Reddit reviews Soft Claws for Cats - CLS (Cleat Lock System), Size Medium, Color Clear

Could you try claw caps or maybe try redirecting your cats clawing to a really awesome scratching post?

I've had cats all my life, and have quite a few now, so I'll answer, in case OP doesn't get to it.

Cats acclimate pretty easily to whatever schedule you have. They're going to sleep around 20 hours a day either way. It's totally possible to get a cat that acts out if left alone, but I think statistically, your odds are in favor of getting a cat that's cool while you're at work. I've never had a lone cat before, though, so I don't know if that increases their loneliness. Any chance you could get a pair? It's much better if they're already familiar with each other, as some cats get along, and others don't. Either way, it's more likely that your cat, even a lone one will be fine while you're at work, as long as you socialize with it when you get home and before you leave.

There are on occasion really chill dogs, and really high-strung cats, but more often than not, yes, cats are more chill than dogs.

Good! Definitely don't leave your cat alone while you're deployed. My cats don't scratch my furniture. They do, however have scratching posts, and also love to scratch door frames and my wicker hamper. If they're scratching something that I don't want them too, I shoo them away gently, and they get the hint, and go scratch something else. This can be solved pretty easily too, by clipping their claws, or getting them claw caps. Please never declaw a cat, as it is mutilation for their first toe digits.

All of that being said, it's really the luck of the draw whether you get a cat with a few behavior problems, or one that's calm and works well with you. Even behavioral problems have remedies. I would strongly suggest getting an adult cat, even one a bit older (5+), as their personalities by that point are well-defined, and you can a good idea of how they'll work out.

A young cat like that should adapt pretty well to soft claws or many of the other anti-clawing systems. I would give one of these a shot before de-clawing.

Not sure I agree with some others that you are a bad person for considering de-clawing, but I do think there are many alternatives to try first.

Please don't get your cat declawed. It is a very painful and unnecessary surgery. Did you know that it is considered to be animal cruelty and is illegal in some countries? It's like cutting off your fingers at the last knuckle. And many times the surgery can cause other issues, such as refusing to use the litter box or being prone to aggressive biting behavior. Luckily for you, kittens are very easy to train to use a scratching post, and if that doesn't work, consider soft claws! They're awesome. I use them on my cat and they even have pretty colors available :)

Please don't declaw!! Your gut feeling on this is correct. There are plenty of ways to save your stuff without harming your new pet.

I can't speak for young kittens, but I adopted a 1+ year old cat and have not had a problem with her scratching anything. I'm not sure if a kitten would be more easy to "train," or more apt to claw everything...maybe others can offer an opinion on this.

Provide your new cat with lots of scratching options -- horizontal, vertical, cardboard, rope, carpet -- and figure out which ones he likes. You can rub or spray them with catnip to attract him, and be sure to give him a treat and pets every time you see him use them. Spritz him with water, or shake a can filled with pennies, if he scratches anything else. Keep his claws trimmed regularly. If you can't do it yourself every week or two, you can pay your vet a nominal amount to do it for you. If it turns out to really be a problem there are always Soft Claws nail caps!

I've been putting them on since they were kittens, so it doesn't really bug them anymore. They eventually fall off and I reattach new ones probably once a month. It works for them, but it definitely doesn't work for all cats. I buy the soft claw kit on Amazon . It's a little pricey, but they save my back from being scratched up when they hang out on my shoulders.

Don't declaw it, it causes a lot of pain. It is about the same as me cutting off the last segment of all of your fingers. Take it to the vet if you plan on keeping it, they will tell you exactly what to do and what it needs. If clawing is a problem, you can buy claw covers here.

You should check around the neighborhood first to make sure no one is missing a cat. It could really dissipation a child who has just gotten that pet they have always wanted.

See that's what I would think as well but look at the Amazon reviews

I'm really glad to hear things have improved. Yes, it's very likely he needed time to adjust to his new home. With any luck he will continue to improve over time.

Are you going away over the holidays? I ask because you said he got more destructive after your trip this spring.

This product might help with his scratching at the carpet outside the door.

Does he have any scratchers near the sofa? It's great that he stops now when you tell him to, but you could take it a step further and redirect him to the scratcher with lots of praise when he uses it. Even if he already has scratchers elsewhere, sometimes it really helps to put one right next to the object they're scratching, since they apparently feel the need to mark their territory in that particular area.

Do you trim his nails regularly? If not, that can help control the amount of damage. There are also nail covers that you can try.

>sometimes it really is like it's some kind of attention seeking behaviour.

One of my cats (the passive one I mentioned before) will tap me with her front paw to get attention, which sounds ok except when she gets really anxious (or hungry), she'll follow me constantly, getting underfoot and repeatedly tapping my legs and screeching, and if I can't deal with her directly, she will begin adding a scrape with her claws when she taps. Is he doing something like that?

Oh, one more thought: he might like the toys that dispense kibbles or treats. That would be another thing to try for when he's alone during the day. If you're not familiar with them, it takes work (both physical and mental) for the cat to get the treat out of the toy, which helps satisfy cats' hunting instinct.

Cat likely won't bother the baby since he's immobile. Don't allow the cat to sit next to the baby (but that's unlikely to happen anyway) and instantly and consistently remove the cat if he tries to go in the crib, even if the baby isn't there, so he learns not to. Once baby starts getting mobile is when the problems may start. Is the cat fully clawed? If so you may want to consider doing cat claw caps. The only downside to these are that they annoying to apply and the cat will occasionally have one fall off which you don't want the baby choking on. If you do decide to go with claw caps, make sure you get a brightly colored version (not clear version) so you can easily see them on the ground if they do fall off.

Unfortunately my oldest son has a permanent scar from when he pulled out a tuft of fur from my cat & got swiped in retaliation. They can be really quick.

Well my last tip is to try something like this

I think they're a pain in the ass (could be my cat's big claws) but lots of people like them. It won't fix the door rattling, but at least they won't be clawing anything else.

http://amzn.com/B0006343W2

Kitties can hurt themselves on screens.

I understand the frustrations involved in keeping upholstered furniture looking decent while having cats; it takes away the joy of getting a good deal on something if it starts to look like crap immediately. I sprayed diluted vinegar all over my couches to teach my cats not to claw them. It worked pretty well. The downside is that your furniture will obviously smell like vinegar for a while, and the smell fades a bit fast so you'll have to re-spray often. Vinegar is a natural deodorizer and shouldn't harm the couches, but most cats hate it. Also, if your cats hate tape, you can apply double-sided tape to the areas they scratch to deter them; most find the stickiness unpleasant. The tape method worked to keep away my cat that scratched, but I couldn't use it long because my other cat loves tape and would rip it all off and play with it. A third option would be to use a product like soft claws, which are nail caps for cat claws. If your cats are relatively laid back about getting their nails trimmed, they might take well to that method. Good luck!

https://www.amazon.com/Soft-Claws-Cats-System-Medium/dp/B0006343W2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1497612734&sr=8-3&keywords=cat+caps