"Kristine Kochanski" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 7 Jun 2004 19:23:00 +0000 (UTC), David Stevenson
wrote:

David Wright wrote
Hello,

My cat is continually scratching my neighbours cars - they have caught
him
scratching up and down the wings, and on the bonnet. They have been
decent
enough about it, but patience only lasts for so long!

My question is, is it legal or ethical or possible to get a cat's claws
clipped/removed/something else to avoid my cat doing this? He is a
domestic
tom, aged 2 years.

Clipped, certainly. I clip my cats claws regularly.

Removed? well, apart form the distaste that several people on this NG
including me feel for this practice, ie we do not think it ethical,
whether it is legal depends on your country which you did not name. It
is illegal in much of Europe, legal in much of North America.

Something else: people talk about SoftPaws. I know nothing about it
myself.

I believe these are like glue-on caps, not sure if they're available
outside the US, I've certainly never seen them. I personally wouldn't
recommend you clip any cat's claws who goes outside - their claws are
their primary defence against attack from other cats/predators.

Trimming their claws does not prevent them from using them for self
defense. Declawing them does...and by the way. Let's call it what it
really is. Removing a cats claws sounds like no big deal but the truth
is it's amputating their "finger tips"..not removing a claw.


Why
don't you just discourage the cat from scratching the car? Squirt it
with water when you catch it scratching, smear the bonnet with
something greasy, if it's doing it at night, keep the cat in. There
are umpteen humane alternatives.

I love cats and I wouldn't grease down my car to protect it from
a neighbors cat. Keep the cat away from the car. Build an outdoor
enclosure, buy your neighbor a car cover, get them keep away
spray to put around their yards perimeter, squirting was a good idea,
and it may help to make sure your Tom is fixed. Ok..maybe it won't
help but it's still important if you are letting your cat roam.

AG