at what age can kittens get neutered? declawed...when will he stop biting me?

[greenbriar]

my hands look like I shoved them through glass...



I know he is playing and doesn't mean to hurt, but dang...he goes from nipping and licking to trying to shred my hand

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I think they do them as young as 3 months now?? Mine were 5 and 6 months. Here is

a link about early age spaying and neutering: http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:gUh1mXVWQngJ:www.spayusa.org/media/pdfs/vets_learn_procedure.pdf+age+to+neuter+a+kitten&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=us

[fizzgig]

2. i don't think we neutered ours much before six months or so

but please don't declaw him...it's a horrible thing to do to an animal

look into soft paws or try to clip them, but please don't declaw

[greenbriar]

7. what is soft paws?

how do you clip them????????

[libnnc]

9. they make little cat claw clippers

to clip the tips of the nail. And if you get them used to you trimming their nails (while their young) it won't be a huge struggle.

Soft Paws are acrylic or plastic nail tops that you glue on to their claws. Again, start them when they're young. The more they get used to you handling their little paws the easier it will be.

[fizzgig]

10. soft paws are caps you put on their nails

http://www.softclaws.com/

you can get special clippers for kitty nails, but i usually just use nail clippers. you do have to be careful, tho, and not cut to far down or it will hurt them

[MonkeyFunk]

3. Neutered at 3 months

never declaw, and stop biting? Depends on the cat. Some stop around 8-9 months, some keep it up forever.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

4. Our Sunny will be 4 months on December 1st

And he's getting snipped on December 11th.

To echo others, PLEASE don't declaw. Keep kitty's claws trimmed without hurting the "quick" or try Soft Paws. They really work!

[spooky3]

5. You can train kittens not to do this

I have trained every one of my fosters not to, and (un)trained one of my own cats who had 10 months of no training before I got him.

1) don't tease him with your hand--use a toy to play with him that he can bite.
2) if he starts to bite and scratch when you are petting him, say his name (which you should be calling him whenever you feed him or reward him in any way), then say "ow" moderately loudly and "No" and "no biting"
3) gently pull his claws/teeth away from you as you do this
4) immediately distract him with something else
5) never, ever hit them or use other punishment
6) be consistent and make sure if you have other people in your household that they are also consistent

It takes a little patience but every single one of them learned not to hurt me. Good luck and have fun with your new sweetie!

[ThomCat]

8. That's a good set of rules.

I've never conciously sat down and figured out how to train my cats not to scratch and bite, but I pretty much do what you wrote. It has worked for the five cats I've owned.

[spooky3]

30. hi ThomCat

:hi:

you just have to give kittens a chance to understand, don't you?

[ThomCat]

34. That's true. If you love them, and they know it,

they just want to know how to play with you and make you happy too. :)

[distantearlywarning]

26. Totally second these recommendations.

We have done this exact list with our two kittens, and we haven't gotten scratched or bitten since about the second week we had them. They actually learned much faster than I expected.

Oh, and please don't declaw... :hi:

[spooky3]

31. thanks, and I like your sig line!

[liberal hypnotist]

39. My cat just won't listen

He is getting bigger and stronger and looks like he's thinking thoughts of retribution. He waits til I'm not looking then bites the hell out of my hand.

He loves to get his nails clipped with a regular nail clipper.

De-clawing is dangerous if the little tyke gets outside by mistake.

[libnnc]

6. Someone here said (and it works)

to yelp at them loudly when they bite or scratch you. They don't like loud noises and they will stop if you react to them that way.

Works on my fat monster.

[huskerlaw]

11. Typically 5-6 months.

My newly-spayed kitten is 5 months old and the vet tried to put me off a month, but that would have been Christmas.

I didn't read all of the responses to this thread, but I'm sure others have said it. I'm going to say it again: Please don't declaw your kittens! It's cruel and unnecessary. They cut the claw off at the knuckle...it's not just a matter of cutting the nail.

I totally understand that kitten claws are the devil. Try Soft Paws instead of declawing. http://www.softpaws.com/

I used these with both of my older cats, and they work wonderfully.

[greenbriar]

12. ok I WON"T declaw..

but dang he has razor claws

[huskerlaw]

13. Oh, I know they do!

Trimming and SoftPaws will keep it under control though, I promise.

