Don't declaw! Train, instead

Some people think it's okay to declaw a cat. They think the cat won't need to "sharpen claws" they no longer have, and then they don't have to have scratching posts, or train the cat.

But they are completely wrong. Here's some of the things cats need from scratching:

Claw sharpening. Cats don't sharpen their claws! Cats pull off the old, dull, claw covering to reveal the sharper claw growing beneath it.

Some scratching posts fail because the surface won't let the cat dig in enough to "grab" the old claw sheath, and peel it off. This isn't going to tell the cat's instincts that they are scratching "the right thing." So, they won't scratch it.

In the wild, cats use dead trees. Soft bark is the right kind of texture, and this is what they will seek out.

Exercise. Cats in nature climb trees. This means their limbs need to support their whole weight. This means their limbs need to practice these moves. This means the little scratching post that flops around when the cat touches it will be ignored, and the couch chosen instead. Because the couch doesn't move.

Any scratching post that is fastened down in some way will become a million times more attractive to our cat. Would we like to work out on an exercise machine made of rubber bands and paper clips? Neither does our cat.

Stress relief. Cats have strong instincts to keep their muscles toned. Completing the proper actions, such as using a sturdy scratching post with the right kind of surface, relieves both mental and physical tension.

If they can't do this, they can't exercise all their muscles properly! This leads to a stressed out cat who bites.

Territory signaling. Cats need their scratching post to signal that they live here. If we try to put their scratching post in some out-of-the-way place, our cat won't want to use it.

Cats need posts in rooms we both spend time in.

Energy expenditure. When I had two laidback cats, I had a Cosmic Alpine Scratcher and they each got a rag rug. When Tristan got into adolescence, we invested in six feet of cat tree and Mr WayofCats admitted we should have done it sooner.

If our cat needs the sturdy scratching, and exercise potential, of some kind of cat furniture, getting them one is much cheaper, and less exasperating, than trying to keep them away from things they aren't supposed to scratch on. If we aren't giving them the right things to scratch on, it's like us having a living room with things we aren't supposed to sit on.

Kill! Kill! My toilet paper and paper towels are safe; because I give my cats their own stuffed animals. It doesn't always work, but it's certainly worth trying. Many cats know they aren't supposed to indulge; but when the energy overflows or stress sends them over the edge, there's nothing more satisfying than tearing into some yielding substance.

Some cats need that wrestling, clawing, intense play. I got our Maine Coon kitten, RJ, a Long Body Dog Toy and it's made three kittens happy so far.

We may have taken our cat from their hunting environment, but we haven't taken the hunting instincts out of our cats.

We got our cat tree from
Kitty Store Online.

They have an extraordinary selection,
personal service, and they donate to cat causes!

Read this post for a training routine to get our cat to scratch in the right places!

Review of the Shedmonster

One way of keeping cat fur off of our stuff is to groom our cat on a regular basis. We shouldn't think of this as a "chore." Done properly, it's also a fun time for both of us.

The ShedMonster turns out to be an excellent grooming tool. I groom my cats on a weekly basis, and this tool got a whole handful out of my long-haired Maine Coon cat.

It's especially good at reaching their insulating undercoat; the fur that combs and brushes are most likely to miss. This will keep our cat cooler in summer, and keep their skin healthier in winter. It also keeps this hardest-to-remove layer off of our clothes and upholstery.

The best part is that the cats just love it.

I got the longhaired version for this review, but it still worked to get some fluff off of shorthaired Tristan. It's very sensibly priced, too. Amazon had the best online price for either the longhair version, ShedMonster De-Shedding Tool for Medium to Long Coats, or the shorthair version, ShedMonster De-Shedding Tool for Fine or Short Coats.

When we groom our cat, we get them used to being handled. We have a fun time together. We also take good care of them. Longhaired or shorthaired, every cat needs some attention.

And cats love attention.

For tips on teaching our cat to love their grooming, see my post, Grooming the Cat and The Knotty Question for how to get the knots out, safely.

I received the Shedmonster free, for reviewing purposes. I am getting no further recompense for my review.

Why cats bother people who hate cats

Maybe we have a friend or family member who doesn't like cats. They are always saying cats come around and bother them on purpose.

Is this true? Do cats know when someone doesn't like them, and they like to tease that person?

It can look that way. But cats aren't doing this on purpose. What we have here is people saying the wrong thing. They are trying to tell the cat to go away. But instead, they are saying, Come here, I want to be your friend, in cat language.

Cat-phobic people keep track of the cat from the corner of their eye.

They don't want to draw the cat’s attention, but they also don't want to lose track of where the cat is. But acting this way signals interest, to the cat.

They become very still and blink a lot as the cat gets closer.

Blinking and being quiet is how we signal the cat that we want to be friends.

They hold out their hand without moving it.

The cat-phobic person is trying to keep the cat away. But one of the most powerful things we can do to signal cat friendship is hold out our fist, for the cat to pet themselves on. This is very polite to the cat. This is what they think the "scaredy cat" is saying to them!

What can cat-phobic people do to make the cat go away? They can stare directly at the cat, say "I'm going to give you a big hug!" and wave their hands around like a little kid. Cats don't like that. They will go somewhere else.

Now we know how to make friends with a cat. And, how not to.

Find out more Myths About Cats in my posts marked "mythbusting."

Cats need to explode: into action!

Why do our cats make this sudden transition?

This is our cat's hunting style. Lying in wait, and then ambushing the prey.

This helps us give our cats the right exercise. We might need this help: because cat exercise is the opposite of dog exercise.

Dogs need long walks. Cats need to chase, but they also need to ambush. We might get exasperated while we wait for our cat to attack, but they are setting up their ambush. This is important.

We need to offer, for cats or dogs, exercise that matches their hunting style. Dogs roam in packs and run down their prey. So they like to run for a long time, and chase things. Cats study their prey, figure out where they are going to be, and get there, first.

A cat's hunting style doesn't just explain why our cats "explode." It means they need to. In the wild, they would have continuous cycles of setting up a plan, then patiently waiting for THE TIME TO STRIKE!

When we watch our cat's behind wiggle and they leap with every bit of their stored energy, we are watching the "ninja" moves that make them such incredible hunters.

If we keep our cats exercised the right way, they won't try to release that energy by "being bad." They don't mean to be bad. They just need some help.

Watch me explain this process in my Herbal Cat Toy Video.

Tempt our cat with the natural excitement, and gentle winding down, offered by a favorite herbal toy. When cats are calm and happy, it's a great time to pet them and get some cuddles in!