I have
> >been able to play quite aggressively with all of them without claws
> >coming out. Numerous people over the years are suprised how
> >combative cats can be without the claws coming out. (The fear of
> >getting dunked is one you have to instill early and .... it works).
> >My guess is your cats do not do tricks, do mock cat fights with you,
> >use the "people" toilet, or a few other amusements.
>
> Sorry, but I find grabbing a cat by the scruff of the neck and dunking
them in
> water to be extremely cruel. My cats don't use their claws, and are very
> playful. They are not bullied or physically punished either.
> ________
> See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
> Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
> http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
> Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

Agreed!!!

MaryL

[PawsForThought]

>From: "Philip ®"

>PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
>posted:
>> > From: (Leonessa)
>>
>> > I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I have
>> > scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from his little
>> > "play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly angry at him,
>> > because he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much.
>>
>> You must not play with the cat with your hands, or he will see you
>> as something to attack. You must train him to use toys for play,
>> not you. Unfortunately, I see this a lot with new cat owners,
>> where they play with the kitten with their hands. Then when the
>> kitten becomes a cat, those scratches hurt. But you can't blame
>> the cat and he shouldn't be made to pay by having the ends of his
>> toes amputated. When he bites or scratches you, put him in the
>> bedroom for a 5 minute time out. Tell him firmly but gently "no".
>> By ignoring him when he gets aggressive with you, he will learn.
>> One of my cats' favorite toys is the feather on a stick toy that
>> you play interactively with them. ________
>
>"You must not play with your cats with your (bare) hands?" What
>nonsense! Cat's who want to play with their owners are far more fun.

I sometimes play with them with my hands, but I didn't when they were kittens,
and they were being socialized. Now if I play with them using my hands, their
claws never come out. I trained them, but I didn't use physical punishment.

>The lesson that has to be instilled early is "no claws allowed."

Yep, my cats don't use their claws and I never had to use physical abuse on
them.
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

[PawsForThought]

>From: "Philip ®"

>PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
>posted:
>> > From: (Leonessa)
>>
>> > I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I have
>> > scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from his little
>> > "play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly angry at him,
>> > because he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much.
>>
>> You must not play with the cat with your hands, or he will see you
>> as something to attack. You must train him to use toys for play,
>> not you. Unfortunately, I see this a lot with new cat owners,
>> where they play with the kitten with their hands. Then when the
>> kitten becomes a cat, those scratches hurt. But you can't blame
>> the cat and he shouldn't be made to pay by having the ends of his
>> toes amputated. When he bites or scratches you, put him in the
>> bedroom for a 5 minute time out. Tell him firmly but gently "no".
>> By ignoring him when he gets aggressive with you, he will learn.
>> One of my cats' favorite toys is the feather on a stick toy that
>> you play interactively with them. ________
>
>"You must not play with your cats with your (bare) hands?" What
>nonsense! Cat's who want to play with their owners are far more fun.

I sometimes play with them with my hands, but I didn't when they were kittens,
and they were being socialized. Now if I play with them using my hands, their
claws never come out. I trained them, but I didn't use physical punishment.

>The lesson that has to be instilled early is "no claws allowed."

Yep, my cats don't use their claws and I never had to use physical abuse on
them.
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

[Philip ®]

In ,
PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> > From: "Philip ®"
>
> > PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
> > posted:
> > > > From: "Annie Wxill"
> > >
> > > >
> > > > "Philip ®" > wrote in
> > > > message
> > > > ink.net...
> > > > > In m,
> > > > ...>
> > > > ... I'd grab him/her
> > > > > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em
> > > > > under the faucet of cold running water.
> > > > Philip
> > > >
> > > > Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way
> > > > to get scratched while dunking the cat.
> > > > You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
> > > > Annie
> > > >
> > >
> > > No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My
> > > cats don't scratch me and I never treated them with physical
> > > punishment.
> >
> > My cats figure out real early that they do not get to scratch me
> > either. After the "no scratch allowed" lesson is learned, I have
> > been able to play quite aggressively with all of them without
> > claws coming out. Numerous people over the years are suprised
> > how combative cats can be without the claws coming out. (The
> > fear of getting dunked is one you have to instill early and ....
> > it works). My guess is your cats do not do tricks, do mock cat
> > fights with you, use the "people" toilet, or a few other
> > amusements.
>
> Sorry, but I find grabbing a cat by the scruff of the neck and
> dunking them in water to be extremely cruel. My cats don't use
> their claws, and are very playful. They are not bullied or
> physically punished either. ________

Sorry but better the undesired behavior be delt with early on than to
have a house cat that bites and scratches people. Some cats don't
need to be "told" while others do. Your interpretation of what
constitutes "bullied" or "punished" is thoroughly laughable. You
have little concept of "cruel." I'll give you examples of cruel:
(1) Declawing a cat, (2) administrations of poisons to curtail
recurring intestinal worms, (3) prolonged, expensive, and heroic
medical efforts to thwart the inevitable death of a pet, (4)
containing a cat in your home that is thoroughly discontented with
the food and accommodations, (5) hurling the cat thru a glass window.
And you think a little dunk under the kitchen faucet is cruel? LOL.
Our cats (including the present one) are well adjusted to living with
us humans in our house. But Rusty might hop up on the back of the
chair you're sitting in and paw thru your hair .... looking for bugs.
;-)
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"
a

[Philip ®]

In ,
PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> > From: "Philip ®"
>
> > PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
> > posted:
> > > > From: "Annie Wxill"
> > >
> > > >
> > > > "Philip ®" > wrote in
> > > > message
> > > > ink.net...
> > > > > In m,
> > > > ...>
> > > > ... I'd grab him/her
> > > > > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em
> > > > > under the faucet of cold running water.
> > > > Philip
> > > >
> > > > Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way
> > > > to get scratched while dunking the cat.
> > > > You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
> > > > Annie
> > > >
> > >
> > > No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My
> > > cats don't scratch me and I never treated them with physical
> > > punishment.
> >
> > My cats figure out real early that they do not get to scratch me
> > either. After the "no scratch allowed" lesson is learned, I have
> > been able to play quite aggressively with all of them without
> > claws coming out. Numerous people over the years are suprised
> > how combative cats can be without the claws coming out. (The
> > fear of getting dunked is one you have to instill early and ....
> > it works). My guess is your cats do not do tricks, do mock cat
> > fights with you, use the "people" toilet, or a few other
> > amusements.
>
> Sorry, but I find grabbing a cat by the scruff of the neck and
> dunking them in water to be extremely cruel. My cats don't use
> their claws, and are very playful. They are not bullied or
> physically punished either. ________

Sorry but better the undesired behavior be delt with early on than to
have a house cat that bites and scratches people. Some cats don't
need to be "told" while others do. Your interpretation of what
constitutes "bullied" or "punished" is thoroughly laughable. You
have little concept of "cruel." I'll give you examples of cruel:
(1) Declawing a cat, (2) administrations of poisons to curtail
recurring intestinal worms, (3) prolonged, expensive, and heroic
medical efforts to thwart the inevitable death of a pet, (4)
containing a cat in your home that is thoroughly discontented with
the food and accommodations, (5) hurling the cat thru a glass window.
And you think a little dunk under the kitchen faucet is cruel? LOL.
Our cats (including the present one) are well adjusted to living with
us humans in our house. But Rusty might hop up on the back of the
chair you're sitting in and paw thru your hair .... looking for bugs.
;-)
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"
a

[Philip ®]

