http://www.leospetcare.com Please consider your options before presenting your cat for declaw surgery There are many alternatives to declawing that should be considered before you choose to have this surgery done on your cat. I'm going to discuss a selection here, along with three of the most common declaw surgical techniques. Option to declawing #1: "Preclawing" I'm going to coin a term here! Have you ever heard the term "precycling"? It's the act of buying items that you know will NOT create a lot of waste. Like, buying something in a cardboard box instead of something in a plastic bag. Anyway, if you've got a cat, or you're going to get a cat, THINK before you buy your furniture. Cats like to scratch rough surfaces, so instead, buy items with a smooth texture like leather or velvet. The better you "preclaw", the more likely you can avoid having to declaw your kitty! Option to declawing #2: NAIL TRIMMING Trimming your cat's nails is pretty easy, once you get the hang of it. A cat with blunt nails does MUCH less damage to furniture, drapery and rugs, and in my opinion, trimming your cat's nails is much easier than applying Soft Paws. I'd LOVE to teach you how to do this at home, and I'll even sell you the nail trimmers, if you would prefer to learn nail trimming to avoid declaw surgery. The basic premise of trimming your cats nails is easily illustrated here. Cut the white part, don't cut the pink part: Option to declawing #3: SCRATCHING POSTS Most cats can be trained to use a scratching post to avoid declaw surgery. Scratching posts can be bought, or if you're into carpentry, built. Sisal-covered posts are preferred by many cats, though other materials like cardboard are often equally effective. Scratching posts that include several elevations (horizontal and vertical) are best since cats like sitting on elevated surfaces. If one post doesn't work, get a second one, and experiment with their locations. Offer kitty a variety of surfaces and elevations, and he will soon choose his favorites. You may need to entice him to paw at the new post by encouraging him to chase after a toy or string around it. As you might expect, the earlier you start to train your cat to use appropriate scratching surfaces, the more likely he will be to prefer scratching posts in the end. Option to declawing #4: SOFT PAWS These are soft vinyl caps that you superglue onto each of your cat's nails. They fall off after a few weeks, and need to be reapplied at least monthly. I can count on one hand the number of clients who have used these and liked them. On the other hand, if you think you'd like to see your cat with fluorescent pink nails, these might be just the thing for you. Seems to me trimming the nails is easier and just as effective. Option to declawing #5: FELIWAY Feliway is a pheromone, produced as either a pump spray or a room atomizer, that mimics the scent applied when a cat rubs the side of her face on something. The theory here is that if your cat smells what she thinks is her own pheromone on the couch, she'll be less likely to feel the need to apply the scent that comes out of the bottom of her FEET by clawing.
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Mittens The DeClawed Catby LowRiderGhost594 views
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