When the cat misbehaves, is it your wife that corrects her, or you? Who feeds them? What about sleeping arrangements? Does your wife take them to the vet, or do you? If your wife just home more often? Did it coincide with being fixed?
This cat clearly has a behavioral issue that could be caused many ways for many reasons. I think none of here are really going to be that successful in diagnosing a cat we don't know in a setting we don't know.
For the record, my cat is female and crazy as well. She hates most of the world, and my friends are scared of her mostly. She hates my female best friend, even when I try to convince her it's ok to be nice, expected even. She tends to be more ok with males that I like and am close to, and she thinks I'm just fantastic. She's always been a little weird, and was known to have been abandoned very young, and starved as a result. I think it made her a little wonky in the brain. My point was, I feel your pain.
This cat clearly has a behavioral issue that could be caused many ways for many reasons. I think none of here are really going to be that successful in diagnosing a cat we don't know in a setting we don't know.
For the record, my cat is female and crazy as well. She hates most of the world, and my friends are scared of her mostly. She hates my female best friend, even when I try to convince her it's ok to be nice, expected even. She tends to be more ok with males that I like and am close to, and she thinks I'm just fantastic. She's always been a little weird, and was known to have been abandoned very young, and starved as a result. I think it made her a little wonky in the brain. My point was, I feel your pain.
waffleironhead
Diamond Member
- Aug 10, 2005
- 7,061
- 569
- 136
Good job with the justification for mutilating and altering an animal to fit your lifestyle. Have you considered that maybe you could have altered your expectations and allowed them proper outlets for their scratching. Having been the owner of many cats over the years, none of which were/are decalwed, I can tell you they have not destroyed anything nor scratched someone who did not deserve it.
CPA
Elite Member
- Nov 19, 2001
- 30,322
- 4
- 0
Years ago, when I was in elementary school, I had a good friend who's cat did just that. it would only attack his mom, but it would scratch her anywhere it could, including the face. If I recall, the vet told them it was a psychological condition that could not be remedied and they had to put the cat down. The cat was much older than 5, IIRC.
I trim my cat's claws and have taught her to dig in an acceptable place using positive reinforcement (tell her good kitty, praise her, and pet her). Also, I'd tell her no when she dug someplace else, and then take her to her digging place and make her paws in a digging motion and tell her good kitty. It works, she doesn't dig anywhere else, except maybe once every 6 months because I've changed her food or something.
Horribly flawed logic.
Morality isn't a graded scale where you can do a lot of good things to cancel out a negative thing.
- Apr 10, 2000
- 19,579
- 17
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It's mostly me. I've told my wife she needs to so the cat sees that it's coming from my wife but she gets scared. My wife gives them breakfast and I give them dinner. We both go together whenever we take em to the vet. My wife is a stay at home mom so she's there more than me. Both were fixed when they were ~6 months old.
One thing I've wondered about is my wife used to baby her and the male cat a lot before our daughter was born. Once my daughter was born, she hasn't been as affectionate towards either cat (not saying she hates them or abuses them, just no time with a kiddo). Even if this is the source of the problem, I have to figure out a way to deal with it because I dunno if my wife will spend more time with them.
waffleironhead
Diamond Member
- Aug 10, 2005
- 7,061
- 569
- 136
fair enough, I just see too many instances of alteration because of what they might do, rather than allowing them an outlet for their natural inclinations.
FWIW i have seen many cats who were decalwed later being put down because they turned to biting as their defense mechansim.
What expectations would those be? Scratching posts are fine for when they intentionally want to scratch but since you've owned cats I'm sure you aware they they will scratch things inadvertently just as easily. Say when they're playing chase with each other around the house and need a little extra traction perhaps? Even with mine still having the back claws I've had wood furniture scratched to hell when one of them decided to use the claws to help launch themselves after another one in a friendly game. Or when they misjudge a jump up to the dresser and use the back ones to try to push themselves over the top? Happens all the time.
I'm sorry if you don't agree but for many cat owners who love their pets and take good care of them, getting rid of the claws is the price of admission. Some owners will have all four paws declawed and I can't say that I don't understand the motivation. I haven't done it myself but I can see how they could arrive at that.
Says who, you? If it offends your sense of morality then feel free not to declaw your cats, I won't make a fuss. It does not however present any moral questions to me at all, so spare me your recriminations while my cats live long, healthy, spoiled lives that every housecat deserves.