In ,
MaryL -OUT-THE-LITTER> being of bellicose
mind posted:
> "PawsForThought" > wrote in message
> ...
> > > From: "Philip ®"
> >
> > > PawsForThought > being of bellicose
> > > mind posted:
> > > > > From: "Annie Wxill"
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > "Philip ®" > wrote in
> > > > > message
> > > > >
ink.net...
> > > > > > In m,
> > > > > ...>
> > > > > ... I'd grab him/her
> > > > > > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk
> > > > > > 'em under the faucet of cold running water.
> > > > > Philip
> > > > >
> > > > > Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good
> > > > > way to get scratched while dunking the cat.
> > > > > You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be
> > > > > careful. Annie
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > > No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My
> > > > cats don't scratch me and I never treated them with physical
> > > > punishment.
> > >
> > > My cats figure out real early that they do not get to scratch
> > > me either. After the "no scratch allowed" lesson is learned,
> > > I have been able to play quite aggressively with all of them
> > > without claws coming out. Numerous people over the years are
> > > suprised how combative cats can be without the claws coming
> > > out. (The fear of getting dunked is one you have to instill
> > > early and .... it works). My guess is your cats do not do
> > > tricks, do mock cat fights with you, use the "people" toilet,
> > > or a few other amusements.
> >
> > Sorry, but I find grabbing a cat by the scruff of the neck and
> > dunking them in water to be extremely cruel. My cats don't use
> > their claws, and are very playful. They are not bullied or
> > physically punished either. ________
>
> Agreed!!!
>
> MaryL

That you two agree does not mean you are correct.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
MaryL -OUT-THE-LITTER> being of bellicose
mind posted:
> "PawsForThought" > wrote in message
> ...
> > > From: "Philip ®"
> >
> > > PawsForThought > being of bellicose
> > > mind posted:
> > > > > From: "Annie Wxill"
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > "Philip ®" > wrote in
> > > > > message
> > > > >
ink.net...
> > > > > > In m,
> > > > > ...>
> > > > > ... I'd grab him/her
> > > > > > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk
> > > > > > 'em under the faucet of cold running water.
> > > > > Philip
> > > > >
> > > > > Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good
> > > > > way to get scratched while dunking the cat.
> > > > > You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be
> > > > > careful. Annie
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > > No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My
> > > > cats don't scratch me and I never treated them with physical
> > > > punishment.
> > >
> > > My cats figure out real early that they do not get to scratch
> > > me either. After the "no scratch allowed" lesson is learned,
> > > I have been able to play quite aggressively with all of them
> > > without claws coming out. Numerous people over the years are
> > > suprised how combative cats can be without the claws coming
> > > out. (The fear of getting dunked is one you have to instill
> > > early and .... it works). My guess is your cats do not do
> > > tricks, do mock cat fights with you, use the "people" toilet,
> > > or a few other amusements.
> >
> > Sorry, but I find grabbing a cat by the scruff of the neck and
> > dunking them in water to be extremely cruel. My cats don't use
> > their claws, and are very playful. They are not bullied or
> > physically punished either. ________
>
> Agreed!!!
>
> MaryL

That you two agree does not mean you are correct.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> > From: "Philip ®"
>
> > PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
> > posted:
> > > > From: (Leonessa)
> > >
> > > > I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I
> > > > have scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from
> > > > his little "play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly
> > > > angry at him, because he's just playing...he doesn't mean to
> > > > hurt me so much.
> > >
> > > You must not play with the cat with your hands, or he will see
> > > you as something to attack. You must train him to use toys
> > > for play, not you. Unfortunately, I see this a lot with new
> > > cat owners, where they play with the kitten with their hands.
> > > Then when the kitten becomes a cat, those scratches hurt. But
> > > you can't blame the cat and he shouldn't be made to pay by
> > > having the ends of his toes amputated. When he bites or
> > > scratches you, put him in the bedroom for a 5 minute time out.
> > > Tell him firmly but gently "no". By ignoring him when he gets
> > > aggressive with you, he will learn. One of my cats' favorite
> > > toys is the feather on a stick toy that you play interactively
> > > with them. ________
> >
> > "You must not play with your cats with your (bare) hands?" What
> > nonsense! Cat's who want to play with their owners are far more
> > fun.
>
> I sometimes play with them with my hands, but I didn't when they
> were kittens, and they were being socialized. Now if I play with
> them using my hands, their claws never come out. I trained them,
> but I didn't use physical punishment.
>
> > The lesson that has to be instilled early is "no claws allowed."
>
> Yep, my cats don't use their claws and I never had to use physical
> abuse on them.

Respectfully, you are a silly woman. To be consistant, owners of
long haired cats who have them shampooed, fluffed, and spritzed with
sweet smelling foo foo every couple of weeks are also "abusive."
;-)
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> > From: "Philip ®"
>
> > PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
> > posted:
> > > > From: (Leonessa)
> > >
> > > > I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I
> > > > have scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from
> > > > his little "play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly
> > > > angry at him, because he's just playing...he doesn't mean to
> > > > hurt me so much.
> > >
> > > You must not play with the cat with your hands, or he will see
> > > you as something to attack. You must train him to use toys
> > > for play, not you. Unfortunately, I see this a lot with new
> > > cat owners, where they play with the kitten with their hands.
> > > Then when the kitten becomes a cat, those scratches hurt. But
> > > you can't blame the cat and he shouldn't be made to pay by
> > > having the ends of his toes amputated. When he bites or
> > > scratches you, put him in the bedroom for a 5 minute time out.
> > > Tell him firmly but gently "no". By ignoring him when he gets
> > > aggressive with you, he will learn. One of my cats' favorite
> > > toys is the feather on a stick toy that you play interactively
> > > with them. ________
> >
> > "You must not play with your cats with your (bare) hands?" What
> > nonsense! Cat's who want to play with their owners are far more
> > fun.
>
> I sometimes play with them with my hands, but I didn't when they
> were kittens, and they were being socialized. Now if I play with
> them using my hands, their claws never come out. I trained them,
> but I didn't use physical punishment.
>
> > The lesson that has to be instilled early is "no claws allowed."
>
> Yep, my cats don't use their claws and I never had to use physical
> abuse on them.

Respectfully, you are a silly woman. To be consistant, owners of
long haired cats who have them shampooed, fluffed, and spritzed with
sweet smelling foo foo every couple of weeks are also "abusive."
;-)
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[-L.]

(Leonessa) wrote in message >...

My review of Soft Paws. I used to apply them to hundreds of cats when
I worked for a feline vet practice. DO NOT declaw your cat. It is
unnecessary, inhumane and may create problems which are MUCH worse
than scratching.
-L.


********************8

Soft Paws

Description: A set of rubber nail covers which are glued to the nail,
after trimming, with a super-glue-like substance. They are used to
keep the kitty from scratching things that may be damaged by unaltered
nails.

****************

Pros:
They are really, really easy to apply if kitty cooperates, and will
let you trim her nails easily. They take about 5-8 minutes to apply,
once you get the hang of it.

They are relatively inexpensive (about $10-12/set, if applied at the
vet, and they last 1-3 months.) They are even less expensive if you
buy your own kit and apply them at home.

They do not interfere with normal claw usage, but protect things you
do not want scratched, fairly effectively.

Some cats do very, very well with them.

****************

Cons:

Some cats *detest* them, and will fight you tooth and nail (excuse the
pun) when you try to apply them.

Some cats pull them off easily.

The glue is very sticky, and will stick to and damage any surface it
encounters (including human skin).

