Soft claws vs. declawing? HELP?

I have a cat like that... his name is jaden! We also had the same problem you do two years ago. We tried the soft claws (those are piece's of crap and a waist of money) and clipping them and he was still a little *** and tore up my furniture and me! I didnt want to spend that kind of money on a cat either but when we had my son and he scratched him for the first time ( im not the type of person to just throw and animal outside) My husband and I broke down and got him declawed! After he was healed and decided he would go back to his old ways he was rudely awoken!! LOL cat bites dont hurt as much as their scratches so when he realized that he doesnt have a weapon anymore he calmed WAAAAY down! I would HIGHLY recommend paying that price to get your cat declared... we got two more cats this past year and each of them were declawed right away! Hope I could help :)

I don't think declawing is any more a cure for aggression than a straight jacket is a cure for a mentally ill human. It might stop him scratching you. But whatever is causing him to bite/scratch will just be added to by the pain and stress of the operation, not to mention any after effects. If he is a 'bad cat' he will remain one, just maybe worse.

You say 'If he doesn't get food when he wants he bites'. Difficult to know from out here in the Internet, but that does sound like a problem. If you are interpreting his behavior right, and he really is using aggression to get what he wants (rather than out of fear, or play instinct), then you do have a handful. I really think you might be better rehoming him.

It's responsible to be concerned about the person he's passed on to. However, if you are honest about him, there's no way any shelter will pass him onto a home with a child. Why not talk to some: they might be willing to take him on (find a no kill of course...), or might even have behaviorists on staff who could help you.

Do it before you get his toes chopped off. Declawed cats that bite are much less likely to get re-homed.

Don't drop him off at a farm. If he survived then he might be picked up by a familly with a child... that is not a responsible action.

I would never ever ever reccomend de-claw surgery. Not only is it expensive, it's really painful to the kitty.

You should read the instructions really well on the soft-paws packaging. (Not that you didn't already, but just in case.)

I've never needed to use them on my cats, because they're still under a year old, never scratch too badly, so I don't know how to use them. But it seems like you should trim the nails down a bit before putting the soft paws on. And make sure you're using enough of the glue, cause if even one comes loose, that's enough for kitty to start prying them all off.

So, if you don't have them already, find some kitty nail trimmers, and have at it. Usually that's enough to not hurt you, but the soft paws on top will stop it.

Only as an absolute last resort should you turn kitty in to an outdoor cat. And if you're at your wits end, and the cat is INCREDIBLY mean, (and you're not exaggerating his temperment), then is the ONLY time you should even consider it. But again, I'd never recommend it.

Good luck, I know I don't know much about soft-paws, but I hope that was at least somewhat helpful!

Have you trimmed his nails once a week. Keep working on the SoftPaws. Sometimes it takes a few times before the cat stops getting them off. You can also put a little Bitter Apple Spray on the nail caps to stop him from chewing them off.

BTW your cats actions in biting will only get worse if you declaw him.

Okay, first of all, your cat must have not been properly trained as a kitten. In order for your cat to behave well, you've got to train it well. Have you ever heard of pet repellent? What I would do is put the soft claws on your cat, spray them with a bit of pet repellent (or deterrent) and see what happens. The cat should leave them alone then. These kind of products are availible at major pet retailers. DON'T DECLAW YOUR CAT!!!!!!!! It may seem like the logical thing to do, but cats need their claws for balance and it hurts them when you declaw them. Try this instead.

De Clawing is not just de clawing It is making the cat handicapped. It is like cutting off your thumb and joint and removing all your nails Cats need their paws to groom and they are in constant pain after wards To De claw a cat is a very selfish and frankenstein thing to do Just read about it online. In some states it is against the law because it is not humane. Please re evaluate your scratches and leave kitty alone if he does not want to be touched. Just be human and caring. You are being a Drama Queen about the scratches

Cats were declawed and turned exceedingly violent.. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aq.EM...

Cat was declawed and could no longer use the litter pan... http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AtaQN...

There are countless others, these are just 2 off the top of my head. Please do not declaw your cat. It only leads to heartache.

Taking on a stray like you decribe takes infinite patience. You essentially need to train it from scratch, because he doesnt know how to act like a pet! Time and love will go a long way, and he will eventually learn to trust you. Pet him when he wants petting, stick to a feeding schedule. Cats love consistancy, they told me so ;)

Surrender him to a shelter then, please. Someone who is willing to work with him can adopt him, but if you declaw him, you will have more problems, and reading how you are, you will abandon him anyway. So just do it and let someone work with him and treat him like he deserves. Please do not adopt or get any other animals.

Pamela, read the links that i posted. Then do some research. There is a VERY good reason decalwing is illegal in 25 countries. I wish to god it was in the US too. You are very naieve if you think that it makes a cat mellow.

cat lover, you are so wrong. Cats do not get mean if declawed if anything they become more mellow, at least mine did.

I had mine done because after using those soft paws for 6 weeks and they are not cheap 25-35 dollars and cats can pull them right off. Well my cat swallowed I don't know how many of them had to have surgery to remove them from stomach. My vet decided to declaw her and it was only 90 dollars to have her done

So rather pay 25-35 dollars a week for the rest of my life and more operations to remove from cat stomach I declawed

All of you nay sayers can say what you want about cats becoming mean well i don't feel they do and i know numerous people that went with operations.

you obviously dont like your cat so i suggest you find it a loving home! cats shold never be clawed, thats just mean

if you think your cat is mean now, it will only get a million times worse if you get the poor thing declawed.