Kittens with cages pets/ Declawing Alternative

[Melissa123]

Hey all!

Hubby has been wanting a kitten and I finally broke down and agreed.
We found one on craigslist and she is such a cutie! She is only 14 weeks old, up to date on shots, and is getting spayed today. She is coming to our home in a few days.

I don't believe in getting cats declawed so I was looking into alternatives. Soft Paws is looking really great to me! Has anyone ever used these or other claw caps before? I know some people just prefer to trim their nails weekly but I I still worry she will be able to hurt my chinchillas through the cage bars.

I do plan on making a screen door for my piggy room so she can't go into it. I have a ton of cages (7), so lids are not really doable. She will not be in there without me being in there.
My chinchillas' on the other hand are in a 3 level Ferret Nation cage that is in my bedroom. The cage sits on the floor. The bars are 1 inch wide and the kitten could easily stick her paws in between. With the Soft Paws I feel would protect my chin girls. I can't keep the cage covered, since that would block the air flow to them. I do not want to block off my bedroom either, though.

I have her a cat room made up for her already as well. Just my spare bedroom with a baby gate blocking it off from the dogs. I have a perch for her right by the window (store bought cage base with a blanket over it!), litter box, food/ water dish, and a few comfy things for her to lay on and under. I plan of getting a few other cat related items for her to keep herself entertained as well. I just want her to be comfortable and be able to hide from my crazy pups when she feels she needs too.

Any advice on how to have pigs, chins, dogs, and a cat get along? Thank you!

 

[mmas4]

I tried nail caps to protect my furniture and I gave up. My ottomans are now scratching posts. The nail caps kept falling off early and I got tired of having to put new ones on all the time. I tried the glue they came with and super glue. If you don't mind keeping up with them they are fine.
I would first try keeping the cats nails cut and see if it is even interested in the chinchillas. My cats just like to sit and watch. They never stick their paws in cages.

 

[Melissa123]

I tried nail caps to protect my furniture and I gave up. My ottomans are now scratching posts. The nail caps kept falling off early and I got tired of having to put new ones on all the time. I tried the glue they came with and super glue. If you don't mind keeping up with them they are fine.
I would first try keeping the cats nails cut and see if it is even interested in the chinchillas. My cats just like to sit and watch. They never stick their paws in cages.

I already ordered the caps so I will be trying them out for sure. I have heard great things about them. It's worth a try at least. Thank you for your input.

 

[Varcoda]

considering she's a young cat, it will be easier to train her to NOT hunt piggies and chinchillas. your best friend for that is a spraybottle of water. i have a cat myself, and i can leave the cage open because she's simply not interested in them unless they are out on the floor. Then she is curious and sniffs them in my presence, but i do not let her do more or have prolonged interactions to be safe.

you will be able to tell the kitty's personality after a week of having her

if you have a cat scratching post or let her go outdoors (if that's safe where you live), your furniture is safe. The only other thing my cat has scratched is a laundry basket,but the material is alot like her scratching post so i can't blame her hehe. spray her with water or clap your hands if she starts on furniture so she knows its wrong

 

[porkchophamster]

Hey all!

Hubby has been wanting a kitten and I finally broke down and agreed.
We found one on craigslist and she is such a cutie! She is only 14 weeks old, up to date on shots, and is getting spayed today. She is coming to our home in a few days.

I don't believe in getting cats declawed so I was looking into alternatives. Soft Paws is looking really great to me! Has anyone ever used these or other claw caps before? I know some people just prefer to trim their nails weekly but I I still worry she will be able to hurt my chinchillas through the cage bars.

I do plan on making a screen door for my piggy room so she can't go into it. I have a ton of cages (7), so lids are not really doable. She will not be in there without me being in there.
My chinchillas' on the other hand are in a 3 level Ferret Nation cage that is in my bedroom. The cage sits on the floor. The bars are 1 inch wide and the kitten could easily stick her paws in between. With the Soft Paws I feel would protect my chin girls. I can't keep the cage covered, since that would block the air flow to them. I do not want to block off my bedroom either, though.