If the glue touches any skin while wet (human or cat), it burns. It
is fairly caustic.

Some cats are allergic to the glue.

If the nail is trimmed too short, the glue can damage the nail bed,
which results in a crusty/ill formed nail, when the nail grows out.
They work best of the nail is trimmed fairly short, and if the glue is
applied in the inner 2/3 of the cap, before application.

The caps need to be fitted properly. Many technicians tend to use
caps that are too large, and then the cat is constantly fighting with
the caps, as they "feel" awkward. (Or they chew them off!) One cat
may need more than one size of caps to accomodate all nails on the
foot (e.g. mediums on all nails except 'pinky", which needs a small).

The caps need to be applied quickly after the glue is applied...the
glue dries very quickly. This can be tricky for beginners.

****************

Overall impression: I think trimming nails often (every 1-2 weeks) is
a better, more wholistic solution to scratching problems, than
Softpaws. If you are unable to do this, SoftPaws may be a solution
for you. Overall, it is a good product, but may not be good for every
cat.

[-L.]

(Leonessa) wrote in message >...

My review of Soft Paws. I used to apply them to hundreds of cats when
I worked for a feline vet practice. DO NOT declaw your cat. It is
unnecessary, inhumane and may create problems which are MUCH worse
than scratching.
-L.


********************8

Soft Paws

Description: A set of rubber nail covers which are glued to the nail,
after trimming, with a super-glue-like substance. They are used to
keep the kitty from scratching things that may be damaged by unaltered
nails.

****************

Pros:
They are really, really easy to apply if kitty cooperates, and will
let you trim her nails easily. They take about 5-8 minutes to apply,
once you get the hang of it.

They are relatively inexpensive (about $10-12/set, if applied at the
vet, and they last 1-3 months.) They are even less expensive if you
buy your own kit and apply them at home.

They do not interfere with normal claw usage, but protect things you
do not want scratched, fairly effectively.

Some cats do very, very well with them.

****************

Cons:

Some cats *detest* them, and will fight you tooth and nail (excuse the
pun) when you try to apply them.

Some cats pull them off easily.

The glue is very sticky, and will stick to and damage any surface it
encounters (including human skin).

If the glue touches any skin while wet (human or cat), it burns. It
is fairly caustic.

Some cats are allergic to the glue.

If the nail is trimmed too short, the glue can damage the nail bed,
which results in a crusty/ill formed nail, when the nail grows out.
They work best of the nail is trimmed fairly short, and if the glue is
applied in the inner 2/3 of the cap, before application.

The caps need to be fitted properly. Many technicians tend to use
caps that are too large, and then the cat is constantly fighting with
the caps, as they "feel" awkward. (Or they chew them off!) One cat
may need more than one size of caps to accomodate all nails on the
foot (e.g. mediums on all nails except 'pinky", which needs a small).

The caps need to be applied quickly after the glue is applied...the
glue dries very quickly. This can be tricky for beginners.

****************

Overall impression: I think trimming nails often (every 1-2 weeks) is
a better, more wholistic solution to scratching problems, than
Softpaws. If you are unable to do this, SoftPaws may be a solution
for you. Overall, it is a good product, but may not be good for every
cat.

[PawsForThought]

>From: "Philip ®"

>PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
>posted:
>> > From: "Philip ®"
>>
>> > PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
>> > posted:
>> > > > From: "Annie Wxill"
>> > >
>> > > >
>> > > > "Philip ®" > wrote in
>> > > > message
>> > > > ink.net...
>> > > > > In m,
>> > > > ...>
>> > > > ... I'd grab him/her
>> > > > > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em
>> > > > > under the faucet of cold running water.
>> > > > Philip
>> > > >
>> > > > Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way
>> > > > to get scratched while dunking the cat.
>> > > > You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
>> > > > Annie
>> > > >
>> > >
>> > > No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My
>> > > cats don't scratch me and I never treated them with physical
>> > > punishment.
>> >
>> > My cats figure out real early that they do not get to scratch me
>> > either. After the "no scratch allowed" lesson is learned, I have
>> > been able to play quite aggressively with all of them without
>> > claws coming out. Numerous people over the years are suprised
>> > how combative cats can be without the claws coming out. (The
>> > fear of getting dunked is one you have to instill early and ....
>> > it works). My guess is your cats do not do tricks, do mock cat
>> > fights with you, use the "people" toilet, or a few other
>> > amusements.
>>
>> Sorry, but I find grabbing a cat by the scruff of the neck and
>> dunking them in water to be extremely cruel. My cats don't use
>> their claws, and are very playful. They are not bullied or
>> physically punished either. ________
>
>Sorry but better the undesired behavior be delt with early on than to
>have a house cat that bites and scratches people. Some cats don't
>need to be "told" while others do. Your interpretation of what
>constitutes "bullied" or "punished" is thoroughly laughable. You
>have little concept of "cruel." I'll give you examples of cruel:
>(1) Declawing a cat, (2) administrations of poisons to curtail
>recurring intestinal worms, (3) prolonged, expensive, and heroic
>medical efforts to thwart the inevitable death of a pet, (4)
>containing a cat in your home that is thoroughly discontented with
>the food and accommodations, (5) hurling the cat thru a glass window.

I agree with numbers 1 and 2. Sometime number 3 works. But I do agree it
shouldn't be done if it is only prolonging the animal's suffering. I've never
experienced number 4 and 5 is a given.

>And you think a little dunk under the kitchen faucet is cruel? LOL.

Yes, I do. There are other ways to deal with a cat that scratches. I've had
cats over 40 years and I've never had to do something like this to a cat.
Maybe it's because of the way I treat them, that they don't scratch me.

>Our cats (including the present one) are well adjusted to living with
>us humans in our house. But Rusty might hop up on the back of the
>chair you're sitting in and paw thru your hair .... looking for bugs.
>;-)

Rusty sounds very cute but I still don't agree with your training method.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

[PawsForThought]

>From: "Philip ®"

>PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
>posted:
>> > From: "Philip ®"
>>
>> > PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
>> > posted:
>> > > > From: "Annie Wxill"
>> > >
>> > > >
>> > > > "Philip ®" > wrote in
>> > > > message
>> > > > ink.net...
>> > > > > In m,
>> > > > ...>
>> > > > ... I'd grab him/her
>> > > > > by the scruff of the neck or at the shoulders and dunk 'em
>> > > > > under the faucet of cold running water.
>> > > > Philip
>> > > >
>> > > > Good way to teach your cat not to trust you. Also a good way
>> > > > to get scratched while dunking the cat.
>> > > > You don't have to be a bully to teach your cat to be careful.
>> > > > Annie
>> > > >
>> > >
>> > > No kidding! Philip, that is not the way to treat a cat. My
>> > > cats don't scratch me and I never treated them with physical
>> > > punishment.
>> >
>> > My cats figure out real early that they do not get to scratch me
>> > either. After the "no scratch allowed" lesson is learned, I have
>> > been able to play quite aggressively with all of them without
>> > claws coming out. Numerous people over the years are suprised
>> > how combative cats can be without the claws coming out. (The
>> > fear of getting dunked is one you have to instill early and ....
>> > it works). My guess is your cats do not do tricks, do mock cat
>> > fights with you, use the "people" toilet, or a few other
>> > amusements.
>>
>> Sorry, but I find grabbing a cat by the scruff of the neck and
>> dunking them in water to be extremely cruel. My cats don't use
>> their claws, and are very playful. They are not bullied or
>> physically punished either. ________
>
>Sorry but better the undesired behavior be delt with early on than to
>have a house cat that bites and scratches people. Some cats don't
>need to be "told" while others do. Your interpretation of what
>constitutes "bullied" or "punished" is thoroughly laughable. You
>have little concept of "cruel." I'll give you examples of cruel:
>(1) Declawing a cat, (2) administrations of poisons to curtail
>recurring intestinal worms, (3) prolonged, expensive, and heroic
>medical efforts to thwart the inevitable death of a pet, (4)
>containing a cat in your home that is thoroughly discontented with
>the food and accommodations, (5) hurling the cat thru a glass window.