Also, teaching him not to claw the living hell out of you will help. ;)

[libnnc]

14. If you clip off the sharp tips

you'll notice a difference, I guarantee. ;)

[Flaxbee]

18. soft paws really are wonderful,

and as others have mentioned, if you get the little bugger used to having the tips (JUST THE TIPS - maybe even ask your vet for a nail-trimming demonstration - too far and it can really hurt them) trimmed now, it'll be much easier to do when he's grown up.

The biting could be teething. Ours all grew out of it, but with some of the gentle reinforcements mentioned above (steps 1-7, I think, someone posted).

Cats do like to scratch things - and we have a bazillion cardboard scratchers around the house - and we've never had our furniture clawed (not that I really care too much - I love our kitties much more than our couch). This, with 7 cats. We just got them used to the scratching boards early.

Thank you for not declawing! Thank you! My sister is a veterinarian, and won't do it.

[SoCalDem]

21. Thank you,., I was about to ask you not to..

Cats CAN be taught to not claw..They are very sensitive to loud commands.. When you see or hear the kitten start to claw something, just say NO in the loudest voice possible and a spray bottle of water with a nice "stream" setting, will dissuade them too.. and make sure there that scratching posts for the kitten to use.. a flat piece of thick cardboard on the floor is a favorite of my menagerie..

[Heidi]

22. Thank you. You can manage his claws, and since he's a kitten, now's the time to start.

Here's a primer on how to trim your kitty's claws yourself: http://www.declawing.com/htmls/trimming.htm

[badgerpup]

35. On neutering...

My Sainted Vet said once the testicles descend into the sac (they'll feel like little peas and be rather obvious) they're ready for the procedure. On deck, but not yet on line, which is the perfect time. The Big Boy hormones won't be affecting their behavior...but if there is an intact female in heat, or a full male around, they will tend to mature faster than if not, even if they're not old enough to do anything about it just yet.

When my monsters kitties got a bit carried away and tried to disembowel my hand, I kept it totally limp and told them 'Gentle!'
then I'd use the other hand to stroke them down the spine. This seemed to short-circuit the 'predator' mode they were in and allowed me to extricate my hand without bloodshed. As they grew out of rambunctious hypermanic kittenhood, this happened less and less frequently, and now my hands are no longer considered prey or play toys.

Wimsey (who is still technically a kitten; hasn't quite got his Big Kitty teeth yet) does the 'love nip' thing...not overstimulated, I don't think; it's not ATTACK mode. He'll just be lying there purring and maybe getting petted or maybe not and he will lazily stretch out his neck and NIP. Not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough to pinch.
I blow into his face and tell him NO BITING! and cease petting...and if he wasn't being petted when he nipped, he gets put down off my lap. The nipping incidences have been decreasing...gonna get that kid civilized yet.

[HERVEPA]

15. Please don't declaw. Like taking off top segment of your finger.

[liberaltrucker]

16. NEVER DECLAW!!!!!!!!

Train him. Cats are by Nature predators. The internets are your friend.

Neuter? 5-8 months (my cousin is a vet, her advice).

Good luck!

:)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. Check out Soft Paws!

http://www.softpaws.com/faqs.html

[Breeze54]

19. Declawed? NEVER!!!!

:grr:

That's their only defense! You should NEVER take that away!

[Heidi]

20. Declawing is amputation of all or part of the end bone of the cat's toes.

Please learn more about this medical procedure before you consider it as a "cure" for scratching. Declawing is rarely practiced outside of North America, and in many countries it is considered an act of animal cruelty.

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

[CreekDog]

23. never declawed

that's his fingers

just get him used to the nail clipper and keep them short.

[KT2000]

24. Toys with handles!!

Please get a toy that has a long handle. He will learn to play with the toy and not your hands.
When he gets older, you can go Ouch! when he scratches your hand so he will learn not to do that. In the meantime have him play with the toys because he is in training right now! I'm not kidding - he will play rough his whole life if he thinks scratching and biting you is OK.

(Took care of my cousin's big adult cat and he would shred my hands when I tried to pet him. It was not fun and he never got pets because of that.)


I think 5 - 6 months for the neutering.

[sasquatch]

25. He's still at that age where he isn't able to retract their claws

[La Lioness Priyanka]

27. dont declaw your cat. if they fall, they will die.

i warned my colleague several times not to declaw her cat. ofcourse she did, stating that it was an indoor cat and would never fall. a window was open, the cat decided to jump some where. lost footing, and died.

if he had his claws this would not have happened

[MissMillie]

29. I believe some vets will spay/neuter as early as 10 weeks

when Millie adopted me she was 11 weeks old, and she had already been spayed.

