Does a declawed cat need a scratching post?
Thursday, December 31st, 2009 at
9:48 pm
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Filed under: Cat Scratching Post
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They call them scratching posts but they are for much more than just scratching. Cast exercises the muscles in their front legs by "scratching." They also leave sent on things that way. It’s also something that seems to feel very good to the cat.
You can get the scratching post or just let the cat use your sofa for the same thing. Ours once wore the fabric thin on a chair by just rubbing it’s paw pads on it for a year.
Put a little catnip on the post if the cat is unsure about using it.
Kev
No i dont think a cat will scratch a post with her hing legs, mine doesnt.
Sure, get her a sissal one, she will love to scratch her paws, it feels good and it’s a natural thing for them to do. I have one front declawed cat and he uses his daily.
For the most part i would say yes, depending on her age. I adopted a declawed cat from the Humane Society and she is CONSTANTLY "kneading" the sofa, the rug, the carpet, the bed…Old habits die hard. If it’s a young cat than you would probably be alright with not having a scratching post.
. My samese was declawed and she used to "scratch" the cloth kitchen chair where it was sewn together because it made noise when she did. She never used anything else.
Your cat will find it’s scratch place too, no need to go spend money on a post.
I have three cats, one declawed, the other two with claws. The declawed cat scratches at the scratching post also. And for all those that think I’m terrible for declawing my cat, he was a stray and came to me that way, I didn’t do it.
A declawed cat should not have a scratching post. Think of it this way. If you cut your nails off of your fingers really short, would you like to scratch the nubs? Probably not. The only reason cats continue to act like they want to scratch after being declawed is because it a learned behavior. They think they need to sharpen their claws when in actuality, they have none.
Our declawed cats still like to pretend to scratch and "march" their front paws on just about everything. I do not think a scratching post is necessary.
My 5 year old cat is declawed on the front and she still scratches, mostly on our laundry basket. She is also very mean about letting anyone besides myself touch her paws.
I wouldn’t recommend declawing your cat at all. We got our 5 year old that way. I thought about doing it to our 8 month old but after researching it I decided not to. Do you know what they do to them? They just don’t pull out the nail, they cut off the first part of the bone on every digit. Imagine having your first knuckle on every finger cut off. You just have to be responsible and teach your cat what he/she can scratch on and what he/she can’t, just like a dog chewing on stuff. A scratching post is the best alternative. Ask your vet to teach you how to trim your cat’s claws.
Your cat needs a scratching post and her claws! If you haven’t yet declawed her, as I understand from the way you write your question, please don’t. There are other ways to tell your cat not to scratch; declawing is illegal in my country as in most of Europe, we have lots of cats, even SoftPaws are rarely sold, and yet we don’t have scratched-up furniture!
Not only is the declawing a painful surgery, but it is the CAUSE of many other problems. Often declawed cats stop using the litterbox, some turn into biters instead, and some get problems walking when they get older because it changes their posture. Please don’t do that to your cat *and* to yourself; do you really want to risk saving your couch by having your carpet ruined by cat pee?
There’s an extensive article on why cats scratch & how to train them to scratch in appropriate places in the source. Good luck to you and your kitty!