I agree with numbers 1 and 2. Sometime number 3 works. But I do agree it
shouldn't be done if it is only prolonging the animal's suffering. I've never
experienced number 4 and 5 is a given.

>And you think a little dunk under the kitchen faucet is cruel? LOL.

Yes, I do. There are other ways to deal with a cat that scratches. I've had
cats over 40 years and I've never had to do something like this to a cat.
Maybe it's because of the way I treat them, that they don't scratch me.

>Our cats (including the present one) are well adjusted to living with
>us humans in our house. But Rusty might hop up on the back of the
>chair you're sitting in and paw thru your hair .... looking for bugs.
>;-)

Rusty sounds very cute but I still don't agree with your training method.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

[PawsForThought]

>From: "Philip ®"

>PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
>posted:
>> > From: "Philip ®"
>>
>> > PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
>> > posted:
>> > > > From: (Leonessa)
>> > >
>> > > > I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I
>> > > > have scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from
>> > > > his little "play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly
>> > > > angry at him, because he's just playing...he doesn't mean to
>> > > > hurt me so much.
>> > >
>> > > You must not play with the cat with your hands, or he will see
>> > > you as something to attack. You must train him to use toys
>> > > for play, not you. Unfortunately, I see this a lot with new
>> > > cat owners, where they play with the kitten with their hands.
>> > > Then when the kitten becomes a cat, those scratches hurt. But
>> > > you can't blame the cat and he shouldn't be made to pay by
>> > > having the ends of his toes amputated. When he bites or
>> > > scratches you, put him in the bedroom for a 5 minute time out.
>> > > Tell him firmly but gently "no". By ignoring him when he gets
>> > > aggressive with you, he will learn. One of my cats' favorite
>> > > toys is the feather on a stick toy that you play interactively
>> > > with them. ________
>> >
>> > "You must not play with your cats with your (bare) hands?" What
>> > nonsense! Cat's who want to play with their owners are far more
>> > fun.
>>
>> I sometimes play with them with my hands, but I didn't when they
>> were kittens, and they were being socialized. Now if I play with
>> them using my hands, their claws never come out. I trained them,
>> but I didn't use physical punishment.
>>
>> > The lesson that has to be instilled early is "no claws allowed."
>>
>> Yep, my cats don't use their claws and I never had to use physical
>> abuse on them.
>
>Respectfully, you are a silly woman. To be consistant, owners of
>long haired cats who have them shampooed, fluffed, and spritzed with
>sweet smelling foo foo every couple of weeks are also "abusive."
>;-)
>--
>
> ~~Philip

I may be silly but it has nothing to do with my gender. My husband doesn't
treat our cats with physical punishment either. They don't scratch him. So if
being kind to animals is being silly, then we'll take being silly.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

[PawsForThought]

>From: "Philip ®"

>PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
>posted:
>> > From: "Philip ®"
>>
>> > PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
>> > posted:
>> > > > From: (Leonessa)
>> > >
>> > > > I have a one year old cat. He's very playful and wild. I
>> > > > have scratches all over my arms, hands, legs, and face from
>> > > > his little "play" attacks. It's hard for me to get truly
>> > > > angry at him, because he's just playing...he doesn't mean to
>> > > > hurt me so much.
>> > >
>> > > You must not play with the cat with your hands, or he will see
>> > > you as something to attack. You must train him to use toys
>> > > for play, not you. Unfortunately, I see this a lot with new
>> > > cat owners, where they play with the kitten with their hands.
>> > > Then when the kitten becomes a cat, those scratches hurt. But
>> > > you can't blame the cat and he shouldn't be made to pay by
>> > > having the ends of his toes amputated. When he bites or
>> > > scratches you, put him in the bedroom for a 5 minute time out.
>> > > Tell him firmly but gently "no". By ignoring him when he gets
>> > > aggressive with you, he will learn. One of my cats' favorite
>> > > toys is the feather on a stick toy that you play interactively
>> > > with them. ________
>> >
>> > "You must not play with your cats with your (bare) hands?" What
>> > nonsense! Cat's who want to play with their owners are far more
>> > fun.
>>
>> I sometimes play with them with my hands, but I didn't when they
>> were kittens, and they were being socialized. Now if I play with
>> them using my hands, their claws never come out. I trained them,
>> but I didn't use physical punishment.
>>
>> > The lesson that has to be instilled early is "no claws allowed."
>>
>> Yep, my cats don't use their claws and I never had to use physical
>> abuse on them.
>
>Respectfully, you are a silly woman. To be consistant, owners of
>long haired cats who have them shampooed, fluffed, and spritzed with
>sweet smelling foo foo every couple of weeks are also "abusive."
>;-)
>--
>
> ~~Philip

I may be silly but it has nothing to do with my gender. My husband doesn't
treat our cats with physical punishment either. They don't scratch him. So if
being kind to animals is being silly, then we'll take being silly.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

[kaeli]

In article et>,
enlightened us with...
>
> "You must not play with your cats with your (bare) hands?" What
> nonsense! Cat's who want to play with their owners are far more fun.
> The lesson that has to be instilled early is "no claws allowed."
> "Time outs" for cats? Hahhahhaa. Yeah, right. I tried that
> approach years ago.

Just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it doesn't work for
others.
Why is it people feel the need to begin name-calling ("silly woman" in
another of your posts) and degrading other training methods when their
own come into question? If yours were that great, you could espouse the
benefits instead of deriding other methods. Not all methods work for all
people or all animals. Fact of life.

I use time-outs and I play with my 3 fully-clawed cats with my hands. I
also use the tap on the nose or a light scruff shake with a "no" for
overly rough behaviour. I have never needed to dunk a cat in water to
get a point across. I also play rough with my 60 pound dog. Time-outs
are used for over-rough biting behavior there as well. My pets are all
happy and playful and love to cuddle.

I would never use dunking as punishment for my cats. Baths are made to
be as pleasant as possible. I have allergies and they need baths every
month. If I used water to punish them, it would be rather counter-
productive.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
All I ask for is the chance to prove that money
cannot make me happy.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

[kaeli]

In article et>,
enlightened us with...
>
> "You must not play with your cats with your (bare) hands?" What
> nonsense! Cat's who want to play with their owners are far more fun.
> The lesson that has to be instilled early is "no claws allowed."
> "Time outs" for cats? Hahhahhaa. Yeah, right. I tried that
> approach years ago.

Just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it doesn't work for
others.
Why is it people feel the need to begin name-calling ("silly woman" in
another of your posts) and degrading other training methods when their
own come into question? If yours were that great, you could espouse the
benefits instead of deriding other methods. Not all methods work for all
people or all animals. Fact of life.

I use time-outs and I play with my 3 fully-clawed cats with my hands. I
also use the tap on the nose or a light scruff shake with a "no" for
overly rough behaviour. I have never needed to dunk a cat in water to
get a point across. I also play rough with my 60 pound dog. Time-outs
are used for over-rough biting behavior there as well. My pets are all
happy and playful and love to cuddle.

