How to train a kitten

[Yuri-G]

When my experience clearly shows that an procedure's "psychological effects" can be avoided by love and attention from a capable master, yeah, it does. My cats were just ducky, and no amount of literature can disprove that(inb4 silly debates about what animal happiness entails).

that's lovely. I'm happy for you. and you know what? I grew up with several declawed cats. two were normal, two were freaky. and we treated them all with love.

but the bottom line is, one person's experience does not trump years of research. either you're being purposely obtuse to try and save face or you are missing a few brain cells if you think one person's experience with several cats overrides all the available scientific literature on the subject. you think some of those fucked-up cats didn't have absolutely loving and caring owners that did everything in their power to try and give the cat love and attention? the fact is, declawing your cat is putting your animal at risk for long-term physical and psychological damage no matter what you try and to do to avoid it. this is not up for debate unless you have a degree in veterinary science and years of research to back up your claim.

now, how great that risk is, and whether it's worth it to you or not - those are opinions. those are debatable. but you basically said "lol those vets are full of bullshit because my cats were awesome," and that's just plain silly.

[Yuri-G]

Idk, my parses say declawed cats are better.

I love you.

[Uzor]

Here you go, this is part of a study a vet did:

Two recent studies published in peer-reviewed veterinary journals (Vet Surg 1994 Jul-Aug;23(4):274-80) concluded “Fifty percent of the cats had one or more complications immediately after surgery.... 19.8% developed complications after release.” Another study (J Am Vet Med Assoc 1998 Aug 1;213(3):370-3) comparing the complications of declawing with Tenectomy concluded “Owners should be aware of the high complication rate for both procedures." Many cats also suffer a loss of balance because they can no longer achieve a secure foothold on their amputated stumps.

Vet Surg 1994 Jul-Aug;23(4):274-80
Feline Onychectomy at a Teaching Institution: A
Retrospective Study of 163 Cases.

Tobias KS
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences,
Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine,
Pullman 99164-6610.

"One hundred sixty-three cats underwent onychectomy..... Fifty percent of the cats had one or more complications immediately after surgery. Early postoperative complications included pain..., hemorrhage...., lameness...., swelling...., or non-weight-bearing..... Follow-up was available in 121 cats; 19.8% developed complications after release.
Late postoperative complications included infection...., regrowth...., P2 protrusion...., palmagrade
stance...., and prolonged, intermittent lameness....".
http://www.declawing.com/images/Decl...plications.jpg
http://www.declawing.com/images/claw_x-ray.jpg

J Am Vet Med Assoc 1998 Aug 1;213(3):370-3
Comparison of Effects of Elective Tenectomy or Onychectomy in Cats.

Jankowski AJ, Brown DC, Duval J, Gregor TP, Strine LE, Ksiazek LM, Ott AH
Department of Clinical Studies, Veterinary Teaching Hospital,
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia 19104, USA.

"Objective: To compare short- and long-term complications after Tenectomy of the deep digital flexor tendons or onychectomy.
Animals: 20 cats undergoing Tenectomy and 18 cats undergoing onychectomy.
Procedure: Cats undergoingTenectomy or onychectomy were monitored for a minimum of 5 months to enable comparison of type and frequency of complications.Type and frequency of complications did not differ between procedures.
Clinical Implications: Owners should be aware of the high complication rate for both procedures."

[Misterjingles]

I liked my declawed cat as a kid, when they swap at you it feels like you're getting patted by tiny pillows. Now, I'm extremely allergic to cats now so I guess he got the last laugh.

[Tyrath]

Slight hijack while we're talking about cats. Whats a good cat to get if I like smaller ones?

[Tweek]

I used to think declawing a cat wasn't a big deal until I started asking some people about it.. it's ridiculously bad for your can't and can be very cruel. Many places refuse to even do it anymore because of how terrible it can be. Many cats never fully recover also.

[TheTaru]

My family rescued a 7-ish week old male that was extremely aggressive when I was really little. I guess it's not the cat's "fault" since he was probably abused by a previous owner, but he really savagely attacked all other animals/people. After I (a four-year old at the time) had to get stitches on my leg because of him, we decided he either had to be declawed or sent back to the shelter. Ended up declawing him. I don't think there was really another option; he would've just been killed anyway if we took him back to the shelter, and there was no way we were going to let him just keep slashing everything. Cool story, etc.

