RE: Does your cat have claws?

RE: Does your cat have claws? (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Fun] >> Home & Garden

[Poll]

Does your cat have claws?

Yes my cat all of their claws

81% (30)

My cat has no front claws but does have back

16% (6)

My cat has back claws but does not have front

0% (0)

My cat is clawless

2% (1)

My cat only has 3 sets of claws

0% (0)

I have no idea, let me check....

0% (0)

Total Votes : 37

(last vote on : 5/10/2008 11:04:21 AM)
(Poll will run till: -- )

Message

Ps103 -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/28/2008 10:06:43 PM)
Mr. Roosevelt has all his claws, and he occasionally makes me painfully aware of this fact.[sm=aside.gif] He must have poor eyesight, as he has a habit of mistaking my hands and feet for prey. He also has all his teeth, and I used to have the holes in my ankles to prove it. (With ankles, he didn't scratch--he bit.) He has improved about that, with age and loud screaming.

phosadaud -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/28/2008 10:09:49 PM)
When my dog was a puppy, my lower legs were one big wound... [&:] The cats are pretty good, but sometimes I do get attacked in bed.. I don't sit still, I don't stand still, I don't lay still. And apparently what moves under the covers is fair game... [&:]

creationtalk -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/28/2008 10:10:15 PM)
All 4 cats have their claws (as my back can attest, as 2 decided to have a battle on it this morning). I do not recommend declawing a cat. I will not declaw them since we live in the country and they are often outside. I have had one (front) declawed cat and she was at a distinct disadvantage when chased by a dog, etc. She did learn to climb trees by wrapping her front legs around the trunk and pushing herself up with her back legs.

Roberta_ -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/28/2008 11:26:11 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: phosadaud And it turns my stomach that there are landlords that require folks to declaw their cats. The problem is that many landlords have had a problem with cat owners not taking responsibility for their cats and the cat(s) tear up the place, leaving the landlord to pay for the damages. For many landlords, the alternative is to have them declawed or not allow cats at all. I couldn't really vote. Most of our cats have all of their claws. Only one is declawed. He's still living in Indiana until I can afford to get him out here.

uponeagleswings -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/29/2008 12:28:11 AM)
I'm an oddball too. Both of our cats are front-only declawed. We did pretty much everything we could think of to teach them not to scratch the furniture- declawing was a last resort. Even with claws regularly trimmed they still scratched our couch down to the wood frame in several spots. The water bottle was not a deterrent even when we added vinegar to the water- one of our cats has apparently developed a taste for vinegar. Our cats are both indoors only- the only cats that people allow outside in this area are strays. The declawing was fine, and neither of them had any ill effects from it. They both still kept their own personalities, and although they fight like brothers I consider that normal for cats.

fluffmonkey -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/29/2008 1:55:13 AM)
For all you wondering I was just very curious to know what others thought about the subject, Thank you for all your input please feel free to keep discussing the matter. I have another question "Does declawing or not declawing have any decision on if your cat is indoor only or outdoor only or Both Indoor/outdoor? "

Harvie -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/29/2008 2:18:53 AM)
All of our cats have ALL of their claws. I would never recommend that cats be declawed and wish the US had laws against it like the UK does.

peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/29/2008 10:33:04 AM)
quote: "Does declawing or not declawing have any decision on if your cat is indoor only or outdoor only or Both Indoor/outdoor? " yes it would for us....if we were ever given a cat that was already declawed then I would insist on that cat being indoor only...for their own protection.

stellaluna -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/29/2008 10:57:49 AM)
All of our cats during my childhood were indoor/outdoor cats. The two cats I've had as an adult have been indoor-only. Claws on all of them. We've never had a problem training them not to scratch. HOWEVER, I have never had good results with the scratching posts you see everywhere. The flat cardboard scratchers that sit on the floor (and the similar sloped ones) are awesome! Here's one. Here's another one.