I have her a cat room made up for her already as well. Just my spare bedroom with a baby gate blocking it off from the dogs. I have a perch for her right by the window (store bought cage base with a blanket over it!), litter box, food/ water dish, and a few comfy things for her to lay on and under. I plan of getting a few other cat related items for her to keep herself entertained as well. I just want her to be comfortable and be able to hide from my crazy pups when she feels she needs too.

Any advice on how to have pigs, chins, dogs, and a cat get along? Thank you!

I had the issue when I got my pigs of my cat sticking her little paws through the bars but she started leaving them alone once I put the cage on a table and she has no room to get on it. Most of the time, I keep the lid open unless we leave the apartment. I would recommend soft paws but it will likely be difficult to get them on until she gets used to you. Good luck!

 

[Rabbit_Lover]

Scratching posts will be your best friend. If she starts to scratch somewhere, like your couch, or walls put a scratching post and put it in the same area. There are scratching posts that will file there nails down. Most cats hate water, so like the posters above said, a spray bottle with water will work.

 

[Melissa123]

Thanks guys! Her spay surgery went well. She will be coming home tomorrow. Will share a picture when I get her

 

[Melissa123]

Here she is! She is such a sweet girl! <3 Still unsure of what to name her though. Any ideas?!

 

[cheshirekris]

She looks a bit like my cat! I think they are called mutated tortoise shell.

 

[Melissa123]

She looks a bit like my cat! I think they are called mutated tortoise shell.

You would be correct!

 

[cheshirekris]

You would be correct!

Whoo! Gold sticker. XD Also you might want to see what her personality is like because my cat is more so craving attention than killing and especially if she is young you could "teach" her to get along with other animals.

 

[Melissa123]

Whoo! Gold sticker. XD Also you might want to see what her personality is like because my cat is more so craving attention than killing and especially if she is young you could "teach" her to get along with other animals.

Thanks! *gives gold sticker* lol
She has been confined to a bedroom so she can heal right now. She is very down to earth so far and just wants to snuggle. I do plan on working with her a bunch though so I can trust her with the piglets and chins.
As far as her nails...For now I won't be putting the caps on her. They are very short and I think I may just be able to trim them often and there will be no issues!

 

[cheshirekris]

~puts gold sticker on shirt~ Thanks!

She sounds lovely. I have never had to use caps or even clip nails for some reason I guess scratching post keep them down maybe. Oh and if you don't want to buy a scratching post you could make one (It's what I do.) It is only carpet wood and sisal.

 

[soccerchickgrp5]

She's a young kitten! How cute! Anyways my cat, he used to stick his paws through the cage and my old guinea pig, Buttercup, became tired of it. So she bit his paw when he tried to stick it back in through the cage grids. My cat Tiger never tried to put his paw through the cage again. Luckily when I put Buttercup out, I didn't see the cat in the top bunk and he was afraid of the guinea pig. Any cat will learn a lesson from that, because as we know, guinea pigs bite hard. They normally get along usually (dogs,cat,pigs).
Dogs:

Both my dogs got tired of trying to have my guinea pigs as dinner because I constantly yelled at them and scooted them out. Keep in mind my dogs are massive, the size of a miniature pony! After a while they now are not interested in them anymore.

Cats;

Already told that story! But mainly just reward both cats and dogs with treats when they are nice. Because my cat got out and he came back then my youngest dog barked till my dad got up and there was the cat. So they usually end up getting friendlier with each other!

So pretty much just teach your cat not too, and if your cat scratches on furniture, simply put a scratching post there so she scratches the post instead of the furniture! Biggest tip; Rewards!

 

[TwoMissPiggies]

I have three cats and I use cat nail caps on all of them. We have scratching posts and cat trees on them, but they love what little carpet we have. I bought some from PurrdyPaws.com and I do not like them. My cats are getting them off too easy, as well as chewing on them. I bought some from PetSmart prior to ordering from PurrdyPaws. I think they're called Kitty Caps? I bought clear and they worked GREAT! They were expensive though. 40 for $14. PurrdyPaws I got 100 for $22 in a blue color.
Im not sure if they noticed I put blue ones on or what.....but I'm going to stick with the clear ones.