Cat Chat 2

[Sixx O'Clock]

So, there's nothing I can do. I have to either take away her toes, or surrender her to the pound again, where she might not last long. I feel like so much of a terrible owner for thinking about keeping her with me for the exchange of her claws. But I don't want her to die. I know declawing's inhumane and all that, but at this point, I have to. So, what can I do? Can I make the process any more comfortable at all? What specific litter will she need to use afterwords? And even more so.. how will she do in a completely different environment?

I completely feel you here; my father was completely against letting me keep my cat and if I didn't get her declawed, she would have had to find a new home or he would've taken her back to the pound. I got her when she was around 6-weeks old, so she loved to scratch things. It got so bad that my father couldn't bear it anymore, so I had to make the choice for her and have her declawed. There is another way about it, that would work; they go in and sever the tendons attached to her claws so that she gets to keep them, she just can't use them. You may want to look into that. As for declawing, I only had her frontal claws taken out so that if she does happen to get outside she still has a way of surviving out there. Once your cat is declawed make sure you get her the "cylinder-shaped" newspaper litter, that way it doesn't get into the area where her claws used to be. I also recommend wrapping her paws for the first few days to keep anything out of them. Likewise; always keep an eye on her. She'll want to bite at them because they hurt. And let her eat whatever she wants. My cat began not eating anything right after surgery just because she was "protesting" what had happened (it was really strange, I know). So if she does that, make sure to let her eat whatever.
Most importantly, make sure you're okay with what happens. Imo losing claws is far better than possibly losing her forever. No cat should have to go through either, but one far outweighs the other in the "cons" column.
Lastly, it's your choice. Don't let anyone else make it for you. She's your cat and you know her best. I wish you luck~

I believe the surgery you're referring to is called "laser declaw" surgery. It's more expensive than traditional declawing, but it does have some benefits in that she gets to keep all of her toes. The drawback with that surgery, however, is that because she has no control over her claws anymore, they can become snagged in carpets and other things more easily, so if you went that route you would have to either buy her claw caps to cover them, or trim her claws every so often.

[sugarbird]

Thank you both. It was a huge worry and the only advice I wanted, and I'm glad that there if an alternative to the traditional declawing way. The tendons thing I'll definitely suggest to them. I kind of doubt it'll work with bull-headed people like my family, but it's certainly worth a shot. So, since this is a cat chat thread, I guess I'll talk more about my cat herself.

Tortoiseshells, as I'm sure all of you know, have "tortitude." I learned this the hard way, and didn't know what it was until I looked it up. :I She certainly loves to talk a whole lot. .. Especially at 3:00 AM. Thankfully, everyone tolerates it since that's when we naturally wake up anyways. She's also as adventurous and destructive as a typical cat, but surprisingly only shreds up my personal furniture rather than the couches and chairs, so I don't know why my family's so worried about her destroying their things. But, aside from all of that, she just wants to sleep, play, and be pet. This cat follows me around everywhere whenever she's not doing anything else.

[bat-husband]

Hi, i need some cat advice ! I own a handful of kitties, but my old cat Xander has been worrying me for years now. We rescued him from near death off the streets (3 years ago), and his health has improved amazingly over that time. Except... he throws up a lot. And it's only gotten worse. I want to take him to them vet, and my mom does too, but she keeps making excuses about taking him. Mostly no time because she's working, and that she has to spend all our money for rent. I'm worried and planning to set up a gofundme (which i'd like to know if i could post that here when i do ?) but is there anything i can do in the mean time ? Maybe get him food that'll settle in his stomach better ? Any suggestions or reasons why he may not be able to keep food down ? I don't know his exact age but he's between 11-13, maybe older, and he had a rough life before i got him. Thank you !

[Thalassic]

Hi, i need some cat advice ! I own a handful of kitties, but my old cat Xander has been worrying me for years now. We rescued him from near death off the streets (3 years ago), and his health has improved amazingly over that time. Except... he throws up a lot. And it's only gotten worse. I want to take him to them vet, and my mom does too, but she keeps making excuses about taking him. Mostly no time because she's working, and that she has to spend all our money for rent. I'm worried and planning to set up a gofundme (which i'd like to know if i could post that here when i do ?) but is there anything i can do in the mean time ? Maybe get him food that'll settle in his stomach better ? Any suggestions or reasons why he may not be able to keep food down ? I don't know his exact age but he's between 11-13, maybe older, and he had a rough life before i got him. Thank you !

If he's been throwing up a lot for a long time (and if it's not just hairballs, which can be helped by buying the right kinds of food), you need to get him to the vet asap. There's no way people on the internet can give you advice on how you could help him if there's no indication of what could be wrong. So you need to get him examined by a vet to find out what's causing the problem. The longer you wait just makes it possible that whatever is harming him could leave lasting effects.

As for the gofundme, as per CS rules, you woulnd't be allowed to have any of your personal information on there, such as your name, location, age, email, photos of yourself, etc.

[bat-husband]

ahh i haven't been on here in awhile so i assumed. I've got DA to share i think though.
And it's usually hairballs but sometimes not. I've always been super worried so, thank you ! I'll definetely set one up today and take him as soon as possible ! There's one walking distance from me even, so i can go walk to it once i get sufficient funds.
Though since it might take awhile, does anybody have any food brand or other things i can give him in the meantime ?

[.Middy.]

I don’t post often but thought I’d share my new baby that I adopted today! Haven’t decided on a name yet, but it will be a few days before I can bring her home so I’ll have time to pick first! Sorren will be very excited to meet his new sister when she comes home! I can’t wait!

[Velveteen Hound.]

OMG she is adorable c:
that little black spot on the chin <3
Calicos hold a special place in my heart.
I also spy a dilute there. Dilute is probably my favorite calico colouration.

I can't think of a time in my life I have not had a calico, (Or a varient there of)
Right now I have this butt

[.Middy.]

She’s so pretty! I love the split faces, they remind me of my favorite rabbits lol.

I absolutely adore her, she’s so sweet and passed all my tests. So I had to make her mine! And yes she had a dilute sister but the dilute didn’t pass my testing as well. I nearly took both but didn’t want to pay two adoption fees today 😂

[Sixx O'Clock]

Calicos and torties are my favorites. c': I've always had at least one all my life, too. It started with Azrael, an American shorthair tortie, then we adopted Gabrielle, an oriental shorthair mix tortie, and now we've got Pumpkin, not sure on her breed but she's a calico. Azzy unfortunately passed away a few years ago (she was 18 though, she lived a good long life), but we've still got Gabby and Pumpkin.

[sugarbird]

Daaaaawwww. They're both amazing. <3 Calicos are really pretty. As are tortoiseshells.