i am a new owner of a kitten my husband found her at a local hwy! we have taken her in and love her! she is a good cat but is a little subburn .. we are not sure how to make her mind. she scratches alot andbites on our computer wire and we are trying to handle it with moving her away each time but she just runs to want ever it is ? should i spank her softly so she will get the point ??

hheath541

spray her with a squirt bottle. when she's doing something you don't want her to do, like eating wires, just squirt her. it doesn't hurt, but cats don't like getting hit with water.

newlywed801

i have not even thought of that thank great advice!

hheath541

no problem. you learn a thing or two when you live with 9 cats ^_^

newlywed801

i have also wondered about declawing her .. someone said we should but i have heard it could make them mean what is your advice im am a begin at this

Altenweg

Here is some info on declawing. The choice is yours.

Declawing is an excruciatingly painful surgery that can permanently disable a cat, as well as putting it at risk for medical problems and severe psychological trauma.
A Serious Surgery

Declawing a cat is not the same as trimming its nails. Because the claw is tightly attached to the bone, some bone in the cat’s paw actually has to be removed. Basically, removing a claw requires an operation similar to amputating the third digit of a human finger.

A declawed cat, which has basically suffered ten amputations, will not be able to lie still or sit in a wheelchair for its recuperation. It must walk around on its severely injured and painful feet in order to eat, groom and use the litterbox. Although cats tend to be stoic about pain and suffer in silence, they certainly suffer. Pain experienced when trying to dig in kitty litter may cause the cat to go on the floor or the furniture instead.

If a declawed cat ever manages to get outside, it is vulnerable to attack. It cannot defend itself or even climb a tree to escape. Thus, the declawed cat is permanently vulnerable and endangered.

Declawing can cause secondary tendon contracture, which makes walking uncomfortable. Additionally, because they are missing the third joints of their paws, declawed cats tend to shift their weight to their hindquarters, which can create balance problems and lead to atrophy of frontquarter muscles. The lack of balance is extremely upsetting for a cat, which relies on balance in everything it does. Some cats also suffer nerve damage or even permanent paralysis as a result of the procedure.

That and more info found here;

Pros and Cons of Declawing Cats: From a Non-Biased Point of View | Suite101.com

hheath541

i think it's just mean. in order to declaw a cat they amputate the first joint of their toes. that's like having someone cut off your fingertips.

it can make some cats mean. since they lose their natural defense they become skittish and temperamental and will be quicker to defend themselves if they perceive a threat.

as long as clawing doesn't become a major issue with her you shouldn't even worry about it. teach her to use a scratching post. if she doesn't seem inclined to use it, sprinkle some catnip on it or smear catnip oil on it. however, ONLY use catnip if she's at least a year old, and don't use it more than once every month or two.

the scratching posts you get in stores are ok, but if you can get a hold of a log, it'll last longer. just make sure you know what kind of wood it is, some types are toxic to cats.

newlywed801

thanks yall i was not informed in how declawing worked and now i would never want to put her through that! i will dif get a scraching post or log!

TJ17

Don't de-claw cats, that's just flaming cruel, all cats scratch things it's in there nature, the Scratching Post is the go and a few little cat toys.

morgaine300

Please bear in mind that this statement is not meant to condone declawing. I just wish if you're going to give reasons to be against it, that people would stop posting this false one. Declawed cats can defend themselves and they darn well can too climb trees, quite well in fact. (Well, once they re-learn how, which doesn't take long.)