Thinking of getting a kitten.

[suzzer99]

By the logic of this thread, I have become convinced that the only moral choice I have is to mutilate my own genitals, in solidatiry with all the poor declawed kitties everywhere.

Youtube vid at 11.

[tuq]

Jack, that's the same kitten from the wii box? The color looks way different. Must be the lighting and angle.

ads, yours didn't devolve because it was about a situation, not about getting a cat. Consider yourself lucky.

OP, some more thoughts:

- both of my pound kitties were housebroken, I think they were both three months when I got them. They've never once peed or crapped anywhere but a litterbox, even when I've left them alone as long as a week and the (covered) litterbox was getting pretty rank, they saw it through, so don't freak out too much about that.

- if you get two, the consensus seems to be to go male/male or female/male, NOT female/female. It appears that like with women they can be "catty" and fight more than the other combinations.

- I don't think them having claws is a huge deal. Mine are both indoor cats and the only time they really scratch stuff up is when I get home and they proceed with something called "kneading", which means they're excited to see me and take it out on random furniture or carpet. My imported wooden furniture can sustain this.

- getting two lets you see that cats can have totally different personalities. I have one that wakes me up at about 4AM every day, purring loudly and wanting to be scratched only to be mute the rest of the day, and the other leaves me alone until I'm awake and then he constantly wants affection and follows me around. It's pretty cool.

- if you go to a shelter, try a couple or a few out. They generally have rooms where you can have a cat or kitten brought in and hold it. If you don't hit it off, no big deal - either the cat's not feeling it or maybe the poor guy isn't very affectionate.

- hopefully your cat will be spayed our neutered, I think the shelters here in AZ do this for every one they collect to control the population. Cats in heat or horny are a handful and things like marking really suck from what I hear. Who wants a house that smells like cat piss?

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. Maybe I can help.

[diddyeinstein]

Here's my cats:

Emma:


and Vick (who unfortunately is named after someone who likes to kill dogs).

*Disclaimer: I did not put that shirt on the cat

[tuq]

diddy,

Cute IMO. What are their ages in those photos?

[bogey1]

First
[ QUOTE ]
Written by Veterinarian, Dr. Christianne Schelling

First, you should know that declawing is pretty much an American thing[...] In England declawing is termed "inhumane" and "unnecessary mutilation."


[/ QUOTE ]

And for those that think it's "harmless" for an indoor cat...

[ QUOTE ]

A cat's claws are used for balance, for exercising, and for stretching the muscles in their legs, back, shoulders, and paws. They stretch these muscles by digging their claws into a surface and pulling back against their own clawhold - similar to isometric exercising for humans. This is the only way a cat can exercise, stretch and tone the muscles of its back and shoulders. The toes help the foot meet the ground at a precise angle to keep the leg, shoulder and back muscles and joints in proper alignment. Removal of the last digits of the toes drastically alters the conformation of their feet and causes the feet to meet the ground at an unnatural angle that can cause back pain similar to that in humans caused by wearing improper shoes.


[/ QUOTE ]

So, you declaw your cat, you're consigning it to a lifetime of discomfort and potential pain.

[Tryptamean]

My dad once told me that its bad to let your cat roam free because they decrease the population of uncommon songbirds. Not really sure if this makes much difference, probably depends on where you live.

However, when I had a cat, I let him roam free. He would kill massive amounts of mice. It was kind of annoying because he would often bring them inside and chase them around the house before he killed them. Not too big a deal and it was fun to watch him stalk and pounce outside.

I once had a rude awakening though. Sunday morning there is sudden commotion in room. A live BIRD was flying around in my bedroom, banging into walls and ceilings. Shady was flipping out, sprinting and leaping and chasing it around. I had to grad a towel to wrap it up and put it outside. It did not immediately fly away, so I thought it might be injured pretty bad. His head was a little banged up from flying against the ceiling so much. Anyway, I looked back a while later and he was gone, so maybe he was alright.

That is all

[tuq]

[ QUOTE ]
So, you declaw your cat, you're consigning it to a lifetime of discomfort and potential pain.

[/ QUOTE ]
Christ, I hate myself for devolving into this stupid argument, but I think if they could speak most cats would agree that living a life without claws >>>>>> being put to sleep. People who take the anti-declawing stance seem to conveniently forget that tons of cats are put down because they are unwanted. Surely that number would be at least somewhat reduced if declawing was an option.

Someone on these forums mentioned this between the first and second cats that I got: did it make you sad to see all the cats that may be put to sleep? The first time I treated it as a celebration, like yay, I'm gonna rescue some cat from a tiny cage. The next time, harboring that comment, I felt really bad about all the adult cats that may get put to sleep because everyone seems to want a kitten. That despite the fact that they'll truly be a "kitten" for only a few months. Man it bummed me out seeing some of those beautiful cats, and I hope that they found welcome homes after I left. It just made sense that I get a cat of around the same age as the one I already had.

[mrkilla]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you have little old ladies for neighbours? If so, keep him inside.

[/ QUOTE ]

unless ofc u like pie

[diddyeinstein]

[ QUOTE ]
diddy,

Cute IMO. What are their ages in those photos?

[/ QUOTE ]

Emma was about 2 years, and Vick was a little over 6 months. I'm pretty sure that picture was taken the day I got him.

Also if you look closely you can notice the constant physical pain and psychological torment they are dealing with from being declawed.

[Fast Food Knight]

It seems like the only defense the opponents of declawing have is "this vet says it's inhumane." Every declawed cat I've ever seen runs, plays, climbs on furniture, purs, sleeps, and eats just like every other cat. These cats do not act as if they are in pain.