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Declawed cat vs. Non-declawed cat. Should I worry?



 
 
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  #21  
Old June 9th 08, 11:14 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cshenk
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Posts: 2,427
Default Declawed cat vs. Non-declawed cat. Should I worry?

"-Lost" wrote

Declawed cat vs. Non-declawed cat. Should I worry?


Not really. Done it myself (rescued 2 de-clawed cats).


Another vote helps. I was just commenting how it still seems a bit
savage at times, but I am listening to the majority vote.


It works. But one thing is disturbing me in multiple threads here. See,
you really need to pay attention to the nature of the cat. Sometimes, you
really can't get a cat to adjust to another cat. Pretending otherwise 'aint
gonna cut it'.

Dont give up too soon, but if after 3 months you still have to lock one of
them up, it's not a good sign.

I hate to say it but at that satge, it's time to find a new home for the
offender (or the new one, depends).

I had to give up Babe. She just clearly was never going to be happy in a 4
cat house. She was rescued with Thom (same bad declaw job on all 4 paws)
and it took me 1 month to find her a good home. In the end though both she,
and the other 3 cats were happier.

I can see in Daisy the same 'wanna be an only cat' and know from experience
to not add another here. She likes a dog though as a pet mate.

Some cats are very terratorial. This tends to be reinforced strongly if
they have a somewhat feral background (read: Abandoned for a significant
period of time).

The dog "group" shredded me to pieces over various reasons, but I
have to ask...


That 'dog group' is probably the one I left. Very rude people,
very much a 'click'. Not at all helpful, unlike folks here.


Sounds like it. A bunch of harpies I tell ya'. More worried about
correcting my grammar than addressing the nonsense my puppies were
going through at the time.


Yeah, they got upset at me because I mentioned a neighbor who does a little
small time breeding on the side. Nothing I said could get it through their
thick heads that these folks were not a puppy farm of the worst sort. They
seem to believe only in large scale breeders and breeding a dog once only in
her life. They disagree with folks who use SPCA and sites like that for
information. Got a *huge* load of extremely bad and actually dangerous
'advice' there but fortunately my vet reads there quietly and said I was
right to question them and to keep to my stance of following the vet and
educating myself on reputable pages.

They were telling me to feed an obviously underweight dog 1/4 cup twice a
day. This for a 50lb dog who's bottom 8 ribs were *very* obviously
countable when standing up. Cash is doing fine, and is now bulking out well
with muscles at 55lbs. He gets 1 cup in morning, and 1 in evening. Because
he's a mixed breed (vet's guess is beagle and bull mastiff) he isnt pure
anything but fun g. Just like humans with a higher muscle ratio, he eats
more to maintain that.

I can finally not count his ribs when laying down, though I can see a slight
ripple. I can see muscles cropping up along his back shoulders. When I was
asking in the 'dog place' he was 35 lbs. I kept telling them he was
underweight and they kept telling me to feed him less.

Grin, nuff on my dog and back to kitties Grin.

Is it fair to have Gabby, the ferocious 8 or so pounder with
claws, run loose whilst Phat Kat, the mega-kitty (22 lbs or so)
is an absolute "awwwwwwww" waiting to happen -- minus the claws?


Smile, sounds like Thom (25lbs declawed) and Roscoe (6.5 lbs,
mostly claw weight it seemed!). One day Thom got tired of it and
sat on Roscoe. Situation solved.

Unlike your Phat Kat, Thom had been fully de-clawed (back and
front).


HAHA! I sure wish I could have shown Phat Kat a picture of that
scenario.


It was pretty classic! Thom just 'had enough' one day. Now, Thom was a
very placid fellow. Not much would bother him and his feet hurt too bad to
jump about much. So, Roscoe and Face would run about having 'pussy wars'
and jumping over him and occasionally bug him. Face and Roscoe learned in
the first *2 days* to not claw him (like most, he bit if harassed as it was
all he had left, very common for declawed cats).

Well one day they decided to use him as bunker wall to war over the top of
and he just wasnt gonna take it no more! He bit Face on the tail (not
breaking skin, it was a warning shot) then sat on Roscoe.

I was laughing so hard! I almost couldnt pick up Thom to get him off Roscoe
without peeing on the carpet. Poor Roscoe! Just looking miffed and
smushed, scrabbling to get out from under that big fat ass... Face charged
in to rescue Roscoe a moment later and he dropped his chest right on her,
pinning her down too.

Ok, I admit it. I peed on the carpet at that point. It was the *perfect*
come-uppance!




  #22  
Old June 10th 08, 12:31 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
-Lost
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 458
Default Declawed cat vs. Non-declawed cat. Should I worry?

Response to "cshenk" :

Declawed cat vs. Non-declawed cat. Should I worry?

Not really. Done it myself (rescued 2 de-clawed cats).


Another vote helps. I was just commenting how it still seems a
bit savage at times, but I am listening to the majority vote.


It works. But one thing is disturbing me in multiple threads
here. See, you really need to pay attention to the nature of the
cat. Sometimes, you really can't get a cat to adjust to another
cat. Pretending otherwise 'aint gonna cut it'.

