Declawing is Absolutely a Last Resort
 

Kitty Cottage strongly objects to declawing, because it is a painful and unnecessary surgery for cats. Many respected sources say that declawed cats may become biters, because they feel defenseless. Declawing puts cats at risk if they are lost or get outside the house. Try the following steps instead of declawing.

1. Have several scratch posts for your cat. They should be covered in sisal, and not less than 30" tall, with sturdy untippable bases. You could use bark logs too. The idea is to make the scratch post different from the type of furniture or carpet the cat is scratching. Place the scratch posts in front of your cat's previous scratching targets. You can find instructions on how to build a good scratch post on www.wiscatclub.com. You can also purchase them from Karate Kat at 800-822-6628 (ask for the 32 inch posts). Every so often you might want to rub each scratch post with catnip, or spray it with catnip spray, to attract your cat to it. Praise your cat for using the scratch posts.

2. Cover the scratched areas of the furniture, upholstery or carpets with "Sticky Paws" brand adhesive strips or double-sided carpet tape. You can also wrap aluminum foil around the corners and arms of upholstered furniture and tape it in place. Or you can buy clear vinyl at a hardware or sewing store, wrap pieces around the corners and arms of upholstered furniture, and secure the vinyl in place with upholstery screws (they don't harm the fabric). After a month or so you may be able to remove the protection.

3. Place something uncomfortable on the floor where you cat usually stands while he's scratching. You can cut a piece of vinyl floor runner from a hardware store, and place it nubby side up on the floor. Usually your cat won't stand on the rubber points. You may be able to remove the mat after a month.

4. When your cat starts to scratch something, make a sudden, sharp, startling sound, such as "Eek!", followed by "No!", or "Hissss!", followed by "No!". When you find the sound that stops your cat, use that expression consistently when your cat is scratching things. Never spank, shake or scruff your cat for bad behavior.

The above ideas are from Betsy Lipscomb, a feline behavior counselor at Cats International. You can reach this organization by visiting www.catsinternational.org.