Sure it is painful for a cat to be declawed. But after they are healed I havent had a cat that acts any different. I have had inside\outside cats that killed enough small rodents and birds to fill a landfill. They also had little problem scaling tree's. Both of my cats which are strictly inside cats still try to sharpen their claws. They dont know any better.
When my cats do wrong I give them a sharp voice and occasional slap on the butt. It is amazing I can train a cat to know right and wrong but many humans are incapable of this lol.
As for the OP's cat. Are you sure it isnt playing? My cats will on occasional go bat shit crazy and jump at imaginary things in the air and chase your feet. It is in their nature.
Edit: As for the morality police. What is your stance on spaying and neutering cats?
When my cats do wrong I give them a sharp voice and occasional slap on the butt. It is amazing I can train a cat to know right and wrong but many humans are incapable of this lol.
As for the OP's cat. Are you sure it isnt playing? My cats will on occasional go bat shit crazy and jump at imaginary things in the air and chase your feet. It is in their nature.
Edit: As for the morality police. What is your stance on spaying and neutering cats?
alkemyst
No Lifer
- Feb 13, 2001
- 83,769
- 19
- 81
There is quite a bit of misinformation in this...one can look up Onychectomy and learn quite a bit on a more scientific level.
You do not have to remove the last digit for a declaw, there are ways to keep it retracted.
The main issue at hand is there are far more cats than homes for them. If cats could not be declawed there would be a whole lot less. Ultimately in America it's pretty required esp when leases will specify it as a requirement. Getting cats into homes should be the prime directive, unless these organizations want to house any that would be euthanized.
MOST of what the anti-declaw crowd uses as statistics is not truth at all. They talk about most cats have constant infections and complications due to declawing and other rubbish that captures the attention of the masses that simply do not know. Outside of America this probably is true as the US is the main 'declaw' country...here we have made many advances even in laser surgery to make this a near non-event.
My three cats were all playing within moments of waking up from anesthesia. They have happy personalities and are very affectionate to even strangers.
Many veternarians are OK at best. Everyone swears by who they go too, but in reality only a few out there really know what to do when the shit hits the fan and are more interested in upselling and grooming services.
To keep any animals as a pet, humans end up domesticating them; this process turns an animal less wild, but more dependant on their humans. We fix our animals to remove breeding desire as well. Technically that is maiming too, but those retards don't want to fight that lost battle.
The main benefit claws will have to an indoor cat is if it ever escapes it will be able to run away and climb up something. An indoor cat doesn't know how to hunt...take most indoor cats out to the woods and they will die of starvation. They exist in the city, because they can eat out of trash bins. To defend themselves, chances are they won't have the skills either to deal with a predator with or without claws.
IMHO any pet whether it's a dog or cat should be indoors only, there are really no safe places for them to roam free anymore due to not only vehicles but other people poisoning them.
alkemyst
No Lifer
- Feb 13, 2001
- 83,769
- 19
- 81
if the cat recently started this something must have changed. Perhaps it did it once and you wife thought it was cute and pet it. Cats are quick to learn reward behavior and hard to unlearn it. Wake up to feed a cat once prior to 5am because it was meowing and you will be constantly being woken up.
Cats can be trained, however; they respond differently than dogs. Both dogs and cats are hard to train if they were not started on this early on. The main problem for cats is too many get one than think you just throw it in a room and it will do just fine, yet get a dog and contantly play and teach it. 5 years later they wonder why their cat always hides, doesn't listen, etc when the dog comes when they get home, and can obey commands.
People always think my cats are so unique. The thing is they are not, just properly socialized and trained.
Cats can be trained, however; they respond differently than dogs. Both dogs and cats are hard to train if they were not started on this early on. The main problem for cats is too many get one than think you just throw it in a room and it will do just fine, yet get a dog and contantly play and teach it. 5 years later they wonder why their cat always hides, doesn't listen, etc when the dog comes when they get home, and can obey commands.
People always think my cats are so unique. The thing is they are not, just properly socialized and trained.
Is this like a violent attack, or what? Drawing blood?
If not, I would just think "Silly kitty".
If not, I would just think "Silly kitty".
I think it mainly depends on when you have it done.
If you have it done when they're kittens, meh.
If you do it to a 5 year old cat, that's just wrong. Can you imagine being put to sleep and waking up with all of your fingers missing at the first knuckle?
That would fuck your shit up.
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