Some questions about my kitten - not declawing

Zoey was supposed to get declawed tomorrow , but after a bunch of research I changed my mind.

So my question is - I have to learn to trim her nails - any tips? How often? Best nail trimmer brand? After trimming, do you think I can actually file them a little bc I expect them to be a little sharp after a clean cut. I am hoping when she is sleepy she will let me do whatever I want

I am also going to buy her a scratch post tomorrow. She hasn't really scratched the furniture much, but has scratched us when we are wearing jeans and put a hole in Dh's jeans!

Re: Some questions about my kitten - not declawing

I honestly have tosay I believe you did the right thing to NOT declaw. I have heard it's very painful, cruel and effects a cat's inborn natural instincts/desire to scratch. So I am glad you did not do it. Plus if your cat ever got out or had to defend itself, it would have no chance without claws.

I would buy a scratching post that odds are your cat will use in time. But since it's just a kitten, scratching is still very common at this age. Their claws are like razors.

I dont know anything about filing, etc, never did that. But I would buy some scratchy toys and a post and I am sure your cat will grow to love them. Hope someone else can offer you more info.

Message edited 12/14/2012 9:12:39 PM.

Some questions about my kitten - not declawing

Yay! You did the right thing by not declawing! The nail cutter I have is almost like a guillotine shaped scissor if that makes sense. It's easy to cut their nails, you just need to apply a little pressure on their paws for the nails to come out and make sure you don't cut down too far. I'm sure there must be you tube videos for this. My cat doesn't mind it, I started when he was a kitten. I do them pretty much every week, his nails grow fast, but most cats don't have to be trimmed that often. I would get a scratching post too, they need to scratch. Mine never liked the scratching post, but as a kitten he did like the scratching pads.
I also have never filed, I don't think there is a need to.

Message edited 12/14/2012 9:34:35 PM.

Some questions about my kitten - not declawing

I use regular toe nail clippers on my cats. I do it once a month. I flip them over baby style, gently squeeze the pad of the paw and then clip. As long as the cat doesn't have black nails its easy and they get used to it fairly quickly.

Re: Some questions about my kitten - not declawing

Re: Some questions about my kitten - not declawing

My cat LOVES having his nails clipped. If I click the scissors, he comes running from the other room and jumps in my lap.

Here's how I trained him this way - probably he didn't mind it, but I think I encouraged him to enjoy the experience.

From the time we first got him (at 6 months, so we actually started a bit late) - every time I clipped his nails, I gave him a lot of love and affection (he likes to be pet and kissed) and also always followed up the session with treats. He would purr the entire time. I trim his nails about once a week, so I don't have to worry about trimming too low since I know I will do it again in a few days anyway.

I just use a cheap pair of cat nail clippers. I've never filed his nails.

Also, when he was a kitten and in a good purring mood, I would constantly touch his paws in between petting him. This got him used to someone handling his feet in a pleasurable way.

Now, I do not give him treats every time I clip his nails but he still really likes it. I find it very simple and am glad we never declawed.

For the scratch post - we actually had to teach him how to use it. We bought him 2 different kinds and he really didn't know what to do with them. DH kind of demonstrated and then we would hold us his paws and scratch for him. He quickly caught on and uses it every day. He has a little vertical one and another one that is more of a rug material that is flat. He uses both.

Hope this helps!

Message edited 12/15/2012 5:33:54 PM.

Some questions about my kitten - not declawing

You definitely did the right thing. I have heard that declawing a cat makes it insecure and more likely to bite. I have also heard that a declawed cat can have residual pain from losing that first part of it's finger bones.

If you end up for some reason having big problems with scratching you can always use soft claw caps (they are plastic thingys that are glued on over the nails) but really if you keep her nails trimmed and give her other things to scratch she should leave your stuff alone.

I would suggest getting a tall cat condo (overstock.com sells awesome ones for cheap and low or free shipping) with sisal rope on it. The taller the better, cats need vertical space. I would also suggest some horizontal scratchers (the cardboard type) They typically have cat nip on them and the cats go crazy for them (once they are about 6 months old, before that they say it doesn't effect kittens).

Cats are awesome. I have two bengal cats and a chihuahua. One of my cats is more loyal than my dog and she loves to play fetch and knows how to sit. When company comes over my cat is usually sitting at my feet or somewhere near me.

There are some great books on how to train and trick train your cats. Check out Naughty no more for behavior problems and how to train your cat in 10 minutes is awesome for basic training. Two great books that will help you develop and maintain a great relationship with your kitty :O)

Re: Some questions about my kitten - not declawing

Penny is particularly difficult and we sometimes wrap her in a blanket for things like nail trimming... medication ... but we have 4 cats and we only have to do this for her! So, you probably should be fine in that regard. For the others, my dh is just able to hold them down and do it. Sometimes we can't do ALL the nails in one sitting (depends on the cat... )

I have to be honest, we don't keep up with it like we should... That will change pretty fast when we have kids obviously, but for now if we get a scratch on something we're just pretty laid back and pretend it's not there. I know that method wouldn't work for everyone though!

Message edited 12/15/2012 6:49:01 PM.

Re: Some questions about my kitten - not declawing

Kudos to you for being a good cat mama and doing your reseach Declawing is very a very inhumane and unnecessary procedure. I love all the kitty paws in my house and could not imagine cutting off any of their little toes

All the posters above have given great advice. Scratching posts are very important. It is a cat's nature to scratch and giving them a place that is allowed will keep them away from what they shouldn't. Some cats prefer vertical scratchers and some prefer horizontal. You should buy both and see which your kitty prefers. Sprinkle some catnip on them and take their front paws and show them what to do.

As for clipping of their nails, I have handled my Sushi Girl's paws since she was a little 1lb kitten and she still hates it. Miso is not a fan either. I usually have to wrap Sushi in a blanket and Miso I basically sit on to get it done

Now that all of that is out of the way, I must insist on seeing kitty pictures please

Re: Some questions about my kitten - not declawing

Thank you everyone. I am really glad I didn't go through with the surgery on Saturday.

Instead I went out and bought a $7.99 cardboard cat scratching board that Zoey is already using! DD and I were scratching our nails on it to show her and a few hours later she used it. DD was really excited about teaching her . I also bought a pair of nail clippers and did okay for my first time. I wasn't able to do it all in one sitting , it took 2 times. I think the trick is to get her when she is sleepy and doesn't care what I am doing. I didn't really see the need to file them.

Thanks for all the advice/tips! And I will post pictures soon. For some reason I always have a hard time posting on here!

Some questions about my kitten - not declawing

glad you were able to cut her nails :)