[Arkansas Granny]

28. Personally, I would wait until 6 months for neutering and never declaw.

I've never had a cat who has been declawed, but I've heard many stories from people who have (and you're sure to get some comments on this thread) to convince me that it is a painful and cruel procedure that can change the personality of a cat forever. I have trained several cats to play without using their claws by making a scolding or hissing sound and putting them down and refusing to pet or play with them when they scratch. It takes time and patience, but it does work.

[davsand]

32. That kitty needs a wrestling dummy.

All joking aside, your "problem" with him scratching and biting is actually a part of his development. He is mastering his hunter/killer skills--the use of his claws and learning the "kill bite" that cats use on prey. Much as we love them, our cats are little predators and everybody is a lot happier when we all remember that the little fluff ball sleeping in your shoe is every bit as much of a predator as the cheetah or lion you saw on Animal Planet. They might be a lot smaller, but they are no less of a hunter. You CAN channel that learning for him and save your arms and hands from looking like hamburger by making him what I call a wrestling dummy.

Take a few of your older ratty or unmatched socks and stuff a few down inside one. (You are making a sock sausage, essentially) Put a pill bottle with beans or beads inside it down in the toe before you stuff the socks in (so it will rattle when he plays with it.) He's pretty little, so he may not be into cat nip yet, (some cats don't appreciate catnip until they are almost a year old, and some never do get into it) but I would suggest that you put some cat nip inside that sock when you make it just so he will associate that smell with fun. Tie a knot in the open end of the sock (or sew it closed if you want to get fancy.)

When he wants to play rough with you, give him his sock instead. Don't hit him with it (EVER!) but when he flops on his back and wants to "fight" you can put that sock on his tummy and let him be as rough with it as he wants to be. They need to learn that hands are for petting and love and that sock is for scratching, biting, and wrestling.

My adult cats still play with their sock. I had one that would actually drag it from room to room. I have to replace the outer sock every so often because they chew holes in it.

Good luck!


Laura

[Gormy Cuss]

33. My mother used to put an empty paper grocery bag on the floor for the kitttens.

That kept them occupied for hours. They'd explore the inside, attack the outside and chase it around the room. When we had two kittens at the same time it was very amusing. If one was in the bag, the other would stalk and then attack the bag by leaping on it. No doubt those are little hunters when you see such behavior.
:-)

[Blue Diadem]

36. Our grandkitty was neutered at 1-lb..not even 6 weeks old.

My daughter got him through a rescue organization and the picture they had on their website showed him while he was still recovering from the anesthesia. He was so tiny. I was shocked that they would neuter when they're that little. Needless to say he's not very big. At 2 1/2 he's about 10-lbs. I really think it depends on your vet and what he/she feels is best. 3-6 months is what I'd always heard.

Try to make sure that kitty knows he can play rough with toys but not your hands. A spritz with a water bottle along with a firm no might help. Also give him a toy when he's in that type of mood. Our grandkitty knows what no means. He still gets us occasionally..got me on the lip a couple weeks ago because I gave him one too many smooooochy kisses on his nose. Yeah, I was asking for it, that was thoroughly my fault and not his.

edited because I can't spell worth a darn..

[flvegan]

37. Ideally, spay/neuter at 8-10 weeks. Never declaw.

[greenbriar]

38. thanks all

I have learned some great tips and will NOT declaw

[applegrove]

40. You should really say a loud outch every time your cat hurts you. A sudden

rejection at the game is what your kitty needs in order to gage how much fun to have with your hands. Remember to make the "outch" loud and disruptive..... and no fun for your cat.

[SoxFan]

41. Don't declaw

It won't help, anyway. My pippy was declawed by her original owner, and I think it just pissed her off. She learned to swing her back legs up and hack me with her hind feet, like some weird little tabby version of Bruce Lee.

[Bridget Burke]

42. Consider getting him a foster brother (or sister)

He can burn up some of that extra energy by fighting/playing with another kitten. And he'll learn that it hurts to be bitten and clawed.

Listen to the recommendations about soft-paws & nail grooming. And the good behavioral hints.

But the little ones do have needle-like claws...