help please i might be getting a kitten but mum says maybe cuz they scratch???

Question

mi family and i are thinking bout getting kitten but how do u stop them scratching furniture i know not all acts do but my mum has an image in her head that every cat on earth does when this isnt true also please tell me how much they cost and neutering and jabs everything please tell me whateva u can xxx

Answer 1

if you have a cat from a kitten then you can train it, best thing to do is to buy your cat/kitten a stratchy post and put some cat nip on it as cats love that stuff my mum works as the homing officer for the cat protection here in the web site that will give you all the information you need... i got both my cats from them and they came neutered and have a microchip in them incase they get lost.... GOOD LUCK HOPE YOU GET ONE

http://www.cats.org.uk/

Answer 2

A cat can be trained not to scratch furniture. Get it a scratching post while it is young and teach it to use it. If your mom wants to get it declawed, talk her out of it! When they declaw a cat, they cut off its toe joint down to the first knuckle so the claw won't come back. It would be like cutting off the end of your finger...it's cruel and unnecessary.
They also sell these things called Soft Paws that are covers that go on the kitty's claws. If you are getting your kitty as a kitten, you can also have the vet show you how to clip its claws and then it won't scratch things up.
A kitten doesn't cost much. You can get them for free out of the paper a lot of times, but if you go to your local animal shelter you can pay about $40 or so, but that also pays for the neutering and its shots, and you'd pay more than that taking it to the vet yourself.
Good luck and have fun with your kitty...and your mom will come around sooner or later, probably. Cats are good company.

Answer 3

There are lots of toys you can get for a kitten, scratching posts and hemp toys to stop them scratching the furniture.. they have catnip in the body so the cat is attracted to that not the furniture.

If you get a cat, you have to get them neutered or spayed as this calms them down and stops them having other kittens.

It does cost money, but it you go to an Animal Shelter (like The Wood Green Animal Shelter in the UK) they normally do that before giving you the kitten, so it may not cost too much. I hope you persuade your mum!

Answer 4

Cats will be cats but if you start there training right away it will help. Cats with claws need to scratch. I try-ed spraying my two with water. That worked for a couple of weeks then they went right back to scratching. I then was told by a friend that her cats hated the smell of vinegar and that just a couple of drops with water in spray bottle had worked for her. It worked for me too but you have to keep after them. and it could take time for them to learn they are like people, some learn faster then others. But be careful don't get it in there eyes. If scratching is a major concern you might want to adopt an older cat or have yours de-clawed. De-clawing is only a last resort as far as I am concerned. My 2 ,20 year old cats still have there claws and it has saved there lives more then once living on the farm.

Answer 5

i won't be able to believe human beings will be so merciless as to spray cats. I absolutely have owned those little animals all my existence, and ought to not in any respect experience the favor to attempt this. Your kitten will favor to sharpen its claws. you will get a scratching submit in a puppy keep, or animal revenues branch. i take advantage of an previous tree trunk in my outdoor, yet you could make do with a longish log. Vets expenditures determination contained in the united kingdom. i imagine I paid about £40-£50 for a booster jab, notwithstanding the unique will be somewhat extra severe priced, as there are 2 jabs a month aside. Threre are jabs for diverse issues, so it relies upon what you've. Neutering right that is about £40 for a male or £60 for a lady. telephone up your vet, and ask. you could also purchase particular clippers from the vet (i imagine mine were about £7-£8, to trim basically the pointy ends of the claws. you should be careful now to not reduce too a lot, and injure the cat. If the cat is going outdoors, evaluate it very carefully, as kitty will favor its claws to guard itself. tell your Mum no longer all cats scratch furniture, in spite of the reality that i imagine a cat kept interior will be extra in all probability to finish that.

Answer 6

Scratching is a natural behaviour for cats, so instead of trying to stop them, instead you offer them something that they are allowed to scratch. They have preferences about what they like to scratch; some like sisal posts, corrugated cardboard or even a heavy duty door mat. Cats have scent glands in their paws, so when they scratch, they are also marking territory, and the scent encourages them to scratch in the same places each time. This is why it's worth spending time teaching a cat to use a scratch post, because once they do, they will always want to use it. When you play with a kitten, trail toys or string over the scratch post, so that they have to grab for it. Once they sink their claws into the post, they will get the idea that it feels good to scratch. When the kitten uses the post, give her a reward of a tasty bit of food or lots of praise and affection. This will also encourage her to keep using the post. Keeping their claws trimmed is another way to limit accidental damage. The web article below has lots of advice on teaching them to use a post and how to trim their claws.

http://www.catscratching.com/

Telephone vets in your area to find out what they charge for neutering and vaccinations as it can vary. The PDSA offers free veterinary treatment to pets of those in receipt of either Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit, through their network of PetAid animal Hospitals and PetAid vets practices. See the link below for a list of their clinics.

http://www.pdsa.org.uk/managed/finder.html

The Cat Protection League is a great place to adopt a kitten or cat from and they often give new owners discount vouchers towards the cost of spaying or neutering. See the link below for details of their branches.

http://www.cats.org.uk/contact/findcp.asp

Hope you can persuade your mum, and if you do, remember to honour your side of the bargain by teaching your kitten good claw manners.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 7

With our cats, they only scratched people when they were scared of something. It takes a week or two for them to get used to the new environment. My cat did not scratch up the furniture until it was about 6 months old. What they are doing is sharpening their nails. If you aren't going to let kitty outside, you can declaw him. But DO NOT do it if you let him out for even a couple of minutes a day. Cats have no defense without their claws. If you will be letting kitty out, you can buy a scratch guard for the furniture and get a scratching post for kitty.

Answer 8

Yes, cats of all ages scratch. My cat likes the corrugated cardboard scratchboxes. Your cat may like something different. You can put sticky tape where you don't want kitty to scratch, and s/he will get an unpleasant sensation when s/he tries to scratch the furniture. Put catnip where you want kitty to scratch and offer praise when s/he uses his/her scratch toys. If your cat starts in on the furniture, remind him/her to use his toys in a calm, but firm, voice.

Yes, you should "alter" your cat to keep the cat population down. In the U.S., shelters do not allow animals to be adopted out until they have been spayed/neutered. Your adoption fee covers the cost of that. My cat gets an annual rabies shot, as required by law, but as she's quite elderly and has zero contact with other cats, she has no other shots. In the U.S., that's feline leukemia and distemper (I think).

Please, please don't declaw your cat. That's just utterly cruel and unnecessary. You can clip kitty's claws, however; many pet supply stores sell cat clippers. Just be careful.

Answer 9

They do scratch because they're babies and because it helps them sharpen and shed the outer sheaths of their claws. You can buy cat scratching posts which can prevent them clawing furniture, also they will climb and scratch trees if they have access to the outdoors. They have claws (and teeth) like needles and cannot help scratching, it's instinctive.

Answer 10

You can spray them with water whenever they do something bad... They don't like that one bit... That's what I done and it worked a treat.

And nutering cost £60 per cat... We have 2 >. And the jabs cost £15 per cat I think anyway...

Good luck with your little cat :P!