adnil458

YAY it is also easier to clip nails when they are very,very sleepy

germanquilter

I have three cats: one 7 year old female brown tabby, one 2 year old male orange tabby and a one-year old female Maine Coon mix. They came from cat rescues to us as kittens except for the Maine Coon; we rescued her off the street at 5 weeks old. None of my cats are declawed. We have lots of toys, several scratching posts and clip their claws every 10 days. I never had an issue with them clawing up my furniture etc and we have several leather sofas/recliners Of course, they hog every scrap of fabric in this house but that is another matter LOL

nativetexan

I too have three. one is still very timid but one of her siblings was timid also and none of the others were. she, however, had to be chased away from the back of the sofa at times! they never bothered it when it was against the wall, now that it is out in the room, the back is fair game it seems. other than that, they are good cats.

sewmom

I am not promoting declawing, but just saying there are health risks and inproper ways to perform that surgery. Like amputation by surgeon or buzzsaw. I wish no one would declaw their pets. Unfortunately before i understood what was involved we declawed our first 2 cats. There were no complications with their surgery but one became a biter. When we bought our Maine Coons we had to sign a contract with the breeder to nueter and NOT declaw which we happily signed.sorry for the confusion.

QuiltedCello

3 here also My big guy was an itty bitty little ball of fluff who I picked up during an ice storm. He's my big mush ball of love. My girl is the queen diva in the house, and she does not put up with crap. She's an almost ugly cat, but I went to the shelter to get another cat and the cat I liked didn't like me, and she trotted right up, sat in my lap and chirped at me, so I took her home. Then my little blind guy, who isn't so little anymore. He's from a local cat rescue, because I'm a sucker, and I can handle (or think I can anyway) if he has a drastically shortened life.

The only furniture they claw at is an ancient couch with that almost burlap type 70's textured fabric. I can't really fault them for that, they don't touch any other furniture, and they don't damage the cushions, just the fabric. So I toss a blanket over it, and claim I'll eventually get it recovered.

If I'm sewing, they are mostly good about leaving things alone, they do like to grab scraps to run off with, and my girl likes to sit on the cutting table. Oh well, she makes a good weight to hold the fabric down. If I'm not sewing, they are naughty and try to eat thread and pins. Thus, all that is kept in a latched cabinet drawer system.

KerryK

I'm soooooo sooooooooooooo glad you are not having your kitten declawed. I agree with all the posters who have given the reasons why they should not be declawed.

I have no cats now, just my baby Gracie (avatar), but I did have a Maine Coon for almost 12 years. I tried the scratching posts that you can buy, and they "sorta" worked, but not all the time. We had a fireplace and the logs we used were about 20" long. We had one split vertically down the middle. I took one half and propped it up against the wall in the den, with a towel behind it to protect the wall. The other one was farther back in the house, set up the same way. She absolutely loved the natural bark of the half-log, and used it all the time. In fact, she used it so much that after a couple of years she actually wore the bark off on one section of it until it was smooth. After I put the logs up for her to scratch, she never ever touched a piece of furniture. I think she really enjoyed the natural feel of the bark. I very strongly and highly recommend this method. Good luck with your sweet baby.

Peckish

Count me as another high-five for not de-clawing your cat! Years ago I had an acquaintance who de-clawed her kitten's front feet, and that poor kitten walked only on his hind legs for months. Broke my heart every time I saw him. The owner thought it was funny.

I have a friend who has 5 acres and several rescued cats, both indoor and outdoor. She gave me very good advice - do NOT buy carpet-covered scratching posts! It only teaches them that it's okay to scratch carpet. Get the sisal rope covered posts, or bark like a previous poster. I think those materials are healthier for the cats anyway.