help!! my aunt wants to declaw my kitten!?

Question

My aunt is a clean freak and so is her husband.
my stupid little sister who is a mean girls wannabe told her that my kiten tore up her curtains (ive been staying here for a few weeks due to a family emergency) and she went to look and there were some TINY holes there that you can barely see unless you put it in the sunlight..
well... she's going to get him DECLAWED!
I STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH THAT WHOLE DECLAWING THING! i was crying so hard. and shes making him stay in a kennel until she does so. im so sad! i dont want to give him up because i just love him so much!
some reassuring words?

He is a boy :)
AND my aunt is a crazy panamanian woman!! i can't do anything to stop her.

she also said, if he isn't good, shes going to throw him outside.
and it was the curtains in MY room that he clawed. i have a scratching post that hangs on a door.. but he doesnt use it.. he likes to use amplifiers lol! she comes in my room about 4 times a day to make sure its clean and blah blah blah!

Answer 1

Research the problems that come with declawing cats, and the dangers of it. Present that to your aunt in a professional and mature manner.

Make sure your cat has a scratching post and that the cat uses it. Use cat nip/liquid catnip to lure the cat to the post if she has problems adjusting to it.

Also, keep the cat away from the curtains and keep her claws trimmed. Ask for help in trimming the cats claws--because if you cut too close to the vein, she'll bleed. Just the tips once every couple weeks should keep her from ruining things. :)

Answer 2

Softpaws for an immediate solution.

They're inexpensive, last months-and now they're available at most large pet stores. Don't be too sad to do the neccessary work to stand against something you believe is wrong. Ever.

Pull out the phonebook, and call around. See who has 'em, and get some money (less than 20 bucks, I believe).

If not, have you tried trimming his nails with some clippers? If he is indeed a kitten, it's the perfect time to get him used to it.

I have a 9-week kitten, and I've trimmed his nails twice. By the second time, he was asleep at the third nail.At this stage you can have him gently wrapped in a blanket and take out one of his little paws and trim them avoiding a struggle you can't handle. He is little, after all.

Your aunt really needs to smell something other than her precious pine-sol. And that would be the smell of bullshit, which a whole lot is going to be given to your kitty.

Edit:
IF ALL ELSE FAILS: You need to contact your local rescue, or humane society. I'm actually really confident they'd be sympathetic to the situation-he is YOUR cat, am I correct? You can probably work something out with them! Let them know you want him, or want a place where he can be loved, not in a kennel. Personally, I would do ANYTHING to avoid submitting to that. I don't think we have the right to inflict pain on those who cannot speak.

Besides, scratching is what a cat does naturally.

If you believe the kitten is about to be harmed against his and your will, THAT IS ABUSE. There is a reason many communities refuse to declaw.
The fact of the matter is, you are there temporarily. She has no right at all to make such a permanent decision. Is she so bored of being neurotic that she can't realize that you can keep a kitten in a bathtub? Just kitten-proof the bathroom. It isn't that hard, unless she's inhaled too many mixed cleaning chemicals. If she refuses to be sympathetic or compromise, get help from anyone who can help you in the slightest.

Answer 3

You do have choices.
You may want to base your decision on 'How long you'll be living at your Aunt's house'

A) You do not currently have a choice where YOU stay, but

B) you do have a choice where and how your kitten stays.

Because this is your Aunt's house = Her house rules.......So,
C) Leave the cat in a kennel unless you are there supervising.
D) Find another place for the cat to stay for awhile
E) Give the kitten away / get a new kitten when your life settles down
F) Keep the kitten as an "outside only cat" (Mine do fine, and we allow them into the Garage, you don't want an outside cat to be declawed)
G) Keep your kitten and abide by Aunt's house rules

Life can be hard sometimes.
Hope your life goes smoother soon.
You may not agree with all the adults in your life right now, but this is not "the end of the world" Try to see the bigger, longterm picture, if you will.

Answer 4

Give me your aunt's number, i'll call her!!!

