It's official! We're getting ANOTHER cat!

[Placebo]

It's at the vet right now being checked out, getting its shot, being spayed etc...

It's a 6-month old male all white cat!

We found him yesterday outside of our basement. He's really nice for a "stray" cat! He let me pick him up and even though he tried to get away from being put inside the cat carrier this morning, he didn't put up much of a fight. I think our 13 year old cat would put up more of a fight if we tried to put her in there against her will!

He'll need 12 days to fully recover from being spayed. Then, even though I really don't want to, he's going to have to be declawed. Our current cat is declawed, and it would just be too risky letting him keep his claws when she doesn't have any.

All this time needed for spaying and declawing could slow down our original plans a bit. Now it's going to be a few weeks before we can really let our current cat and him "meet" face to face.

Anyways, we're thrilled, and I'll get photos to DU asap! :)

[newsguyatl]

1. do the cat a favor

and take it to a humane society so someone can adopt him and give him a loving home where he WON'T be mutilated because you can't deal with scratching.

[Placebo]

2. whaaaaaa

hey, it wasn't my decision to have our current cat declawed, and that's the only reason he has to be! i think living inside with us without his front claws, being loved and treated great, would be a hell of a lot better than living on the street or in some crowded shelter!

[Name removed]

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[cornermouse]

4. Its clear you're going to give him a good home with lots of love.

A lot of cats aren't that lucky.

[Patiod]

5. congratulations - what are you going to name him?

[Placebo]

7. i've been thinking about that a lot...

our current cat is named Dax, but we always call her "kitty" so she barely even responds to her real name.

and once they're 2 cats I can't go calling them both kitty...

hmm...maybe...I dunno, I'm bad with names. If it was a girl (like I thought it was yesterday) I was going to name him (her) Patsy :D

[DS1]

8. I put my cat's carrier on the floor, open it, and he walks in and

sits down. He's great like that.

[Placebo]

9. We usually have to lure her in there...

with a cheez-it cracker or potato chip...possibly a piece of popcorn (god my cat loves junkfood)

[LynneSin]

Mine walks in and piddles in it

:eyes:

[crispini]

16. Good Gawd, any time I get the carrier out of the closet

mine go and hide, and then we have this biiiiiiig production about it:

"I don't wanna be picked up! No! Don't pick me up! I don't wanna go in there! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" claw claw claw scratch hiss, wrap cat in towel, etc.

[montanacowboy]

10. I think you are trying to protect your

other cat and that is a good enough reason. As long as he is indoors, he will be fine.

I just adopted the BIG WHITE CAT IN SEATTLE that was on this board last week, and he had been declawed and was living in the streets!

He now is doing fine with two other cats in the house who both have claws, no fights or anything like that.

[Placebo]

13. I'm going to ask the vet what they would recommend...

regarding the claw situation. naturally if there is any way to avoid declawing I'd be open to it.

I would love it if my situation could be like yours, where they can just co-exist fine.

Best of luck! :)

[Patiod]

14. I cut my cat's claws myself

but then again, I started her as a kitten -- she gets 3 cat treats after each cutting, (and they're not given out any other time) so she associates: cutting=treats

Don't know if you could start this on a full-grown cat though.

My SO used to have an all-white cat named Sweeney (he was listening to a lot of Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street" at that time, and he thought the cat looked a little demonic)

[crispini]

17. I started cutting my second cat's nails

as an adult, and she doesn't mind. She's pretty mellow in most respects, though.

[fleabert]

11. have you seen these?

much cheaper and humane alternative to declawing. I understand your wanting to protect your other cat, so thought I'd share this.

http://www.softpaws.com/

[Placebo]

12. Those are interesting!

I will definitely look into them, thank you. :)

[fleabert]

15. I am personally against declawing, strongly. but I understand that it is

sometimes the only choice. if that choice is made with full awareness of the alternatives and the reality of declawing, then I have to just say, okay. Not what I would choose, but I am not in your shoes or living your life.

My mom recently had a cat declawed. The cat is really old, and mean as a hornet, would not let her trim her nails like the other two cats she has. The nails had grown around and into the paw pad. The old cat had never 'complained' never walked funny, nothing, my mom didn't even think to check, she thought she was using the scratching post and taking care of them herself. When she went to the vet for her check up, the bad nails were discovered. My mom sobbed over not having noticed and knowing that the cat was obviously in pain. The vet recommended declawing in this situation, and my mom agreed. It was a hard decision for her, but she felt it best in this situation. I would have bought a cat muzzle and clipped them myself if it were my cat, but my mom is too scared to do it, and doesn't trust herself to not cut the quick.

sooooo. do what you feel is best and don't let anyone make you feel bad for your informed decision!

ps- you will probably find that your vet is pro-declawing. I wish that it weren't the case, but in my experience, if it involves surgery, vets are for it. (in my experience, I have not run into the kind of vet I am sure reads DU, that would be really supportive of patients choice and a non-surgical solution to a problem - no flames please)