Declawing: glad I took the time

wrote in message
...
I'm really disappointed that you have chosen to abandon advocating
for
the *best* situation for this cat. She's socialized and agreeable
enough to the OP, and she has a chance at a safe indoor home. I
don't
see any reason not to give her exactly that.

Megan

Hi Megan ,
It seems to me that what is *best* for the cat depends on who's
posting the reply ! *Why* does the cat have to permanently indoors or
permanently outdoors?
This cat has successfully lived out side , there's no need to make it
stay in permanently.
The happiness of an indoor cat depends very much on the owners
knowledge and commitment and many indoor cats end up in shelters
*because* of their behaviour problems. Will the OP be able to make
the commitment an indoor cat needs or will it all end in tears?
Alison

Hi James,
There's alink about cat cratching you might find helpful
http://www.catscratching.com/

Alison



She's a 6 month old KITTEN. They have a wild stage which they grow
out
of,

No, she's not. I didn't say she was 6 months old, I said we've had
her for 6 months. She's actually a year and a half old, our other
cat
is two years old. That's why it's so frustrating, she's no longer a
kitten. It's not just one piece of furniture she finds attractive
either, it's ALL furniture. She has shredded chairs, couches,
futons,
ottomans, carpets, rugs, and for some odd reason, the closet door.
Our other cat learned very fast and won't touch anything, this one
just seems slow in the head. I'll hear her scratching the couch and
I'll spray her with the water bottle. She'll slink away but as soon
as I walk away she'll immediately go back to scratching the same
couch
or whatever it was she was scratching. She knows she's doing
something wrong, I can tell by the way she crouches and slinks away
when I catch her scratching something. As soon as I'm out of the
room, though, yahoo!

Hi James,
There's alink about cat cratching you might find helpful
http://www.catscratching.com/

Alison



She's a 6 month old KITTEN. They have a wild stage which they grow
out
of,

No, she's not. I didn't say she was 6 months old, I said we've had
her for 6 months. She's actually a year and a half old, our other
cat
is two years old. That's why it's so frustrating, she's no longer a
kitten. It's not just one piece of furniture she finds attractive
either, it's ALL furniture. She has shredded chairs, couches,
futons,
ottomans, carpets, rugs, and for some odd reason, the closet door.
Our other cat learned very fast and won't touch anything, this one
just seems slow in the head. I'll hear her scratching the couch and
I'll spray her with the water bottle. She'll slink away but as soon
as I walk away she'll immediately go back to scratching the same
couch
or whatever it was she was scratching. She knows she's doing
something wrong, I can tell by the way she crouches and slinks away
when I catch her scratching something. As soon as I'm out of the
room, though, yahoo!

Hi James,

She'll slink away but as soon
as I walk away she'll immediately go back to scratching the same couch
or whatever it was she was scratching. She knows she's doing
something wrong, I can tell by the way she crouches and slinks away
when I catch her scratching something. As soon as I'm out of the
room, though, yahoo!

Just a couple of points, I don't think your cat understands you
don't want her to scratch , she's just reacting to you because you
spray her with water. Just because she reacts to you doesn't mean
she's made the connection between her action of scratching and you
spraying her.
A deterrent has to be like an act of God. coming from nowhere and
the timing has to be exactly right or she won't make the connection.
Cats scratch to leave their scent , to mark their territory
especially if they feel insecure or in competition which can happen if
you have more than one cat.
Alison


--
Alison


Links to animal information websites
http://mysite.freeserve.com/petinfolinks/

"James Janko-Revell" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 17:43:09 GMT, "Mary" wrote:



I must say that you can damned well try harder to train her if you
really to not want to declaw her. It can be done if you want to do
it.
It takes time and persistance. Take her to the post and praise
her,
take here there and feed her treats. Do more, and it will work. If
you
choose to declaw it is your CHOICE and not something the cat "made
you
do." If you are a decent person it is something you will regret for
the rest of your life. I hate to say this, but if you are not
willing
to do what it takes to train her, I do think you would be better
off
finding your cat a home with someone who loves animals more than
furniture.


So what you're saying is there is no reasonable length of time
before
we say, "She can't be trained,"? Because 6 months of daily training
seems like an awful lot to me. We've had 4 cats before her and they
all learned just fine using our training methods. Is it possible
for
cats to be retarded? She looks a little cross-eyed, but I digress.
As I said, I've never believed in declawing, but even my wife, a
longtime member of PETA, has said "enough is enough." I did note my
brother recently had both of his cats declawed and they are no worse
for the wear, haven't changed one bit. In any case, my wife just
can't quite sign on for the declawing, although she's tempted. This
means the little squirt is going up the river, ie: to PAWS or the
shelter. Yes, I'm not ashamed to admit, if it comes between a cat
who
can't learn and refurnishing my house, I'll take my house. Not
unless
the cat can go out and find a damned job...

Hi James,

She'll slink away but as soon
as I walk away she'll immediately go back to scratching the same couch
or whatever it was she was scratching. She knows she's doing
something wrong, I can tell by the way she crouches and slinks away
when I catch her scratching something. As soon as I'm out of the
room, though, yahoo!