I would never use dunking as punishment for my cats. Baths are made to
be as pleasant as possible. I have allergies and they need baths every
month. If I used water to punish them, it would be rather counter-
productive.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
All I ask for is the chance to prove that money
cannot make me happy.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

[Rebecca B]

Barb,

Thats such a sad story about your cat wanting to sharpen he non-existant
claws. I'd never declaw a cat.

When we first had our cat, he did 'test' us to see what he could and couldnt
get away with i.e. scratching the sofa, but with training of a loud 'NO' and
'Badcat' he knows if he's doing wrong and stops immediately.

Becky

[Rebecca B]

Barb,

Thats such a sad story about your cat wanting to sharpen he non-existant
claws. I'd never declaw a cat.

When we first had our cat, he did 'test' us to see what he could and couldnt
get away with i.e. scratching the sofa, but with training of a loud 'NO' and
'Badcat' he knows if he's doing wrong and stops immediately.

Becky

[Barb 1]

Only one reply that I read (from "L") mentioned trimming the nails. I had
posted that when I brought home my 8 week old kitten , Pickles, she was all
teeth and nails. I was constantly trimming those nails. (About every week)
When she did a painful scratch I let out a yelp but after a while I noticed
that she just began using her pads on me. She seemed to learn this on her
own. The biting has also almost stopped. She is now 7 months old. Get a
cat claw clipper and if you have never done this get the vet to show you how
for the first time so you don't clip too much and start some bleeding.

Declawing is so terrible. I found a stray in the street that had been
declawed. Now, 13 years later she still tries to sharpen her claws. She
rubs her pads over the top of the scratch pad to make the same noise as if
she were really doing it. When I bring home a new scratch pad she is the
first to use it. I feel so bad about that and wish I could give her back
her claws.

--
Barb
I can only please one person a day.
Today is not your day.
Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

[Barb 1]

Only one reply that I read (from "L") mentioned trimming the nails. I had
posted that when I brought home my 8 week old kitten , Pickles, she was all
teeth and nails. I was constantly trimming those nails. (About every week)
When she did a painful scratch I let out a yelp but after a while I noticed
that she just began using her pads on me. She seemed to learn this on her
own. The biting has also almost stopped. She is now 7 months old. Get a
cat claw clipper and if you have never done this get the vet to show you how
for the first time so you don't clip too much and start some bleeding.

Declawing is so terrible. I found a stray in the street that had been
declawed. Now, 13 years later she still tries to sharpen her claws. She
rubs her pads over the top of the scratch pad to make the same noise as if
she were really doing it. When I bring home a new scratch pad she is the
first to use it. I feel so bad about that and wish I could give her back
her claws.

--
Barb
I can only please one person a day.
Today is not your day.
Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

[Philip ®]

In ,
PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> > From: "Philip ®"
> > Respectfully, you are a silly woman. To be consistant, owners of
> > long haired cats who have them shampooed, fluffed, and spritzed
> > with sweet smelling foo foo every couple of weeks are also
> > "abusive." ;-)
> > --
> >
> > ~~Philip
>
> I may be silly but it has nothing to do with my gender. My
> husband doesn't treat our cats with physical punishment either.
> They don't scratch him. So if being kind to animals is being
> silly, then we'll take being silly.
>
> Lauren

I have defined what constitutes abuse. In the name of "love" or
"kindness" there are people on this forum comitting -real- abuse. It
is good that your pet doesn't claw either of you but.... it would be
"interesting" if the cat decided to test your resolve. Hehehhehe.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> > From: "Philip ®"
> > Respectfully, you are a silly woman. To be consistant, owners of
> > long haired cats who have them shampooed, fluffed, and spritzed
> > with sweet smelling foo foo every couple of weeks are also
> > "abusive." ;-)
> > --
> >
> > ~~Philip
>
> I may be silly but it has nothing to do with my gender. My
> husband doesn't treat our cats with physical punishment either.
> They don't scratch him. So if being kind to animals is being
> silly, then we'll take being silly.
>
> Lauren

I have defined what constitutes abuse. In the name of "love" or
"kindness" there are people on this forum comitting -real- abuse. It
is good that your pet doesn't claw either of you but.... it would be
"interesting" if the cat decided to test your resolve. Hehehhehe.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> > From: "Philip ®"
> >
> > Sorry but better the undesired behavior be delt with early on
> > than to have a house cat that bites and scratches people. Some
> > cats don't need to be "told" while others do. Your
> > interpretation of what constitutes "bullied" or "punished" is
> > thoroughly laughable. You have little concept of "cruel."
> > I'll give you examples of cruel: (1) Declawing a cat, (2)
> > administrations of poisons to curtail recurring intestinal
> > worms, (3) prolonged, expensive, and heroic medical efforts to
> > thwart the inevitable death of a pet, (4) containing a cat in
> > your home that is thoroughly discontented with the food and
> > accommodations, (5) hurling the cat thru a glass window.
>
> I agree with numbers 1 and 2. Sometime number 3 works. But I do
> agree it shouldn't be done if it is only prolonging the animal's
> suffering. I've never experienced number 4 and 5 is a given.
>
> > And you think a little dunk under the kitchen faucet is cruel?
> > LOL.
>
> Yes, I do. There are other ways to deal with a cat that
> scratches. I've had cats over 40 years and I've never had to do
> something like this to a cat. Maybe it's because of the way I
> treat them, that they don't scratch me.
>
> > Our cats (including the present one) are well adjusted to living
> > with us humans in our house. But Rusty might hop up on the back
> > of the chair you're sitting in and paw thru your hair ....
> > looking for bugs. ;-)
>
> Rusty sounds very cute but I still don't agree with your training
> method.
>
> Lauren

That's ok Lauren, YOU don't have to. :-) The ends justify the
training means. There are no Barnum & Bailey-like beatings going on
so stop imagining such is the case. Rusty's house manners are
exceptional as is his health, and "interactions" with my wife and I,
let alone unsuspecting guests. Hehehhe. He won't believe there
are no bugs in your wig until he inspects for himself. ;-)
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
PawsForThought > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> > From: "Philip ®"
> >
> > Sorry but better the undesired behavior be delt with early on
> > than to have a house cat that bites and scratches people. Some
> > cats don't need to be "told" while others do. Your
> > interpretation of what constitutes "bullied" or "punished" is
> > thoroughly laughable. You have little concept of "cruel."
> > I'll give you examples of cruel: (1) Declawing a cat, (2)
> > administrations of poisons to curtail recurring intestinal
> > worms, (3) prolonged, expensive, and heroic medical efforts to
> > thwart the inevitable death of a pet, (4) containing a cat in
> > your home that is thoroughly discontented with the food and
> > accommodations, (5) hurling the cat thru a glass window.
>
> I agree with numbers 1 and 2. Sometime number 3 works. But I do
> agree it shouldn't be done if it is only prolonging the animal's
> suffering. I've never experienced number 4 and 5 is a given.
>
> > And you think a little dunk under the kitchen faucet is cruel?
> > LOL.
>
> Yes, I do. There are other ways to deal with a cat that
> scratches. I've had cats over 40 years and I've never had to do
> something like this to a cat. Maybe it's because of the way I
> treat them, that they don't scratch me.
>
> > Our cats (including the present one) are well adjusted to living
> > with us humans in our house. But Rusty might hop up on the back
> > of the chair you're sitting in and paw thru your hair ....
> > looking for bugs. ;-)
>
> Rusty sounds very cute but I still don't agree with your training
> method.
>
> Lauren

That's ok Lauren, YOU don't have to. :-) The ends justify the
training means. There are no Barnum & Bailey-like beatings going on
so stop imagining such is the case. Rusty's house manners are
exceptional as is his health, and "interactions" with my wife and I,
let alone unsuspecting guests. Hehehhe. He won't believe there
are no bugs in your wig until he inspects for himself. ;-)
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
kaeli > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> In article et>,
> enlightened us with...
> >
> > "You must not play with your cats with your (bare) hands?" What
> > nonsense! Cat's who want to play with their owners are far more
> > fun. The lesson that has to be instilled early is "no claws
> > allowed." "Time outs" for cats? Hahhahhaa. Yeah, right. I
> > tried that approach years ago.
>
> Just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it doesn't work
> for others.
> Why is it people feel the need to begin name-calling ("silly
> woman" in another of your posts) and degrading other training
> methods when their own come into question? If yours were that
> great, you could espouse the benefits instead of deriding other
> methods. Not all methods work for all people or all animals. Fact
> of life.

