twt@uicsl.UUCP (09/10/84)
#N:uicsl:8200003:000:787
uicsl!twt Sep 9 18:56:00 1984
I have recently acquired a kitten. She is about 3 or 4 months
old. Her previous owner has allowed her to go out as she pleased
so she is already pretty much an indoor/outdoor cat. I have the
following questions to resolve for myself and would very much
like opinions.
1. What's the general thought about declawing indoor/outdoor cats?
2. Are collars more help than nuisance? I know from experience
being a dog owner that if an animal with a collar runs away
you could have him/her returned from the information on a
collar, but I have also heard of cats getting hung up on
trees from collars, and chocking to death.
Would this happen with an expanding collar, has anyone
had this happen to their cat?
I guess that's it for now, thanks for the help
jayl@athena.UUCP (09/20/84)
>> 1. What's the general thought about declawing indoor/outdoor cats? Declawing a cat is inhumane under any circumstances, but particularly when the cat may need its claws for escape (tree climbing) or defense. I haven't met a cat yet who couldn't be taught to use a scratching post with the aid of a little catnip... Make sure the post is tall enough, 3' at least, since most cats like to strrrretch out when scratching. >> 2. Are collars more help than nuisance? I know from experience being a >> dog owner that if an animal with a collar runs away you could have him/her >> returned from the information on a collar, but I have also heard of cats >> getting hung up on trees from collars, and chocking to death. Would this >> happen with an expanding collar, has anyone had this happen to their cat? I live in a county that requires cat licenses, so my cat *has* to wear a collar, or risk getting hauled off to the pound. The collar is very loose (I can get two fingers between the collar and Mike's neck), and he *has* returned home minus collar on one, but only one, occasion. I had never considered collaring a cat before; now, I probably would even if a license were not required. No experience with elastic collars. -- Jay Lessert - Tektronix Inc., Logic Design Systems Division uucp: {ucbvax,decvax,pur-ee,cbosg,ihnss}!tektronix!teklds!jayl CSnet: jayl@tek ARPAnet:jayl.tek@rand-relay
abc@brl-tgr.ARPA (Brint Cooper ) (09/21/84)
You may get a lot of mixed opinion about declawing an indoor/outdoor
cat. The simple question is, how will she defend herself or climb from
danger outdoors without claws?
Re the collar. DO NOT put a collar on a cat. My daughter's nearly
one-year-old cat bled, unnoticed, for hours one night after catching his
collar in his MOUTH, attempting to rid himself of it. When he was
finally found, she said he acted as if "in shock." The vet was ANGRY
that anyone would collar a cat.
Regards,
Brint Cooper
(301) 278-6883 AV: 283-6883 FTS: 939-6883
ArpaNet: abc@brl
UUCP: ...!{decvax,cbosgd}!brl-bmd!abc
Postal:
Dr Brinton Cooper
U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory
Attn: AMXBR-SECAD (Cooper)
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md 21005ayers@convex.UUCP (09/27/84)
/* Written 5:53 pm Sep 24, 1984 by brl-tgr!abc in convex:net.pets */ > You may get a lot of mixed opinion about declawing an indoor/outdoor > cat. The simple question is, how will she defend herself or climb from > danger outdoors without claws? Although I am against declawing cats for personal reasons, I find the spreading of misinformation equally upsetting. Declawing is (normally) only done to the front feet. Cats are perfectly able to climb using the front paws as "hands" and the rear paws as "grippers" -- just like linemen for ma bell (a little respect for the dearly departed, please). Also, most of a cat's REAL fighting is done by gripping with the front paws and going for the underbelly with the rear claws, just like their cousins the rabbits. The old "stand still and swipe with one paw" you're used to seeing is not so much a fighting stance as it is a warning blow -- like kids pushing each other on the playground. [The above information relayed from several vet's, as well as seeing the results in action with cats belonging to friends and family.] blues, II (Cut it off three times and it's STILL too short!)
rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) (10/02/84)
> Although I am against declawing cats for personal reasons, I find the > spreading of misinformation equally upsetting. So do I. Unfortunately, a couple of points in this clarification were quite wrong. > Declawing is (normally) only done to the front feet. Cats are perfectly > able to climb using the front paws as "hands" and the rear paws as > "grippers"... Not true. The front paws can only be used as hands if they will actually reach around an object. That leaves out things like the trunk of even a moderately large tree. In fact, cats use the front claws much more than the back in climbing--that's one of the reasons they are longer and grow faster. > ...Also, most of a cat's REAL fighting is done by > gripping with the front paws and going for the underbelly with the > rear claws, just like their cousins the rabbits. This is true of cat-cat fights. It is NOT true of cat-dog fights in most cases--because again, the cat can't always get its paws around the dog. > The old "stand still and swipe with one paw" you're used to seeing > is not so much a fighting stance as it is a warning blow -- However, it's the most effective way for a cat to deter a dog, since a dog's nose is very sensitive. -- Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086 ...Relax...don't worry...have a homebrew.