elastic -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/29/2008 11:09:21 AM)
I have one cat that has all of her claws, and one cat that has been declawed in the front paws only. I would NEVER ever EVER, EVER, EVER declaw a cat, but we adopted the declawed one to save her from having to be put down. i personally think that declawing is heartless and cruel and I wouldn't ever do it....especially if the cat is and indoor and outdoor cat. they cannot defend themselves if they ever have to go outside. quote: The flat cardboard scratchers that sit on the floor (and the similar sloped ones) are awesome! i second this statement. our girl with claws loves her double wide flat cardboard scratcher. she hasn't ever clawed our furniture. towels and socks are a different story though...that's mostly chewing and not clawing though. she loves to eat towels and my dh's socks. [8D]

phosadaud -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/29/2008 3:10:57 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DenimDiva quote: ORIGINAL: phosadaud And it turns my stomach that there are landlords that require folks to declaw their cats. The problem is that many landlords have had a problem with cat owners not taking responsibility for their cats and the cat(s) tear up the place, leaving the landlord to pay for the damages. For many landlords, the alternative is to have them declawed or not allow cats at all. The reason I don't get that is because I've never had a cat that destroyed the actual building. Tear up the furniture - yes. Attack the Christmas tree ornament - yes. But the actual building? Dogs on the other hand will do that but I don't see landowners requiring dogs to have their teeth removed. As far as irresponsible tenants - that has nothing to do with cat ownership. And that is why you usually have to pay a deposit and often an additional deposit for pets. Sorry, I just don't get it. Most adults and kids are more destructive than any cat. quote: "Does declawing or not declawing have any decision on if your cat is indoor only or outdoor only or Both Indoor/outdoor? " I'm a big proponent of indoor only cats (although I know there are places where cats can be outdoors and stay relatively safe - just not where I live). Cats need their claws for a number of reasons not just for self defense from the local stray. In addition, the claws are the last bone on their paws (claws are not the same thing as fingernails). It goes beyond protection. One of the main reasons that many cats have been declawed develop litterbox issues is simply because without claws, the litter bothers their paws and digging becomes a challenge (they use their claws when they dig).

agapetos -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/29/2008 6:02:45 PM)
quote: quote: The flat cardboard scratchers that sit on the floor (and the similar sloped ones) are awesome! i second this statement. our girl with claws loves her double wide flat cardboard scratcher. I third it... though Munchie has a cat tree (there are 4 upright scratchers on it) and a cardboard (flat) one (in my bedroom) that she loves as much as the tree. I dropped a top (or something) on it last week and she got really upset that she couldn't get to it!

Roberta_ -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/29/2008 6:17:51 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: phosadaud As far as irresponsible tenants - that has nothing to do with cat ownership. And that is why you usually have to pay a deposit and often an additional deposit for pets. Sorry, I just don't get it. Most adults and kids are more destructive than any cat. That doesn't change the fact that the landlords are the ones left holding the bag. They are just trying to protect their investment which is probably a means of feeding their families.

agapetos -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/29/2008 6:35:41 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DenimDiva quote: ORIGINAL: phosadaud As far as irresponsible tenants - that has nothing to do with cat ownership. And that is why you usually have to pay a deposit and often an additional deposit for pets. Sorry, I just don't get it. Most adults and kids are more destructive than any cat. That doesn't change the fact that the landlords are the ones left holding the bag. They are just trying to protect their investment which is probably a means of feeding their families. I've always paid a deposit which was only returnable if everything was ok ~ which it was.

phosadaud -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/29/2008 9:34:51 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DenimDiva quote: ORIGINAL: phosadaud As far as irresponsible tenants - that has nothing to do with cat ownership. And that is why you usually have to pay a deposit and often an additional deposit for pets. Sorry, I just don't get it. Most adults and kids are more destructive than any cat. That doesn't change the fact that the landlords are the ones left holding the bag. They are just trying to protect their investment which is probably a means of feeding their families. Which, like I stated, is why they have damage deposits and pet deposits so they AREN'T left holding the bag. And again, cats are far less destructive than dogs, kids and idiot adults. Cats just don't destroy structural property (unlike dogs, kids and adults). It just doesn't make any sense to me to force all tenants to amputate the toes of their cats for something that has minimal risk. They should be more concerned about the dogs their tenants have or the kids or the drunk adults. I know many landlords, and I have NEVER heard of any of them dealing with "cat damage". Kid damage - yes. Dog damage - yes. People damage - big time.

peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/30/2008 9:44:52 AM)
quote: I know many landlords, and I have NEVER heard of any of them dealing with "cat damage". Kid damage - yes. Dog damage - yes. People damage - big time. the only damage I can think of that a cat really could do, is more in the category of "stupid adults allowing it" and that is if someone allows a cat to pee pr poop just anywhere they want...however, that has nothing to do with their claws.

fluffmonkey -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/30/2008 11:16:56 AM)
My cat has all her claws btw, She has a scratching post and all kinds of toys... she never really clawed up anything besides me ocassionly and my computer chair (for some odd reason) lol I rescued her when she was young she was found outside on the side of road in middle of no where and was nothing but skin and bones...but ever since Ive had her she has been indoor cat only and she is healthy and loved.