The 8ish other cats we've had were nothing like that and weren't declawed. I've never had my floors damaged by clawing, nor have I had to replace furniture. If you don't want to take care of a pet, and it sounds like you don't, then don't get one. Man the fuck up and tell your girlfriend that you don't want a cat.

[Yuri-G]

Slight hijack while we're talking about cats. Whats a good cat to get if I like smaller ones?

almost all cats are mutts, and the popular breeds are generally mid-to-large size. however, google did turn this up:

http://www.cat-breed-info.com/small-cat-breeds.html

in general, female cats are smaller than males, so that's something else to consider.

[Kaylia]

Separating kitten from their mothers too early is probably 10 times worse than declawing them though, and about as common.

[Ksandra]

Slight hijack while we're talking about cats. Whats a good cat to get if I like smaller ones?

tbh, cats are not like dogs, and most breeds tend to be about the same size (extremes would be savannah/serval cats for being huge). only big thing people tend to choose between are long haired/short haired.

Your best bet is to really go to a shelter and look at them. find the one that looks the best for you.


btw. their attitudes at the shelter can be deceiving too. my first kitten I grabbed when I moved into my apt was a nightmare at the shelter. She growled, hissed, hated her cage mate. Even the vet that spayed her thought I had my work cut out for me. she was a tortie though so I just had to have her. She is so damn fucking affectionate now though, and purrs as soon as I walk in the room.

All they need is some love and attention.

[LinktheDeme]

All they need is some love and attention.

I think your cat needs some more lasagna

[Ksandra]

I think your cat needs some more lasagna

oh ya, that too. :D

[edit] no joke my old cat which became my parents cat (better for the cat when I moved to cali 'cause she is like best friends with my parents' dog), is obssessed with french fries and potato chips. If you leave a bag open she'll come running stick her paw in and pull them out to eat lol

[Tweek]

get a tabby cat.

[Tyrath]

Thanks for the ideas. My family has always been anti-pets so I dont really know much about them. But college is ending soon and once I move out on my own I'm probably gonna look into getting a cat when I'm all settled. I love cats <3 Gonna do more research when I get closer to getting one.

[Yuri-G]

shelter cats definitely can be different when they get home. I had the opposite experience; we got a cat that was very friendly at the shelter and turned into a 'fraidy cat at home, always running away and generally not too friendly.

on the other hand the cat I live with now is the best fucking cat ever, and I got him because he was uber-friendly at the shelter and wanted to play. he's still like that now, so it worked out.

one big tip on getting a cat is that between 0-2 years of age they are a lot easier to mold into the cat you want them to be. I hate to say that because old cats need adoption too, but it's true - it's much easier to train a kitten to be friendly than to deal with a pissed-off adult cat. for example, I held my cat a lot as a young'in and he loves it now, whereas most cats won't allow you to hold them for long. and this is very helpful when it comes to stuff like allowing you to clip their claws (handle their paws a lot as kittens) or groom them (brush them a lot as kittens).

[Ksandra]

I wish you luck. :D and ya please please get a shelter kitten/cat. there are so many that need a good home, and sitting in a cage for most of the day is not a good life.

[Jefe]

Just curious, with the squirt bottle, do you squirt it in their face or the body? Never read or seen anyone train a kitten.

The eyes, always the eyes.

[Melena]

oh ya, that too. :D

[edit] no joke my old cat which became my parents cat (better for the cat when I moved to cali 'cause she is like best friends with my parents' dog), is obssessed with french fries and potato chips. If you leave a bag open she'll come running stick her paw in and pull them out to eat lol

I thought my cat Corona was the only one who likes french fries.

[Yabby]

I thought my cat Corona was the only one who likes french fries.

All my cats refuse to touch any human food, expect butter. I can't leave the butter out for more than 30 seconds before they are up there trying to get it.

[Misuicide]

On the topic of this. How would you train 3 year old cats to get along with my year and a half dog. My brow fiance moved in with her cats. She wont allow them to interact at all. I put my dog in his cage so they can stare at each other but she'll just put them in the room. How do I convince her to let them interact? My dog is completly harmless.