Spoiled Cats

[Abbey Marie]

That's what I thought too but when I asked the vet she said she has a declawed cat that lives outside cuz it wouldn't stop peeing in her house. Been happy for 7 years. Said it was okay as long as she still had her back claws. Better then my mom sending her to the pound I guess but I hope we can work thru the litter issues. She uses her box 95%.

I would seriously question that vet. Maybe you could do some research. Anyway, declawed cats are very popular adoptees from shelters, so they are usually not euthanized. That's how we got our declawed girl.

[LiberalNation]

I know but if she pees on the floor with the person who adopts her too she may very likely return her. We adopted a cat like that from the pound, peed always on the floor, wouldn't use a litter box for anything.

[Abbey Marie]

I know but if she pees on the floor with the person who adopts her too she may very likely return her. We adopted a cat like that from the pound, peed always on the floor, wouldn't use a litter box for anything.

Maybe she would like her new home. Who knows?

That is gross, I couldn't live with it.

[LiberalNation]

It is, we kept her awile to see if she just didn't like being moved to a new place but she never got any better and was staining the carpet and funiture like crazy.

Kitty's pretty happy, sleeps with me at night. Purring beside my head, runs to great me when I get home, plays, sleeps, eats, what more could a cat want.

[gabosaurus]

Cats are wonderful pets. Or maybe it is the other way around.
Our cat is really spoiled. If my husband is reading the paper or a book/magazine, and the cat wants attention, he will knock the item out of his hands.
The cat also has a shrill 'meow' that he uses to get attention. I tend to ignore him sometimes, but my husband always gives in. The cat has him very well trained.

[Sitarro]

I can't understand why some people "dislike" cats. I have a few theories, none of which are very complimentary to the cat haters. I think though that because cats are highly individualistic that many people get confused because they think that cats should all behave in one way. It doesn't work that way. And before anyone gets dirty on me, I am dog owner too. I've also owned horses, fish, birds (I won't have a caged bird ever again though, I used to rescue them and keep them until they were okay to be set free but I have owned bred from captivity birds), mice, rats, guinea pigs...no reptiles except a Blue Tongue Lizard that used to live in my back yard. I also owned a teenage human once. Man was he difficult to train

My theory has always been the lack of control we have on cats. Those same people usually have an ultra-controllable dog.

What type of birds did you rehab? I was with a wild bird rehab group for a couple of years. A lot of owls, hawks, a bluejay chick, a roseate spoonbill, herons..... I raised a barn owl from a chick to adulthood and released him. My cat was an incredible hunter who would scratch the door to go out every night at 12 a.m., she would scratch to come in at 6 a.m. and would always have something dead on the front porch. Moles, flying squirrels, wood hares...... she would kill them all and bring them home. I would put them in freezer bags and put them into the freezer for the owl. It's amazing the change in attitude you get when you are taking care of something that needs real food. I remember hitting a rabbit one night with my jeep. I stopped and threw the carcass in the back and brought it home for the owl. I was really careful to not imprint him by only handling him for exercise and feeding. When I released him he flew into the woods on the property I lived on and I never saw him again. Very rewarding.

[diuretic]

I used to wander around the neighbourhood I lived in after bad weather during nesting. Sure enough, there'd be the odd chick or two. Sparrows mainly, I like the little buggers, they have great big family groups and they're noisy and chatty and sociable with each other. I managed to get a few to the point where they could fend for themselves but some were just too far gone so I kept them comfortable until they passed naturally. Pigeons as well. Got a Sulphur-crested cockatoo once but he had a bad disease. I was out walking and found the poor little bugger, not a feather on him, running along the side of the road. I think someone couldn't be bothered taking him to the vet. I grabbed him and got him a little jumper thing to keep him warm. I had him for a few weeks but he wasn't getting better so I took him to a specialist vet. She did what she could be in the end he had to be put down for his own benefit. And a crow. Got him from a chick and raised him to adulthood. He used to follow me to school, had to get off the bus and walk him (yes, he would walk along with me) back home one morning. When he left (he was never caged) he was away for a week and then came back with another crow, his new mate. They sat up in the wires and I called out to him. He responded and then they left. I never saw him again but it was nice of him to pay us one last visit with his new mate.

[Abbey Marie]

Sitarro & Diuretic- my new heroes.

[gabosaurus]

Very true. Control freaks and dictatorial folks don't have what it takes to live with cats. You have to accept the fact that the cat trains you, instead of the other way around.

[retiredman]

we have four cats... and my soft hearted wife refuses to let me get them declawed. I love them dearly, so I have to just not let myself get too attached to any furniture upholstered with cloth.

[nevadamedic]

we have four cats... and my soft hearted wife refuses to let me get them declawed. I love them dearly, so I have to just not let myself get too attached to any furniture upholstered with cloth.

Yikes! Why wont she let you get them declawed?

[retiredman]

she claims it is inhumane.... like ripping out a human's fingernail beds. She is immovable on the subject.

[jimnyc]

she claims it is inhumane.... like ripping out a human's fingernail beds. She is immovable on the subject.

I'll have to side with her on this issue. I've owned at least 30 cats over the years. After having a few de-clawed I will never do so again. Watching the poor little buggers struggling to get around in pain for a few days, watching them attempt to use the claws that are no longer there... And I don't care what any professional says, you simply cannot allow a cat back into the wild again once you take it's only line of defense away.

Whether a dog or a cat, you know what you're getting into when you get one, or at least you should before taking on such a responsibility. Teach them, train them, or even bring them to obedience training if you can't get the job done yourself. But don't simply complain or toss an animal out when it only does what is instinctive to itself.

[Abbey Marie]

We adopted our cat already declawed. She is now about 9 years old, and she still has trouble jumping up onto things because her front paws are weirdly undersized due to the declawing. About half the time, she falls trying.

I also have a dear friend whose cat got a life-threatening infection from her declawing surgery.

[glockmail]

I certaintly wouldn't take theirs claws out but at the same time I wouldn't have any more than one in my house. Those little bastards see us as fresh meat and are merely hanging hoping we stroke out and can't defend ourselves against their inevitable attack and feast.