Leslie_JnJs_mom -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/30/2008 11:22:39 AM)
My cat turned every wall in my house into a scratching post. No carpet or cardboard has been able to get him to stop. Funny thing is that we had him for a few years in our old house with no issues be we moved into this new home that was lived in for a whole 2 months before and all the sudden my cat thinks every wall is his to scratch. If I was renting I would have turned my cat over to the humain society. I actually had to turn one of my cats over. When my baby was born this cat started pooping in her bed and blankets. My DH is much more of an animal person then I am so he insisted it was a litter box issue. So we stuck with the same litter kept it super clean instead of every day or so but no luck. The last straw was when I laid her down when she was a month or two old to start dinner. WHen I picker her up she was covered in cat poop. I had it at that point.

stellaluna -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/30/2008 11:37:07 AM)
Cats have scent glands in between their paws, so "clawing" is one way of marking their territory. If your cat starts scratching in weird ways after moving or when you get new furniture, etc. this is partly why--they aren't necessarily intentionally destroying your walls and furniture. (And there may be a smell they don't like which they are trying to cover up.)

Leslie_JnJs_mom -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/30/2008 11:39:45 AM)
I also found out that when a kitty is all lovey dovey rubbing up against a person they are actually marking that person. LOL and all this time I thought my friends cat just really liked me!

stellaluna -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/30/2008 2:44:25 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: 2monkeysmom I also found out that when a kitty is all lovey dovey rubbing up against a person they are actually marking that person. LOL and all this time I thought my friends cat just really liked me! Yep. [:)] And let me add that your cat may intentionally be destroying your things. You know...they're cats. [sm=aside.gif]

Psalm22 -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (4/30/2008 5:16:49 PM)
I couldn't answer the poll directly. My older two were declawed in front by their former owner. My younger cat still has all his weapons. And none scratch the furniture. I provide (and have always provided) adequate scratching posts of different textures for the cats to use. A few years ago I also added the doorhanger-type ones (except I put them flat on the floor) and mats. The 4-ft cat tree also allows them (especially the youngest) to stretch up tall. Growing up and as a young adult on my own, there were always lots of cats, none were declawed, and rarely did any of them go after furniture. IF they did, putting a scratching post as close as possible cured the problem.

thisistheday -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (5/1/2008 12:24:16 AM)
I do have some scratched up woodwork from mostly 1 of our two cats. It's not a huge deal to me; we have no plans to move and it wasn't super nice woodwork to begin with. We've had a couple of chairs scratched up by cats also, but our couch is pretty much left alone. The living room furniture fares fairly well since I'm often here to get on them when they are starting to scratch the furniture. I've never had a declawed cat. I try to keep our cats indoors. But both of them live to slip outside. One of the cats has figured out how to open our sliding screen so inevitably I'll slip outside for something and the door will end up open with at least one cat outside. I can latch it when I'm inside. When the four year old goes in and out it's also pretty easy for a cat to get outside with her. I've nicknamed one of our cats "Flash" because I'd never seen a cat that could fly across the room and slip out the front door so fast when he was a kitten. Dee

Leslie_JnJs_mom -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (5/1/2008 9:10:16 AM)
My cat likes to slip outside too. We have never allowed him to be out and when he slips out we go and get him. He was so dissapointed when he thought he could run around the house and saw no one was chasing him. Ha my DH just ran around the other side and tackled him that way. He said if kitty looks could kill he would of died instantly. He has really gotten old though because when my 3 year old came in and announced that she let the cat out I ran outside fully expecting to see no cat in sight there he was on the front patio sniffing away. If we did not have so much rail road traffic and ferral cats here I would consider letting him out for short periods.

ofa23 -> RE: Does your cat have claws? (5/1/2008 3:04:07 PM)
We adopted our cat from the local shelter here about 3 years ago and she came with her back claws intact but she has no front claws. Needless to say, she is an indoor kitty.

Page: << < prev 1 [2] 3 next > >>