help me understand!!

[annie3001]

There are many adult cats for adoption that are already declawed. You should be able to find one. Whether your family can pass the requirements for adoption, remains to be seen. In my experience, people who get offended and mad because their kids who were 'only hyped up on sugar' raised flags in a rescue worker who is tired of pouring their heart, soul and money into an animal and wants the best for it, tend not to pass inspection with careful, reputable rescues. I guess I'm old, but if I misbehaved in front of strangers when I was with my mother, she didn't excuse my behavior as 'caused by a sugar high.' She got madder that crap at me and I got punished, for not behaving and embarrassing her in front of people.




just for clarification: my kids are hyper. and i see nothing wrong with that. the lady was simply rude. you werent there.


i wish for this topic to be closed from the moderator. i think enough has been said. thank you.
andrea-

 

[LizFM]

You asked the question. You wanted to understand why someone would react that way. I answered your question. I hope you find a kitty and you all love each other and live happily.

 

[duckluck]

Sounds to me like they were just plain stupid in their treatment of you. I don't believe in declawing cats, but it was pretty dumb in these bad economic times to run off a potential adopter when so many shelters are full. I mean, seriously, if you wanted a declawed cat, why send you off...you might get one off the street and have it declawed anyway, vs. them providing you with one that has already had it done anyway. I find it improbable that they had no declawed cats there.

I had a declawed cat as a kid who did stop using the litter box and had to be re-homed. I also just returned a cat to a shelter because he had a host of behavior problems, including clawing, despite all the nail trimming, scratching posts etc. I tried to do for him. That was not my reason for returning him, I had a lot of reasons because he had a lot of behaviors that made him unsuitable to be in a house. He had been returned once before I got him and they would not allow me to make him into a barn cat, despite the fact that he was neutered and I have two other barn cats who have been out there for over 9 years and been very well cared for. He may well be there for the rest of his life, but I made a really good effort with him and finally had it with him hijacking the house here. I've already ranted several times about people making rules and not applying reason.

My two really excellent cats that I have had were both stray kittens when I got them. One lived to be twenty and one lived past twelve. I got to know them both a bit before I took them home (one came in injured where I worked as a wildlfe rehabillitator, the other was a barn stray.) I think taking the advice of searching a declawed one out by the methods given above would work for you, or get to know a clawed kitten a bit before taking it in. The nail clipping worked really well for both the really good cats I had, and both could be bathed as well. They learned to tolerate claw clipping as kittens and never really picked up the habit of honing their claws as a result. I have found that the right cat *can* be trained to an extent.

Good luck to you in your search; with the right homework, the right cat is out there for you. Don't let the militants convince you to settle for anything but something that is right for you with *reasonable* adjustments on your part; there are enough good animals out there that need homes.

 

[mom'sfolly]

Some rescue groups are very single minded, and unwilling to adopt to people who don't fit their definitions of good pet owners. I know rescues here that would not allow me to adopt a cat because we choose not to vaccinate our indoor cats. Our cats do not go outside, are not in contact with other pets, and live in an area without active rabies outbreaks. They are microchipped, and get vet care. Because of our decision not to vaccinate, most rescue groups would not allow us to adopt. This isn't a problem because over the course of my life only two cats have come from a humane society, the rest have been found.

Personally, I wouldn't declaw, but there are plenty of adoptable, declawed cats out there. My MILs first cat was the perfect grandma's cat. My niece routinely dressed the poor guy up and pushed him in a stroller. He would just look peeved, and put up with it. He was declawed, and while in harness, and on a leash would catch and kill baby bunnies. MIL hated that!

Good luck finding a kitty that works for you.

 

[chickerdoodle]

Quote:
I was a behavior specialist for many years and cats were my specialty. The scratch posts must be placed in the right places and the right texture (depends on the individual cat) must be used. Often the cheap cardboard ones were the favorites! You are not alone in having them not work as many folks don't know all the reasons why they do it in the first place. I have successfully helped hundreds of cats stop scratching furniture after one consultation which is less expensive than the declaw itself (and obviously better for the cat!). Another product that can help along with properly placed scratch posts is Feliway.

 

[Reinbeau]

Closed per OP's request.