So as most of you may have read I am pregnant ..about 10 weeks now, and I have a cat that is about a year and a half...still very rough...plays pretty rough, and I am afraid of his reaction to the baby...even if it is still a long ways away ...so I've been thinking alot about declawing him in hopes that might help settle him down...but I feel guilty b/c he seems to get so much pleasure out of scratching his scratching posts...but I have to think of baby...who won't be able to defend themself against a rough playing kitty...so any thoughts. I've never had a cat before ...does declawing them help tame their wild ways?!?

any response would be great THANKS!!!

Hi! Congrats on the baby!! I'm sure you are overwhelmed by everything right now, but have no fear! You pose a very common question concerning baby and kitty. I am a huge advocate against declawing, it is a horrible thing to do to your kitty. I added a link that explains the truths about declawing so you can make your own opinion on the subject. The truth is harsh so please be prepared.

http://www.declawing.com/htmls/declawing.htm


Here is a good link that outlines some basic information regarding your pregnancy, baby and kitty.

http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanageme...npregnancy.htm

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Your Kitty Is Just A Baby.....and Your Not So Far Along...once You Get Your Cat Fixed It Should Calm Down For You...all Kittens Scratch And Play That Is There Nature....i'm Sure He Or She Will Calm Down Before Your Baby Is Born....and Then He Just May Be A Protector For Your Baby...depending On Its Nature...some Cats Are Just Mean...but Most Of Them Are Really Sweet...i Know And This Is Gonna Sound Silly My Cat Protects My Dog..i Know I Know It Sounds Out There... But My Dog Is Only Three Pounds Where My Cat Is Is About 6 Lbs..if I Take My Dog Out The Cat Is Right Behind Us..she Stands Guide Of The Yard While My Dog Does Her Business And Trust Me As A Baby Kitten She Was Hell With Legs.she Was Into Everything...scratching Playing Driving My Dog Shit House .she Is Now A Little Over A Year And She Turned Into Such A Love..give The Cat A Chance To Grow Up....all That Rough Playing Will Come To A End...dont Get Me Wrong She Still Will Play But For Some Reason She Knows That Around Chi-chi She Has To Be Careful And She Is Very...and Thats All On Her Own Nobody Taught Her That....is There Anyway You Can Makae Your Cat An Out Door Cat????? Thats What They Love To Be Out Doors....chasing Birds And Mice And What Ever Else They Can Muster Up....french

OH AND JUST ONE MORE THING......DONT CHANGE THE LITTER BOX...HAVE SOMEONE ELSE DO THAT JOB....SOMETHING ABOUT THERE POOP CAN HURT YOUR UNBORN BABY....JUST A HEADS UP...TALK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT THAT....:wave:

To comment on French's suggestion of an outdoor cat. Outdoor cats have a short life span due to the dangers of the outside world, other animals, vehicles, and disease are the main killers of outdoor cats. Outdoor cats will also need special vaccines to protect against those diseases. Also you need to check with your city's ordinances on outdoor cats. You will need to have a collar and tags on your cat. If your in the country you will still need a collar and tags, a neighbor could trap the cat and take it to the animal shelter as a stray, without tags who will know it's your cat? You should have already spayed or neutered your cat, if not please do! The benefits of spaying and neutering are, the female does not have heat cycles which can be very uncomfortable for her, and the male cat will be less territorily and reduce marking behavior (not always).

I hope you are finding the information you are needing!! If you have more questions please ask!!

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Steph you sound like a women after my own heart:Love3: big animal lover here.
Please Please Please have your animals spayed and neutered! My favorite Motto:wave:

Deblynn

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I'm So A Animal Lover....however I Do Find It Mean And Please Not Starting A Fight Just Posting My Opion To Keep A Cat Locked Up Inside All Day... I Do Agree With You About The Getting Fixed..making Sure It Has All Its Shots. And Ect.....i Do Not Put A Collar On My Cat...but She Does Have A Chip...so If She Is Trapped And Taken To Animal Shelter She Can Be Identified...no Worries There...i Just Think Keeping A Cat In All Day Long Its Like Locking A Kid In There Bedroom....cats Are Made To Be Out Doors And Trust Me They Love It....dogs Are Lazy By Nature...well Aleast Mine Is..she Will Sleep All Day..and When I Come Home From Work If I'm Tired And Just Want To Take A Nap She Is Right There With Me...and She Is So Ready To Go To Bed At Night What Ever Time I Decide...cats Are Not Like That...they Are A Ball Of Energy That Needs To Burnt Off And The Way They Do It Is By Chasing Any Thing Smaller Than Them That Move.....all The Cats I Ever Had After A Certian Age Were To Much To Have In The House So Out They Went...agreed That It Does Shorten There Life Span If Your In A Busy Area And They Are Not Careful ...but They Also Have A Full Filled Life While Out There... A Very Board Long Life..... Or A Full Filled Short Life....(maybe)..hum I Would Take The Short Full Filled Life Myself...well Just My .02.. Hope I Didnt Offend Anyone....french

I have a doggie door , kitties and dog go in and out whenever they want except at night when something might eat them.

French have no worries! :Hug2: we are just giving our own opinions and experiences for msdflashez so she can make her own decisions. I think the microchips are an awesome invention and are much better then a collar for a cat.

I completly disagree with you and i'm sure half of America will disagree, but we both have our own experiences with cats and it's good to share them. I have had both strictly outdoor cats and strictly indoors cats. Every cat is different. A well socialized kitten/cat will be 100% content in living inside with their human companions. A feral cat taken indoors to be socialized will probably always lead to failure.

The two cats I have now are Ragdolls, they are a pure-bred cat that has had the fight instinct bred out of them. They are 100% indoor only cats. Many pure-bred cats are that way. My girls still hunt and stalk each other, scratch on their scratching posts, play with toy mice and other toys.

Ok enough of that...

Msdflashez - Have you been able to look at those links I gave you??

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