Dont give up too soon, but if after 3 months you still have to
lock one of them up, it's not a good sign.

I hate to say it but at that satge, it's time to find a new home
for the offender (or the new one, depends).


I TOTALLY agree. I just had not decided on a suitable time frame --
3 months sounds about right.

This is the 4th day (I think) that they have been out together, and
while still crazy as hell I think the 90/10% ratio of frenzy/sleep is
more like 75/25 now.

snip

Some cats are very terratorial. This tends to be reinforced
strongly if they have a somewhat feral background (read:
Abandoned for a significant period of time).


Gabby still has this temperament occasionally where I call him an
"ape-**** ninja-baboon." He gets this weird look in his eyes, they
twitch constantly, and his back ripples wildly.

We carpeted the walls and ceiling of the entire hallway -- when he
gets in that mood he will run up the wall and leap off onto
passerby's.

This includes EVERYONE. My mother, my daughters, the spouse, the
puppies, the ferrets, the rabbit, and the pig.

No catnip involved, no roughhousing, no nothing -- just look over and
he is going crazy.

It's really funny to watch until you are the one he pounces on.

The dog "group" shredded me to pieces over various reasons, but
I have to ask...

That 'dog group' is probably the one I left. Very rude people,
very much a 'click'. Not at all helpful, unlike folks here.


Sounds like it. A bunch of harpies I tell ya'. More worried
about correcting my grammar than addressing the nonsense my
puppies were going through at the time.


Yeah, they got upset at me because I mentioned a neighbor who does
a little small time breeding on the side. Nothing I said could
get it through their thick heads that these folks were not a puppy
farm of the worst sort. They seem to believe only in large scale
breeders and breeding a dog once only in her life. They disagree
with folks who use SPCA and sites like that for information. Got
a *huge* load of extremely bad and actually dangerous 'advice'
there but fortunately my vet reads there quietly and said I was
right to question them and to keep to my stance of following the
vet and educating myself on reputable pages.


Yep, heard that same story before. Breeders == EVIL. Period.

They were telling me to feed an obviously underweight dog 1/4 cup
twice a day. This for a 50lb dog who's bottom 8 ribs were *very*
obviously countable when standing up. Cash is doing fine, and is
now bulking out well with muscles at 55lbs. He gets 1 cup in
morning, and 1 in evening. Because he's a mixed breed (vet's
guess is beagle and bull mastiff) he isnt pure anything but fun
g. Just like humans with a higher muscle ratio, he eats more to
maintain that.


snip

They continually told me to seek a vet's advice. That was about it.
I told them I was not an idiot, I had already done that.

That was my 2nd mistake. 1st mistake was going there in the first
place.

Grin, nuff on my dog and back to kitties Grin.


Don't feel bad. My house is a barnyard and like in this post, I am
liable to talk about everyone at least once in a while.

snip

I was laughing so hard! I almost couldnt pick up Thom to get him
off Roscoe without peeing on the carpet. Poor Roscoe! Just
looking miffed and smushed, scrabbling to get out from under that
big fat ass... Face charged in to rescue Roscoe a moment later
and he dropped his chest right on her, pinning her down too.

Ok, I admit it. I peed on the carpet at that point. It was the
*perfect* come-uppance!


ROFLMAO!!

After 4 children, I feel your pain. To boot, I have a seriously
funny spouse and even funnier critters. The result? I own a lot of
undergarments for midday changings.

--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.
  #23  
Old June 10th 08, 01:17 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
blkcatgal
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 389
Default Declawed cat vs. Non-declawed cat. Should I worry?

Thanks! I'm trying the cage thing right now. Got new cat in cage...she's
not happy! Resident cat is keeping his distance, but he is curious. Other
resident cat who seems to get along okay with new cat is trying to play with
her through the cage. She's not interested. I'm trying to ply them with
treats....make it a "good experience." New cat isn't having it....but
she'll come around. She can't pass up a treat.

I'll keep you posted.

S.


"-Lost" wrote in message
...
Response to "blkcatgal" :

Thanks for your suggestions. I've got one question.


Nuh uh. : P

When you say
you had Gabby's kennel in the room where Phat Cat was, was Gabby
in the kennel at this time?


Yes.

How did Phat Cat react?


Completely ignored him.

Phat Kat is seriously overweight and since Gabby was not covered in
kibble I really do not think he noticed him. (Or cared.)


How did
Gabby react?


Rowwwwwwwwwwwrrrrr...

Rooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwrrrrrrrrrrr...

ROWR!!

ROWR!!

Something like that.

How big is the kennel?


~22" long, ~16" tall.

Are you talking about a carrier?


Welcome to the world of my miscommunication, sorry.

Yes, it is a carrier.

How long did you leave the kennel out?


For the last week, maybe week and a half he stayed out in the open
in the middle of things non-stop.

Only when it was bedtime would we take the carrier back to the
computer room (where they slept side-by-side in carriers).

