Tiger Will Keep His Claws - Carole Wilbourn
Carole Wilbourn, The Cat Therapist, has been the leading voice in feline therapy for over 5 decades. She has helped thousands of cat moms and dads explore, face, and resolve cat behavioral and health issues. Carole is truly the most trusted Cat Therapist in the United States.
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12 Sep Tiger Will Keep His Claws

Posted at 16:38h in Blog by

Tiger’s physical and emotional well being won’t be harmed by removal of his claws. There is a solution.

Tiger takes a basket break from play

Tiger Will Keep His Claws
(Declaw Alternatives)  
As I bicycled home from my lesson at the Apple Store, my trainer’s conversation came back to me.  He told me how he and his girlfriend had adopted Tiger, a rescue, a really cool cat. He used his scratching post but tore up their nubby textured chair — a similar texture to his post. They thought more of Tiger than the chair. But what if one day he dissed their brand new stuff?
”We would never **declaw Tiger but there’s gotta be a way for him to workout without a destruction derby,” he said.

I told him:
* Cover the entire chair for at least three or four weeks and secure the cover so it was Tiger-proof. Otherwise, he would crawl under the cover.
* One scratching post isn’t enough — especially if Tiger’s solo post isn’t sturdy. Two or three sturdy, nubby or sisal posts would keep him scratching in the right places.
* Whenever he works out, tell him he is a cool, best cat and cheer him on. If he scratches their stuff, a “very sharp, non-negotiable NO” will startle and interrupt his intent.
* But you must be consistent. Otherwise, Tiger will be confused and inconsistent.

I mentioned how my cat, Orion, has an assortment of sisal, cedar and cork alternatives. Whenever he wants my acknowledgement he knows it’s a given — if he makes the rounds of his posts and pads, I’ll repeat and repeat “What a good boy you are”. He usually greets me at the door with a scratching post work out to my shouts of “Good boy” — instant acknowledgment for me too.

R.A.C.E.
Repetition, Acknowledgment and Consistency adds up to the Endurance which will keep Tiger scratching in all the right places.
So remember R.A.C.E.

**The removal of a cat’s claws can trigger medical and emotional problems. Refer to my article on this site “You Can’t Declaw With Love”

Orion works out at his sisal Ultimate Scratch Post