cat clawing furniture

Yes, the Pedi-Paws. A worthfy investment. ... [A]fter awhile
both of you get into the hang of it and it becomes a regular weekly
bonding ritual. They love the attention.

I had been wondering about this -- thanks for posting.

Anyone else have good or bad experience to report?

I have talked to a few pet owners who have them. Some pets are afraid
of the noise. Other reviews I've read say the motor burns out quickly,
and suggest getting a Dremel tool (which is essentially what the Pedi-
Paws is) instead.

On Feb 9, 2:13*pm, wrote:

I have talked to a few pet owners who have them. Some pets are afraid
of the noise. Other reviews I've read say the motor burns out quickly,
and suggest getting a Dremel tool (which is essentially what the Pedi-
Paws is) instead.

Agreed on the Dremel - but get the TOL unit, and not the el-cheapo.
You want variable speed - the single-speed units (if there are any
left out there) will cut SO fast as to risk cutting into the quick of
the claws. After which your cat will _NEVER_ tolerate it again. And
the TOL units are very smooth and quiet. There is a flex-shaft
attachment that takes the whine even further from the cat. It is also
much handier than manipulating the entire motor unit.

http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-225-Fle.../dp/B0000302Y8

http://www.toolbarn.com/product/dremel/761-03/ if you do not want to
spend the bucks for the complete system. As I have several hobbies
that require power-tools, the complete system does not go to waste.

And, you want to use a fairly mild drum sand paper abraisive at a low-
speed. Cutting will be slow, but so will noise and the potential to
cut too far too fast. 120-grit for dogs, 220-grit for cats. DO NOT use
wheels or solid abrasives. They overheat quickly as well as clog
easily. But it is the heat that is dangerous.

Our cats are constantly testing the limits of clawing - they
understand that it is not permitted in 'established' furniture, but
they are always checking anything new for permission - and they REALLY
like the microfibers and false suedes. So, we have the corrugated
cardboard scratchers liberally scattered about and at various angles,
some even nearly a foot above the floor so they have to stretch to get
to it. That and a little catnip and they are generally under control.
They also happen to like scratching real wood, so as we have
fireplaces, we leave a long piece of birch log out for them. They love
the flakey bark.

But cats scratch both as exercise and as a territorial imperative and
to scent-mark. Multiple-cat households will have additional scratching
behavior as a square of the cats involved - so, 1 cat = 1 x
scratching, 2 cats = 4 x scratching, 3 cats = 9 x and so forth. Cats
will also seldom share identical scratching locations although
separation may be as simple as one scratching the one end or side of
the item, the other another. They DON'T do it for their claws - those
remain plenty sharp on their own.

Bottom line, do anything but de-claw. If the alternative is get rid of
the cat or de-claw, get rid of the cat. Or, cut off your fingers at
the first knuckle to understand the process more precisely before you
do the cat.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

Sat, 7 Feb 2009 18:33:39 -0500 from Stan Brown
:
6 Feb 2009 14:58:01 -0600 from Clara Semps :
Yes, the Pedi-Paws. A worthfy investment. ... [A]fter awhile
both of you get into the hang of it and it becomes a regular weekly
bonding ritual. They love the attention.

I had been wondering about this -- thanks for posting.

Anyone else have good or bad experience to report?

Thanks to those who responded!

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...