Just a couple of points, I don't think your cat understands you
don't want her to scratch , she's just reacting to you because you
spray her with water. Just because she reacts to you doesn't mean
she's made the connection between her action of scratching and you
spraying her.
A deterrent has to be like an act of God. coming from nowhere and
the timing has to be exactly right or she won't make the connection.
Cats scratch to leave their scent , to mark their territory
especially if they feel insecure or in competition which can happen if
you have more than one cat.
Alison


--
Alison


Links to animal information websites
http://mysite.freeserve.com/petinfolinks/

"James Janko-Revell" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 17:43:09 GMT, "Mary" wrote:



I must say that you can damned well try harder to train her if you
really to not want to declaw her. It can be done if you want to do
it.
It takes time and persistance. Take her to the post and praise
her,
take here there and feed her treats. Do more, and it will work. If
you
choose to declaw it is your CHOICE and not something the cat "made
you
do." If you are a decent person it is something you will regret for
the rest of your life. I hate to say this, but if you are not
willing
to do what it takes to train her, I do think you would be better
off
finding your cat a home with someone who loves animals more than
furniture.


So what you're saying is there is no reasonable length of time
before
we say, "She can't be trained,"? Because 6 months of daily training
seems like an awful lot to me. We've had 4 cats before her and they
all learned just fine using our training methods. Is it possible
for
cats to be retarded? She looks a little cross-eyed, but I digress.
As I said, I've never believed in declawing, but even my wife, a
longtime member of PETA, has said "enough is enough." I did note my
brother recently had both of his cats declawed and they are no worse
for the wear, haven't changed one bit. In any case, my wife just
can't quite sign on for the declawing, although she's tempted. This
means the little squirt is going up the river, ie: to PAWS or the
shelter. Yes, I'm not ashamed to admit, if it comes between a cat
who
can't learn and refurnishing my house, I'll take my house. Not
unless
the cat can go out and find a damned job...

More links! .The well known behaviourist pam johnson- bennet wrote
these replies on her forum.

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv...t/?msg=16097.5

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv...t/?msg=15713.2
Alison

More links! .The well known behaviourist pam johnson- bennet wrote
these replies on her forum.

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv...t/?msg=16097.5

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv...t/?msg=15713.2
Alison

"Alison" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
I'm really disappointed that you have chosen to abandon advocating
for
the *best* situation for this cat. She's socialized and agreeable
enough to the OP, and she has a chance at a safe indoor home. I
don't
see any reason not to give her exactly that.

Megan

Hi Megan ,
It seems to me that what is *best* for the cat depends on who's
posting the reply ! *Why* does the cat have to permanently indoors or
permanently outdoors?
This cat has successfully lived out side , there's no need to make it
stay in permanently.
The happiness of an indoor cat depends very much on the owners
knowledge and commitment and many indoor cats end up in shelters
*because* of their behaviour problems. Will the OP be able to make
the commitment an indoor cat needs or will it all end in tears?
Alison




Indoor cats generally live much longer and healthier lives, at least in the
U.S. It's true that this cat has lived outdoors for two years, and many
others have lived far longer outdoors. However, outdoor cats frequently die
on the road (or, worse, are badly injured and crawl away to die), suffer
wounds in cat fights, may injest toxic poisons (either deliberate or
accidental, as with antifreeze), etc. If you have read other messages on
this newsgroup, you may also be aware that neighbors often object to having
cats on their property.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

"Alison" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
I'm really disappointed that you have chosen to abandon advocating
for
the *best* situation for this cat. She's socialized and agreeable
enough to the OP, and she has a chance at a safe indoor home. I
don't
see any reason not to give her exactly that.

Megan

Hi Megan ,
It seems to me that what is *best* for the cat depends on who's
posting the reply ! *Why* does the cat have to permanently indoors or
permanently outdoors?
This cat has successfully lived out side , there's no need to make it
stay in permanently.
The happiness of an indoor cat depends very much on the owners
knowledge and commitment and many indoor cats end up in shelters
*because* of their behaviour problems. Will the OP be able to make
the commitment an indoor cat needs or will it all end in tears?
Alison




Indoor cats generally live much longer and healthier lives, at least in the
U.S. It's true that this cat has lived outdoors for two years, and many
others have lived far longer outdoors. However, outdoor cats frequently die
on the road (or, worse, are badly injured and crawl away to die), suffer
wounds in cat fights, may injest toxic poisons (either deliberate or
accidental, as with antifreeze), etc. If you have read other messages on
this newsgroup, you may also be aware that neighbors often object to having
cats on their property.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

In article ,
enlightened us with...

Fun, innit? She talks to me too. I love when she runs by and gives me
a little
chirp. Like, "Just me, carry on!" Or the sound when I was losing some
skin trying to get her into the carrier for the vet. The kitty
equivalent of
"Noooooooooooo WAYYYYYY!" Or the annoyed sound when she is
being a pill and I want to pet her. The close-lipped, between the
teeth,
very low volume but high-pitched "mmmmmm ...."


My cats love to just follow me around the house, talking to me. I talk
back, of course, which encourages them. hehe

What's scary is that this can be the best conversation I have all day.
*g*


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