I now have two indoor, neutered male cats. Hershey is 7yrs old and is 18 pounds. He is not "fat," just a big cat. I had him declawed at 6 months old.
Tucker was rescued as a stray about a month ago. He is smaller, about 8 pounds, and 1 year old. They have been segregated and "playing" through the door for awhile. I take Tucker to the vet next week to get worm-free clearance, then I plan on letting the two cats meet.
Knowing what I know now about declawing, if I had to do it over, Hershey would still have his front claws. I do not want to declaw Tucker. He does not scratch furniture so far and does not use his claws when being held. My fear, however, is that Tucker might hurt Hershey. Will age and the weight difference make up for the lack of front claws on Hershey? I'm curious if anyone has two or more cats in a similar situation, and what your experience has been. Thanks.
2007-01-31 09:48:38 · 7 answers · asked by JD 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
These all were great and reassuring answers. Much thanks to you all. Everyone got a thumbs up rating from me :-).
It was really hard picking a best answer on this one.
2007-02-01 12:56:51 · update #1
well we had a cat with and a cat without claws for a time and none of them got hurt. they will probably stare at each other for a while to decide who rules the house and maybe they will paw one another. but i doubt that Tucker will use his claws because of Hersheys size and that Hershey is the alpha male already. so if one of them raise their paw at the other its just a threat they might hit each other but i doubt a cat will be hurt. just let them be, if you interfere too much then it will be worse. just if they start full out fighting (biting clawing jumping ect...) scare them and they wont fight anytime soon.
GOOD LUCK!
2007-01-31 10:15:39 · answer #1 · answered by Ginny 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First--Keep Tucker's claws trimmed. It doesn't hurt him (anymore than trimming our nails does), and they can't do much damage with dulled claws. Second, for the first week or so only let them together while you are there to supervise, and give Hershey lots of love and treats to bribe him into liking the new kid. It usually works. I am owned by 5 cats, 1 of whom was declawed when I got her. Good luck.
2007-01-31 09:57:48 · answer #2 · answered by Phartzalot 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If Tucker was raised with his littermates and mother until he was 10-12 weeks old, everything should be fine. Most cats learn not to scratch each other in play when they are kittens, just as little kids learn not to hit or bite each other.
If you're concerned about it, you can trim the tips off of Tucker's claws to blunt them. http://www.catscratching.com/htmls/article.htm has instructions on how to do it. Just check them every 2 weeks to see if they need to be trimmed down again.
2007-01-31 10:13:00 · answer #3 · answered by Bess2002 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have two cats along with a variety of reptiles. Loki has his front claws and Puck was declawed when we adopted him. Cats generally use their back claws for defence. And Puck has from time to time got in a good shot on Loki drawing some blood. So they can do fine with each other. No worries.
2007-01-31 10:13:19 · answer #4 · answered by bobby h 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They'll probably be okay. The small one may wind up terrorizing the big one, for all we know. In any event, the claws probably won't be a factor even during fairly realistic military exercises, like when they're pushing each other down the stairs and hissing.
You do understand, of course, that they'll soon learn to cooperate and then gang up on you together, e.g., they'll push you off the bed in tandem while you sleep, or one will perch on your stomach and the other will yowl in your ear when they want you to get up to play cat games. Just thought you'd like to know.
Have fun. Cats are great.
2007-01-31 10:11:48 · answer #5 · answered by 2n2222 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I know that when doing adoptions we reassured adoptors that the cats would be OK together. Cats do not go at one another with their claws. They will bop one another with a paw and are not usually aggressive enough to do it with claws extended.
Of course you should keep Tucker's nails trimmed on a regular basis.
2007-01-31 10:12:11 · answer #6 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Only one of our three cats has claws. For us it has not been a problem. However, a younger cat may be aggressive toward the older cat, so you may have to do it in the end.
We had to have one declawed because he was always digging his claws into us by accident, one because she shredded the furniture to bits. The third is fine.
We tried "soft paws" on him for a while. They were great, but it was annoying to get him to sit still to put them on.
2007-01-31 11:52:10 · answer #7 · answered by citrus punch 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