Does your cat cause problems because of his claws?

Does he scratch all your furniture when he marks his territory? Is he climbing everywhere and does he jump from the couch, leaving his scent each time?

Following are a few suggestions to prevent your cat from leaving his mark on your furniture:

• Make a scratching post available to your cat. It is usually easier to train a kitten to use a scratching post then an adult cat. You can even sprinkle the post with catnip to attract your pussycat!

• You can glue (or have us do it for you) Soft Paws on your cat. These are plastic claw sheaths similar to false nails for humans. In general, the Soft Paws must be checked every month and the fallen ones must be replaced. Most cats tolerate them well.

• You can decide to have your cat declawed. This procedure, called onychectomy, involves the amputation of the claw as well as the distal phalanx of the paw. We recommend you have your kitten declawed as young as possible, between 2 and 3 months. At that age, your cat is lighter and will recover from surgery more easily. When declawing a cat, painkillers are strongly recommended during the days following surgery. If your cat is adult or very heavy, painkillers are a must! If your cat is obese or geriatric and you are contemplating declawing, a veterinarian will meet with you to evaluate if all other possibilities have been explored while checking your animal’s health. During two or three weeks following declawing surgery, your cat will have to use a paper litter to prevent the risk of infection and abcess.

• We now offer another solution, called tendonotomy. This surgery consists of severing the tendon which allows the cat to flex its claws. Surgery is less painful than the usual declawing process and is recommended for adult or heavy cats. During two or three weeks following this surgery, your cat will have to use a paper litter. It will however be necessary to continue cutting its claws regularly. This must be taken into consideration when choosing this type of surgery.

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