A new kitten!

[Ghost]

Hello Buleste

You should never clip claws. Do it wrong and you can cripple a cat. Scratches are part of the joys of having a cat and besides cats learn not to use them if you teach them. Get him a scratching post.

I think you get me wrong, I am not having his nails removed but simply the sharp points clipped, it is similar to clipping our own nails, they will grow back.

As for the joy of scratches, you can tell me a lot more, since yesterday my joy for scratches has reduced significantly.

He does have a scratching post.

[Buleste]

I understand that you're not declawing the cat but whilst claws and fingernails are similar, unless for medical reasons, i don't think any animals claws should be clipped and if it is for medical reasons then it should be done by someone who is trained. If you make a mistake it can be incredibly painfull to your kitten and also cause the claws to regrow deformed. Getting scratched is part of owning a kitten. It'll grow out of it. It's just playing and learning it's position within the houshold.

[Zetr0]

Hmmmmm page 5..... and suspiciously no picture of Kitteh......

hmmmmm

[Harrison]

Cats need sharp claws for many tasks they perform such as climbing up fences. If you remove the sharp ends they will hurt themselves as they won't be able to grip on as well. I do however agree that their claws can really hurt!

But also their claws can really damage furniture. You should see the state of the arm of one of my GFs leather sofas! He was taught not to claw them when they were new, but she made the mistake of letting him craw another old chair which was his to sleep on, so he didn't really understand as he was allowed to claw that. But we were away for the week when he did damage the leather one so that could also be part of why he did it.

[Buleste]

There are various sprays that you can use to help dissuade cats from clawing furniture, wallpaper etc but they are only temporary and need to be applied as soon as the cat starts clawing again.
Cats also need their claws for defense so if you clip the claws your cat is likely to have seven shades of sh1t knocked out of it which could lead to some expensive vet bills.

[TiredOfLife]

My bird has a python and is in no way a tree hugging hippie.
She very much agrees with Eric Cartmans philosphies when it comes to the old long haired tree botherers.

Too old to be a goth and too young be an ageing rocker.

As for cats not mauling people, they would if they could and more often than dogs would.

When was the last time a cat stopped anyones house from being burgled, pulled anyone out of a lake or rescued the kids down the well?
(Am I still talking about dogs here or have I made the mistake of wandering in kangaroo territory?)

[Ghost]

Hello Zetr0,

Do you now believe Zippy's real?