I've been
thinking about setting up a cage in the family room and putting
the new cat in there for a while so the other cats can see her and
vice versa. I'm just concerned how the new cat will react being
in a cage when the other cats are not.


I could be missing something -- but does it really matter if she
reacts?

I mean, she's safe, the resident is safe. Besides stress (which is
bad, yes, but...) I do not see a major problem. The way I saw it
was that they were forced to confront each other without having to
CONFRONT each other, ya' know?

Also, trying to get the
resident cats to go near the cage when she's in it may be an
issue.


Again, I do not see an issue because the new lass does not call the
shots (aka "cannot go after the resident") and eventually they will
come out of hiding.

I also made sure the food bowl was not far from the carrier -- but
that was because Phat Kat has 4 primary concerns.

1. Eating.
2. Dropping #2's like a 50lb. dog.
3. Sleeping.
4. Shedding.

Maybe #5 would be non-stop petting. He cannot get enough.

Right now, my one cat (the one that isn't getting along
with new cat) will not go near the door to the room she is in and
will run from her when he sees her.

But the cage may be my next step.


Well, you can always try it out for a week or two -- and I am
thinking at LEAST a week or two, otherwise a day or two he'll just
avoid the situation. A week or more makes him HAVE to see her.

The added benefit (again) is that she cannot take off after him and
he should learn she's "shackled."

Thanks again.


IF any of this assists your situation, then you are most welcome.

Good luck!!

--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.



  #24  
Old June 10th 08, 09:15 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
-Lost
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 458
Default Declawed cat vs. Non-declawed cat. Should I worry?

Response to "blkcatgal" :

Thanks! I'm trying the cage thing right now. Got new cat in
cage...she's not happy!


She'll be alright. : P

Resident cat is keeping his distance, but
he is curious.


And that is what starts the healing process. : )

Other resident cat who seems to get along okay
with new cat is trying to play with her through the cage. She's
not interested.


Better than being scared (of her) -- and she'll eventually come
around.

I'm trying to ply them with treats....make it a
"good experience." New cat isn't having it....but she'll come
around. She can't pass up a treat.

I'll keep you posted.


Please do!

I spent a LOT of money on the treats that work. And Phat Kat and
Gabby did the same thing...

....they adore treats, ADORE them... but at first ignored them.
Yesterday, I had their faces maybe 3-4 inches from each other as they
nibbled on "Pounce (Cat Treats) - Moist - Chicken Flavor."

Oh yeah... better believe I had the chills creeping up my back and
tears welling up in my eyes. (It actually explains the celebration
Vodka. ; ))

I would spend double what I do now on the 2 weeks of "treat-play" I
have been doing. Probably $30 USD a week -- each container is 3oz
(85g) at about $4 USD and I have bought 13 (on the last one now) in
the past 2 weeks (since May 25). So yeah, I would pay $60 a week.

If the kitties have a medical emergency though, I hope they can take
kitty treats for it. : P (JOKE!)

--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.
  #25  
Old June 10th 08, 09:18 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
-Lost
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 458
Default Declawed cat vs. Non-declawed cat. Should I worry?

Response to "-Lost" :

Other resident cat who seems to get along okay
with new cat is trying to play with her through the cage. She's
not interested.


Better than being scared (of her) -- and she'll eventually come
around.


Ugh, I frickin' hate responding to your own post but something struck
me and I am too inebriated to decipher its importance.

Someone recently mentioned a lot about retraining cats. I believe
cats can be trained.

I also believe it is ONE HELL OF A TASK to achieve.

Take that how you perceive it. ; )

Good luck, kiddo!

--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.
  #26  
Old June 10th 08, 02:19 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
CatNipped[_2_]
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Posts: 4,003
Default Declawed cat vs. Non-declawed cat. Should I worry?

"-Lost" wrote in message
...
Response to "CatNipped" :

snip

You're the one there witnessing the situation, so go with your gut
feeling. If you think Gabby is terrorizing Phat Kat then it might
be a good idea to completely separate them and start the
introduction process all over again. MaryL has a great page about
how she introduced Duffy to Holly - if you ping her I'm sure
she'll post the link to it for you.


Exactly. I just didn't want to take everyone down "-Lost is
overreacting again"-lane or something. This time instead of hopping
immediately on here and ranting about how bad Gabby behaved, I let
this go for a few days.

Hopefully I am more on track this time. Even after ~8 months with
Gabby and almost 2 with Phat Kat, I still feel like I have not even
read the first page on cats.

Thanks for the advice. I'll do that now!


I've been owned by cats for 56+ years and I still don't feel like I have
scratched the surface of their mysterious ways. For one thing, every cat is
different with his own quirks and temperment - I've never had two cats
exactly alike.

As for as Gabby terrorizing Phat Kat, I would tend to err on the side of
caution and not let this go on if it's more than just dominance "posing"
(which is usually just a bit of hissing and maybe a swat or two to establish
who's boss). If you follow MaryL's advice you should have them interacting
as best buddies.

Hugs,

CatNipped


--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.



 




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