Originally Posted by
Chasing Hawk
Please, Please don't get him declawed. There is nothing worse one can do to a cat.
To keep him from clawing at the furniture keep PLENTY of scratching posts around. We have one cat and she has 5 posts scattered around the house. Also keep a squirt bottle handy for times when they "forget" where their post is.
Having him neutered will help settle him down some.
Declawing means they will take his claws out all the way to their first knuckle it's painful for them. It's inhumane. And he won't be able to defend himself if he happens to get outside. Without his front claws he will not be able to climb a tree if a dog is after him.
You might as well have him put down if your going to take away his only defense. By removing his claws.
I also believe it is wrong to declaw a cat. The one thing that seems to evade notice on this issue, is that things change, things die, including us. What happens to the poor cat then? Whoever is responsible to find the cat a new home has to find someone that will be required to be hyper vigilant, as I assume you would be, about letting a now defenseless cat get out. When a landlord tried to force me to declaw my Bruno, I told him I would just have him put down. I felt that would be more humane. When they take the claws off of a cat, they have to cripple it to do so. It is the equivalent of having your toes removed.
Having said all of that, I have tried scratching posts for Bruno, but he could care less since they are usually too small for him. I have just learned to keep a weighted cardboard box in the house for him to shred the corners of. I just rotate the box until all corners are "dead" then go get a new box. I use piles of books in them for weight. This costs me nothing, gives me a place to store extra books, and I recycle the old corner-less box! Free and helps the planet, and keeps Bruno from making lace out of my furniture. Winning!