Are you a silly woman too? -Who- administers any training method is
more important than the method itself. Personality. You don't know
how to dunk an animal (cat in this case) for disciplinary reasons and
.... I do. Get over it. ;-) My wife has never been successful in
trimming any cat's talons. I have no problem ... takes me 3 minutes,
all four feet. Wife would have gone the declawing route if left to
her own devices.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"


> I use time-outs and I play with my 3 fully-clawed cats with my
> hands. I also use the tap on the nose or a light scruff shake with
> a "no" for overly rough behaviour. I have never needed to dunk a
> cat in water to get a point across. I also play rough with my 60
> pound dog. Time-outs are used for over-rough biting behavior there
> as well. My pets are all happy and playful and love to cuddle.
>
> I would never use dunking as punishment for my cats. Baths are
> made to be as pleasant as possible. I have allergies and they need
> baths every month. If I used water to punish them, it would be
> rather counter- productive.
>
> -------------------------------------------------
> ~kaeli~
> All I ask for is the chance to prove that money
> cannot make me happy.
> http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
> http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
> -------------------------------------------------

[Philip ®]

In ,
kaeli > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> In article et>,
> enlightened us with...
> >
> > "You must not play with your cats with your (bare) hands?" What
> > nonsense! Cat's who want to play with their owners are far more
> > fun. The lesson that has to be instilled early is "no claws
> > allowed." "Time outs" for cats? Hahhahhaa. Yeah, right. I
> > tried that approach years ago.
>
> Just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it doesn't work
> for others.
> Why is it people feel the need to begin name-calling ("silly
> woman" in another of your posts) and degrading other training
> methods when their own come into question? If yours were that
> great, you could espouse the benefits instead of deriding other
> methods. Not all methods work for all people or all animals. Fact
> of life.

Are you a silly woman too? -Who- administers any training method is
more important than the method itself. Personality. You don't know
how to dunk an animal (cat in this case) for disciplinary reasons and
.... I do. Get over it. ;-) My wife has never been successful in
trimming any cat's talons. I have no problem ... takes me 3 minutes,
all four feet. Wife would have gone the declawing route if left to
her own devices.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"


> I use time-outs and I play with my 3 fully-clawed cats with my
> hands. I also use the tap on the nose or a light scruff shake with
> a "no" for overly rough behaviour. I have never needed to dunk a
> cat in water to get a point across. I also play rough with my 60
> pound dog. Time-outs are used for over-rough biting behavior there
> as well. My pets are all happy and playful and love to cuddle.
>
> I would never use dunking as punishment for my cats. Baths are
> made to be as pleasant as possible. I have allergies and they need
> baths every month. If I used water to punish them, it would be
> rather counter- productive.
>
> -------------------------------------------------
> ~kaeli~
> All I ask for is the chance to prove that money
> cannot make me happy.
> http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
> http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
> -------------------------------------------------

[Philip ®]

In ,
Barb 1 > being of bellicose mind posted:
> Only one reply that I read (from "L") mentioned trimming the
> nails. I had posted that when I brought home my 8 week old kitten
> , Pickles, she was all teeth and nails. I was constantly trimming
> those nails. (About every week) When she did a painful scratch I
> let out a yelp but after a while I noticed that she just began
> using her pads on me. She seemed to learn this on her own. The
> biting has also almost stopped. She is now 7 months old. Get a
> cat claw clipper and if you have never done this get the vet to
> show you how for the first time so you don't clip too much and
> start some bleeding.
>
> Declawing is so terrible. I found a stray in the street that had
> been declawed. Now, 13 years later she still tries to sharpen her
> claws. She rubs her pads over the top of the scratch pad to make
> the same noise as if she were really doing it. When I bring home
> a new scratch pad she is the first to use it. I feel so bad about
> that and wish I could give her back her claws.

I've more than mentioned clipping. It's a matter of technique and
confidence. The cat can NEVER win (escape, run off) in the early
clipping experience otherwise, they will challange you every time.

Send everyone out of the room Sit in a chair. Plop the on its back
between your legs with its tail hanging out over your knees. Pinch
the top of the paw with your thumb and press your forefinger
under/behind the pad of the claw you want to clip. Extend the claw.
Just clip off the little hook on the end. Move to the next claw. Do
all this quickly while talking to the cat. To do the hind feet, just
lean forward a bit, place your left forearm across the cat's stomach
(supporting his front paws) and grasp the cat's right hind foot.
Press/extend each claw between your thumb and forefinger just like
you did the paws. Change arms to do the opposit side. Be confident
otherwise, the cat will attempt escape. They can tell when you're
fumbling around.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
Barb 1 > being of bellicose mind posted:
> Only one reply that I read (from "L") mentioned trimming the
> nails. I had posted that when I brought home my 8 week old kitten
> , Pickles, she was all teeth and nails. I was constantly trimming
> those nails. (About every week) When she did a painful scratch I
> let out a yelp but after a while I noticed that she just began
> using her pads on me. She seemed to learn this on her own. The
> biting has also almost stopped. She is now 7 months old. Get a
> cat claw clipper and if you have never done this get the vet to
> show you how for the first time so you don't clip too much and
> start some bleeding.
>
> Declawing is so terrible. I found a stray in the street that had
> been declawed. Now, 13 years later she still tries to sharpen her
> claws. She rubs her pads over the top of the scratch pad to make
> the same noise as if she were really doing it. When I bring home
> a new scratch pad she is the first to use it. I feel so bad about
> that and wish I could give her back her claws.

I've more than mentioned clipping. It's a matter of technique and
confidence. The cat can NEVER win (escape, run off) in the early
clipping experience otherwise, they will challange you every time.