Crazy woman and her curtains, take the cat and save her.

P.S.: Send her back to Panama!

I can not believe what i read! Everyone who thinks declawing is OK should have a finger cut. I promise you i'll do it under anesthetic.

Declawing is cruel and is of no benefit to the cat. Plain and simple. It involves removing the last section of bone from each toe as that is the only way to remove the claw. This can cause all sorts of problems later on. Many declawed cats have litterbox issues, they have problems with posture and walking, and they often will resort to biting because the claws are gone.

First off, get a scratching post. Many cats will take to them instantly. If not, you can teach them that that is the only appropriate area to scratch. If that still doesn't work, than you can try Soft Paws. They are nail caps that slide over each nail and are applied with glue. They usually stay on about 6-8 weeks. And most importantly, you need to trim their nails every 2-3 weeks.

Please don't think that if your cats are indoor only that it will be ok. You may never intend for them to go outside, but things do happen. It's very possible that one day they could sneak outside. My female cat has done it twice. And had I declawed her, she would have had no defense. People claim that it's ok because they have their back claws, but when is the last time you saw a cat willingly roll over - and expose their bellies, where numerous fatal injuries can occur - to fight an animal with their back legs? The back claws are of little to no defense.

Answer 5

WHY THE HECK WOULD RICHELLE TELL???
Make her some new curtains for when you leave and tell her to frickin get over it. Heck, I'll frickin pay somebody to make her some!
He needs his claws. Why else would God put them on cats??? Hmm...Idk. CUZ THEY NEED THEM!! jeeeeeeez!
vintageexxpress and Gorgon, you guys are awesome! :D
Maybe you SHOULD try the soft paws thing. i wish i had money. she should pay for them, though, since she wants to pay that money to declaw him. urgh.
Or maybe the spraying with a water squirter.
Yeah, it's not her right to make a permanent decision.
It's a defense mechanism. Definitely cruel to go through with it.
Oh yeah..you didn't tell me about that part..she better NOT put him outside!!! You know what other problems, other than a VERY upset psycho neice that will cause?? Fleas, tics, DOGS!! I don't understand how she can treat gabe like he's a frickin human baby, buy him clothes, w/e else she does to him and not give a crap about another animal. Just cuz he's a cat??? I mean, I used to despise cats, but I would NEVER have treated one that way!
Screw her and her material obsessive ways!

Answer 6

THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES!
He is simply wanting to climb, perfectly natural for a cat - get a spray and get him a kitty condo and a few scratching posts - this declawing can be avoided and is worth you trying very hard - you cannot give in on this one.
She has no right to maim YOUR animal for HER benefit since you'll have to deal with the aftermath - even if you have to keep him in kennels until you move out, it's a far better idea than letting her near it.

Answer 7

Is there anyone else that can care for your kitten until you move out?

Try to convince your aunt you will only be living with her for a few weeks and you will replace anything that is damaged. Be firm and tell her, under no circumstances will you get the cat declawed.

Also, everytime my kitten tried to scratch other things I firmly said no and took him to his scratch post. They learn quickly. Maybe just watching and training him on the scratch post will help.

Hope all our answers help. Maybe printing out these answers and showing them to your aunt will convince her to be more patient.

Answer 8

Look into a product called soft paws. They go right over a cats claws. Tell your aunt that this is a much less expensive and just as effective way to keep your cat from scratching things.

Answer 9

Like how others before me have suggested, use Soft Claws. It's pretty effective. Convince your aunt to at least try this than paying quite alot of money on declawing the cat.

Answer 10

You can teach a cat to not scratch couches, curtains etc by spraying him with water from a spray bottle. I agree he does not need to have his claws removed. Is there some friend who can watch your cat for a few weeks until you get away from your aunt? It seems to me she would not have permission to declaw your cat that the permission would have to come from one of your parents. Have your Aunt read this article on declawing. http://www.pawproject.com/html/faqs.asp it is a pretty lousy thing to do. Good luck in changing her mind or getting another adult behind you.