my two little kittens...

[Karen]

Also, i moved this into Cat General, as "Today's Cat" is the forum just for discussing today's Cat of the Day!

[mon]

When I was in my 20's, I had more money than brains. Really hate to admit this, but me and my ex had 6 cats and we got them declawed. We loved them intensly. They were all indoor cats and alone 9-10 hrs. a day as we both worked. Long story short, brand new condo, the kitties tore apart the wallpaper, underneath the mattresses, anything they could find was shredded. they were just havin' good cat fun but it added up.They had toys, scratching posts etc. they still went to town when bored. These were adult cats, between 3-6. Got them declawed. I would never do that now but it seemed like a good plan at the time. Now I think it is cruel and weird. Just sayin'.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Please don't get your cat declawed. You can just learn to trim your cats nails monthly or if you're still worried about it scratching things then you can buy and apply soft paws to it's nails although I think it's much easier to just keep the nails trimmed. Many cats that are declawed will develop behavioral problems later. Many will start biting because they can no longer use their paws to scratch. Many will stop using their litter box because the litter now hurts their paws. Please reconsider having this horrible surgery done.

I currently have 10 indoor only cats and none of them are declawed. I trim their nails with a toenail clipper at least once or month or as needed. I have both my couch and recliner covered with a courdoroy fabric cover so they're protected. I also have many scratching posts, cat trees, and cat condos. They do use these to scratch on.

Kittens only need a series of FVRCP shots. If they are indoor only they shouldn't need the FIV or FELV shots. Your kitten should be tested for these though. Also depending on where you live, your kitten may also need a rabies shot. Most vets now do regular shots every 3 years instead of yearly. I don't recommend the 3 year rabies shot because it's been shown to cause cancer in certain cats. The 1 year rabies shot is much safer.

I have a wonderful vet who doesn't believe in overvaccinating. I don't either. In the past I was forced to vaccinate every year but I also didn't know any better at the time. I don't vaccinate for rabies now because my city doesn't require it for cats and my cats are indoor only. Yes, some of my cats have been vaccinated for rabies in the past. I do recommend kitten shots. My kittens already came with all of their shots. Now I just bring in my cats for annual exams without any shots. Only if it's necessary will I have my vet give them shots. My vet also told me that cats over 10 years old shouldn't get any more shots. Here's a good website that talks about the overvaccination on cats and what is recommended: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=vaccines. Please scroll down towards the end to because there's a lot of great info there as well.

[cassiesmom]

Does your 7-month-old give you a reason to consider declawing? Does she have a scratching post, sisal or a kitty tower that she can dig in, pull and scratch? Cassie was front-paw declawed when I adopted her. If she isn't destructive, would you consider keeping her claws? Even if she has scratched something she shouldn't, I would hope that at such a young age, she could learn to use a sisal or scratching post.

On the vaccines, I hope your vet would allow you to refuse the ones you don't want. My cat is indoor only and she does get annual rabies doses because the village I live in requires proof of annual vaccinations. Our vet doesn't offer the 3-year rabies vaccine.

Welcome to PT! I hope you'll share pictures of your kitties -- I love kitty photos! (I love kitties!)

[maid25cats]

Hello Kim
I was also thinking of declawing my cat a few years back then
I read what they actually do.
I dont know if you researched it but here is a link
if you would like to read up on it before you make a decision
http://www.declawing.com/ What you need to know

My little brat scratches things even though i have towers and the cardboard scratchers
Some things i also had to put the double sided sticky tape on.
I love her to death so I just deal with it....

We would love to see pictures of your babies