Send everyone out of the room Sit in a chair. Plop the on its back
between your legs with its tail hanging out over your knees. Pinch
the top of the paw with your thumb and press your forefinger
under/behind the pad of the claw you want to clip. Extend the claw.
Just clip off the little hook on the end. Move to the next claw. Do
all this quickly while talking to the cat. To do the hind feet, just
lean forward a bit, place your left forearm across the cat's stomach
(supporting his front paws) and grasp the cat's right hind foot.
Press/extend each claw between your thumb and forefinger just like
you did the paws. Change arms to do the opposit side. Be confident
otherwise, the cat will attempt escape. They can tell when you're
fumbling around.
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
Rebecca B > being of bellicose mind posted:
> Barb,
>
> Thats such a sad story about your cat wanting to sharpen he
> non-existant claws. I'd never declaw a cat.
>
> When we first had our cat, he did 'test' us to see what he could
> and couldnt get away with i.e. scratching the sofa, but with
> training of a loud 'NO' and 'Badcat' he knows if he's doing wrong
> and stops immediately.
>
> Becky

All the cat registered was your hostility. But luckily for you,
that's all it took. LOL
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
Rebecca B > being of bellicose mind posted:
> Barb,
>
> Thats such a sad story about your cat wanting to sharpen he
> non-existant claws. I'd never declaw a cat.
>
> When we first had our cat, he did 'test' us to see what he could
> and couldnt get away with i.e. scratching the sofa, but with
> training of a loud 'NO' and 'Badcat' he knows if he's doing wrong
> and stops immediately.
>
> Becky

All the cat registered was your hostility. But luckily for you,
that's all it took. LOL
--

~~Philip

"Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Someone Somewhere]

Leonessa wrote:

> he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much. And it
> REALLY, REALLY hurts -- I'm sure my neighbors have heard me scream in
> agony when he's dug his razor sharp claws into my skin.

If you have already tried a scratching post, did you try it horizontally AND vertically? My cat
hardly bothered with several scratching posts I used to hang from various doors, preferring instead
one particular corner of the couch, but one day I put a scratching post on the floor for a minute
while I cleaned the door, and he promptly used it, and then seemed to fall in love with it. He uses
it constantly, likes to lay next to it or on it, and even sleeps with or on it. It's very odd. But
then I think my cat is odd anyway, but that's the subject of another post I'm going to write soon
once I've hung around long enough to see whether my questions are asked a lot already :-)

[Someone Somewhere]

Leonessa wrote:

> he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much. And it
> REALLY, REALLY hurts -- I'm sure my neighbors have heard me scream in
> agony when he's dug his razor sharp claws into my skin.

If you have already tried a scratching post, did you try it horizontally AND vertically? My cat
hardly bothered with several scratching posts I used to hang from various doors, preferring instead
one particular corner of the couch, but one day I put a scratching post on the floor for a minute
while I cleaned the door, and he promptly used it, and then seemed to fall in love with it. He uses
it constantly, likes to lay next to it or on it, and even sleeps with or on it. It's very odd. But
then I think my cat is odd anyway, but that's the subject of another post I'm going to write soon
once I've hung around long enough to see whether my questions are asked a lot already :-)

[Rebecca B]

.... anyone would think I shout at my cat all the time from that reply!

"Philip ®" > wrote in message
k.net...
> In ,
> Rebecca B > being of bellicose mind posted:
> > Barb,
> >
> > Thats such a sad story about your cat wanting to sharpen he
> > non-existant claws. I'd never declaw a cat.
> >
> > When we first had our cat, he did 'test' us to see what he could
> > and couldnt get away with i.e. scratching the sofa, but with
> > training of a loud 'NO' and 'Badcat' he knows if he's doing wrong
> > and stops immediately.
> >
> > Becky
>
> All the cat registered was your hostility. But luckily for you,
> that's all it took. LOL
> --
>
> ~~Philip
>
> "Never let school interfere
> with your education - Mark Twain"
>
>

[Rebecca B]

.... anyone would think I shout at my cat all the time from that reply!

"Philip ®" > wrote in message
k.net...
> In ,
> Rebecca B > being of bellicose mind posted:
> > Barb,
> >
> > Thats such a sad story about your cat wanting to sharpen he
> > non-existant claws. I'd never declaw a cat.
> >
> > When we first had our cat, he did 'test' us to see what he could
> > and couldnt get away with i.e. scratching the sofa, but with
> > training of a loud 'NO' and 'Badcat' he knows if he's doing wrong
> > and stops immediately.
> >
> > Becky
>
> All the cat registered was your hostility. But luckily for you,
> that's all it took. LOL
> --
>
> ~~Philip
>
> "Never let school interfere
> with your education - Mark Twain"
>
>

[kaeli]

In article >, 1chip-
enlightened us with...
>
> Are you a silly woman too?

Ah, how mature of you.
Are you 12?

> -Who- administers any training method is
> more important than the method itself.

Exactly what I said, darling.

When you act like a time-out is not a viable training method (""Time
outs" for cats? Hahhahhaa. Yeah, right. I tried that
approach years ago."), then state the above, you contradict yourself.
YOU don't know how to train without violence. That is your fault, not
the cat's.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
All I ask for is the chance to prove that money
cannot make me happy.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

[kaeli]

In article >, 1chip-
enlightened us with...
>
> Are you a silly woman too?

Ah, how mature of you.
Are you 12?

> -Who- administers any training method is
> more important than the method itself.

Exactly what I said, darling.

When you act like a time-out is not a viable training method (""Time
outs" for cats? Hahhahhaa. Yeah, right. I tried that
approach years ago."), then state the above, you contradict yourself.
YOU don't know how to train without violence. That is your fault, not
the cat's.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
All I ask for is the chance to prove that money
cannot make me happy.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

[Barb 1]

To Rebecca,

Actually Sapphire's story (the declawed cat) is really not sad on the whole.
She is generally a happy cat who purrs a lot and has a nice routine for
herself. She is a little angel but the declawing was something she didn't
deserve.

--
Barb
I can only please one person a day.
Today is not your day.
Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

[Barb 1]

To Rebecca,

Actually Sapphire's story (the declawed cat) is really not sad on the whole.
She is generally a happy cat who purrs a lot and has a nice routine for
herself. She is a little angel but the declawing was something she didn't
deserve.

--
Barb
I can only please one person a day.
Today is not your day.
Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

[-L.]

"Rebecca B" > wrote in message >...
> ... anyone would think I shout at my cat all the time from that reply!

My cats both know "No!" and "Go!". I never hit them, squirted them,
yelled at them or in any way did anything negative (I did hiss at them
from time to time), except be very commanding in my voice and use hand
gestures. Cats are very smart and pick up commands fairly quickly.

-L.

[-L.]

"Rebecca B" > wrote in message >...
> ... anyone would think I shout at my cat all the time from that reply!

My cats both know "No!" and "Go!". I never hit them, squirted them,
yelled at them or in any way did anything negative (I did hiss at them
from time to time), except be very commanding in my voice and use hand
gestures. Cats are very smart and pick up commands fairly quickly.

-L.

[Philip ®]

In ,
kaeli > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> In article >,
> 1chip- enlightened us with...
> >
> > Are you a silly woman too?
>
> Ah, how mature of you.
> Are you 12?

69 yrs. I can call you a silly woman.

> > -Who- administers any training method is
> > more important than the method itself.
>
> Exactly what I said, darling.
>
> When you act like a time-out is not a viable training method
> (""Time outs" for cats? Hahhahhaa. Yeah, right. I tried that
> approach years ago."), then state the above, you contradict
> yourself. YOU don't know how to train without violence. That is
> your fault, not the cat's.

I have described "violence," Kaeli. I am completely consistant
except at your agenda driven convenience. Go suck an egg.
--

~~Philip "Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In ,
kaeli > being of bellicose mind
posted:
> In article >,
> 1chip- enlightened us with...
> >
> > Are you a silly woman too?
>
> Ah, how mature of you.
> Are you 12?

69 yrs. I can call you a silly woman.

> > -Who- administers any training method is
> > more important than the method itself.
>
> Exactly what I said, darling.
>
> When you act like a time-out is not a viable training method
> (""Time outs" for cats? Hahhahhaa. Yeah, right. I tried that
> approach years ago."), then state the above, you contradict
> yourself. YOU don't know how to train without violence. That is
> your fault, not the cat's.

I have described "violence," Kaeli. I am completely consistant
except at your agenda driven convenience. Go suck an egg.
--

~~Philip "Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In m,
-L. > being of bellicose mind posted:
> "Rebecca B" > wrote in message
> >...
> > ... anyone would think I shout at my cat all the time from that
> > reply!
>
> My cats both know "No!" and "Go!". I never hit them, squirted
> them,
> yelled at them or in any way did anything negative (I did hiss at
> them
> from time to time), except be very commanding in my voice and use
> hand
> gestures. Cats are very smart and pick up commands fairly quickly.
>
> -L.

Oh my gawd.... gestural, emotional, and verbal abuse! Call out the
kitty police! ;-)
--

~~Philip "Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In m,
-L. > being of bellicose mind posted:
> "Rebecca B" > wrote in message
> >...
> > ... anyone would think I shout at my cat all the time from that
> > reply!
>
> My cats both know "No!" and "Go!". I never hit them, squirted
> them,
> yelled at them or in any way did anything negative (I did hiss at
> them
> from time to time), except be very commanding in my voice and use
> hand
> gestures. Cats are very smart and pick up commands fairly quickly.
>
> -L.

Oh my gawd.... gestural, emotional, and verbal abuse! Call out the
kitty police! ;-)
--

~~Philip "Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[kaeli]

In article t>, 1chip-
enlightened us with...
> In ,
> >
> > Ah, how mature of you.
> > Are you 12?
>
> 69 yrs. I can call you a silly woman.
>

So you can. How mature and wise. You sure told me, didn't you?
Pot to kettle, come in, kettle.

>
> I have described "violence," Kaeli. I am completely consistant
> except at your agenda driven convenience. Go suck an egg.

ROFLMAO!
You amuse me.

Thanks for the laughs!

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
Jesus saves, Allah protects, and Cthulhu
thinks you'd make a nice sandwich.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

[kaeli]

In article t>, 1chip-
enlightened us with...
> In ,
> >
> > Ah, how mature of you.
> > Are you 12?
>
> 69 yrs. I can call you a silly woman.
>

So you can. How mature and wise. You sure told me, didn't you?
Pot to kettle, come in, kettle.

>
> I have described "violence," Kaeli. I am completely consistant
> except at your agenda driven convenience. Go suck an egg.

ROFLMAO!
You amuse me.

Thanks for the laughs!

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
Jesus saves, Allah protects, and Cthulhu
thinks you'd make a nice sandwich.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

[Mary]

<Instant Karma> (Regina) wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 06 Oct 2003 19:42:58 GMT, "Philip ®"
> > wrote:
>
> <SNIP>
> >
> >Are you a silly woman too? -Who- administers any training method
is
> >more important than the method itself. Personality. You don't know
> >how to dunk an animal (cat in this case) for disciplinary reasons
and
> >... I do. Get over it. ;-) My wife has never been successful in
> >trimming any cat's talons. I have no problem ... takes me 3
minutes,
> >all four feet. Wife would have gone the declawing route if left to
> >her own devices.
>
>
> Does anyone else see the pattern? Who wants to wager that Phillip is
a
> sock puppet for Iben Gettner?
Who cares? You are a troll anyway.

[Mary]

<Instant Karma> (Regina) wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 06 Oct 2003 19:42:58 GMT, "Philip ®"
> > wrote:
>
> <SNIP>
> >
> >Are you a silly woman too? -Who- administers any training method
is
> >more important than the method itself. Personality. You don't know
> >how to dunk an animal (cat in this case) for disciplinary reasons
and
> >... I do. Get over it. ;-) My wife has never been successful in
> >trimming any cat's talons. I have no problem ... takes me 3
minutes,
> >all four feet. Wife would have gone the declawing route if left to
> >her own devices.
>
>
> Does anyone else see the pattern? Who wants to wager that Phillip is
a
> sock puppet for Iben Gettner?
Who cares? You are a troll anyway.

[Leonessa]

Someone Somewhere > wrote in message >...
> Leonessa wrote:
>
> > he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much. And it
> > REALLY, REALLY hurts -- I'm sure my neighbors have heard me scream in
> > agony when he's dug his razor sharp claws into my skin.
>
> If you have already tried a scratching post, did you try it horizontally AND vertically? My cat
> hardly bothered with several scratching posts I used to hang from various doors, preferring instead
> one particular corner of the couch, but one day I put a scratching post on the floor for a minute
> while I cleaned the door, and he promptly used it, and then seemed to fall in love with it. He uses
> it constantly, likes to lay next to it or on it, and even sleeps with or on it. It's very odd. But
> then I think my cat is odd anyway, but that's the subject of another post I'm going to write soon
> once I've hung around long enough to see whether my questions are asked a lot already :-)


That's an idea! My cat really does love his scratching post...so
maybe I should put some more out.

Thanks for your responses, everyone. I'm sorry it turned into one of
those newsgroup flaming wars, though.

I think I'm just going to have to resort to Soft Paws. My cat doesn't
respond to any type of punishment. He LIKES water, so spraying him
with a squirt gun is a treat.

He's just a wild little thing.

[Leonessa]

Someone Somewhere > wrote in message >...
> Leonessa wrote:
>
> > he's just playing...he doesn't mean to hurt me so much. And it
> > REALLY, REALLY hurts -- I'm sure my neighbors have heard me scream in
> > agony when he's dug his razor sharp claws into my skin.
>
> If you have already tried a scratching post, did you try it horizontally AND vertically? My cat
> hardly bothered with several scratching posts I used to hang from various doors, preferring instead
> one particular corner of the couch, but one day I put a scratching post on the floor for a minute
> while I cleaned the door, and he promptly used it, and then seemed to fall in love with it. He uses
> it constantly, likes to lay next to it or on it, and even sleeps with or on it. It's very odd. But
> then I think my cat is odd anyway, but that's the subject of another post I'm going to write soon
> once I've hung around long enough to see whether my questions are asked a lot already :-)


That's an idea! My cat really does love his scratching post...so
maybe I should put some more out.

Thanks for your responses, everyone. I'm sorry it turned into one of
those newsgroup flaming wars, though.

I think I'm just going to have to resort to Soft Paws. My cat doesn't
respond to any type of punishment. He LIKES water, so spraying him
with a squirt gun is a treat.

He's just a wild little thing.

[Philip ®]

In om,
Leonessa > being of bellicose mind
posted:
>snip<
> Thanks for your responses, everyone. I'm sorry it turned into one
> of
> those newsgroup flaming wars, though.
>
> I think I'm just going to have to resort to Soft Paws. My cat
> doesn't
> respond to any type of punishment. He LIKES water, so spraying him
> with a squirt gun is a treat.
>
> He's just a wild little thing.

Become proficient in trimming his talons and you will not need to
declaw your cat.
--

~~Philip "Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"

[Philip ®]

In om,
Leonessa > being of bellicose mind
posted:
>snip<
> Thanks for your responses, everyone. I'm sorry it turned into one
> of
> those newsgroup flaming wars, though.
>
> I think I'm just going to have to resort to Soft Paws. My cat
> doesn't
> respond to any type of punishment. He LIKES water, so spraying him
> with a squirt gun is a treat.
>
> He's just a wild little thing.

Become proficient in trimming his talons and you will not need to
declaw your cat.
--

~~Philip "Never let school interfere
with your education - Mark Twain"